San Francisco Performances presents the Calder Quartet with Timo Andres
Herbst Theatre
Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA
7:30 PM, Tuesday, October 10, 2023

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[7:31 PM] {lights down, performers out}
[7:32 PM] {TA remarks about the 1st work}

Timo Andres (b. 1985): Machine, Learning, for string quartet (2019)

1. [7:34 PM] Light Weight
2. [7:37 PM] Hammerspace
3. [7:41 PM] Earthly Bodies
   [7:46 PM] {work ends; all off for a brief respite}

[7:47 PM] {applause at performer entrance}

Franz Schubert (1797–1828): String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Opus 29, No. 1, D. 804 (1824) Rosamunde

1. [7:48 PM] Allegro ma non troppo
2. [7:59 PM] Andante
3. [8:06 PM] Menuetto. Allegretto
4. [8:13 PM] Allegro moderato [8:20 PM] {set ends; back and forth during the ovation}
   [8:21 PM] {all done! break!}

[8:39 PM] {lights down, AT out alone to introduce the next work}

Ann Southam (1937–2010): Remembering Schubert, for solo piano (1993)

1. [8:41 PM] Remembering Schubert
   [8:52 PM] {work ends; applause, AT off}

[8:53 PM] {applause as all performers return to the stage; tuning}
[8:53 PM] {TA introduces his new work}

1. [8:56 PM] The Great Span, for Piano Quintet (2023; Northern CA premiere)
   [9:18 PM] {applause at end work}
   [9:19 PM] {all back for a curtain call}
   [9:20 PM] {show ends}

Calder Quartet

• Eric Byers: cello;
• Benjamin Jacobson: violin;
• Jonathan Moerschel: viola;
• Tereza Stanislav: violin.

• Timo Andres: piano.

The world premiere of The Great Span was last Friday, down in Costa Mesa. On his website, Timo posted that a Julius Eastman piece was also on the program: maybe that will be an unannounced encore? The event page for the premiere lists that piece, Joy Boy as coming in-between the two second set works noted above. Guess that was out-of-date planning: no Joy Boy for us in SF.

Overall, I thought tonight's show was pretty good. The opening work was a nice appetizer, and the Schubert that followed provided a satisfying main course. Intermission gave us time to digest things a bit, and then the second set offered two lighter pieces to wrap things up.

I don't recall hearing anything by Ann Southam prior to Timo's performance of her piece tonight; it proved to be an excellent introduction, and makes me think I should look for recordings of her other compositions. To my ear, tonight's piece didn't evoke Schubert as much as a tintinabulist fantasy, like an alternate universe George Winston whose playing derived from Philip Glass. Interesting enough, if a bit repetitive.

The closing piece, tonight's SF premiere of Timo's new piano quintet, was pretty good. I liked various moments in passing, but nothing popped out as memorable enough to write about. I'd be happy to hear it again once the recording comes out…and I'd be happy to attend another program featuring either Timo or the Calder Quartet in the future.

Program Notes or program notes

Rebecca Wishnia posted a review of the show with SFCV; 'tis a pity that she disliked the piano-focused second half so much: maybe that's just her predilection as a violinist?

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2023 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2023 event list! ☸ On to the next event!