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| 2013-03-23_m_smlc [2013/03/26 22:30] – [Notes] randolo | 2013-03-23_m_smlc [Unknown date] (current) – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1 |
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| ====== Midori at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, March 23, 2013 ====== | |
| [[http://www.gotomidori.com/english/|Midori]]\\ | |
| performing Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, part 1\\ | |
| [[http://www.stmarks-sf.org/|St. Mark's Lutheran Church]]\\ | |
| [[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1111+O'Farrell+Street,+San+Francisco,+CA&hl=en|1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA]]\\ | |
| 8:00 PM, Saturday, March 23, 2013\\ | |
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| ===== One Set ===== | |
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| [8:06 PM, lights down, Introduction by Ruth Felt] | |
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| ==== Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1001 (1720) ==== | |
| * Adagio | |
| * Fuga: Allegro | |
| * Siciliano | |
| * Presto | |
| [work ends 8:25 PM] | |
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| [8:26 PM ready] | |
| ==== Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Solo Violin, BWV 1005 (1720) ==== | |
| * Adagio | |
| * Fuga | |
| * Largo | |
| * Allegro assai | |
| [work ends 8:51 PM] | |
| |
| [8:52 PM ready] | |
| ==== Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 (1720) ==== | |
| * Allemande | |
| * Courante | |
| * Sarabande | |
| * Gigue | |
| * Chaconne | |
| [show ends 9:20 PM] | |
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| ===== the Performers ===== | |
| * Midori Goto: violin. | |
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| ===== Notes ===== | |
| [[http://sfperformances.org/notes/MidoriNotes.pdf|Program Notes]] courtesy of SFPerformances. | |
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| [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonatas_and_partitas_for_solo_violin|Wikipedia article about the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin]]. | |
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| As best as I can recall, this was my first visit to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, a smallish venue on the South East slope of San Francisco's Cathedral Hill. I attended tonight's show with my mom, sitting in great seats a few rows back from the front. I thought the church interior was beautiful and bright -- the decorations were a bit more ornate than I expected, but nowhere near as busy nor as dark as most of the Catholic churches of my childhood. And small! It's always a treat to hear a world-class performer in a small space, and ever-so-much-the-better for enjoying a solo performance rather than a cavernous modern concert hall. On the downside, although it was a typically chilly spring day, it was **very** stuffy inside tonight, and I caught myself nodding off more than once or twice during the performance despite my best intention to pay close attention! | |
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| My overall impression of tonight's presentation (especially as compared with the [[2013-03-24_m_smlc|following show]]) was an overpowering and endlessly fleet torrent of notes. As with just about anything, too much of a good thing sometimes serves to reduce the impact. By the end of the night I was beginning to think "ho-hum, another witty cascade of 64th notes" rather than marveling at the intricacy of Bach's inventive composition. As counterexample, I think [[2013-02-09_hahn_herbst|Hilary Hahn's recent recital]] offered a much better showcase for Bach, as that show put his work into a context that allowed it shine forth from the background of the overall programming. I typically enjoy concerts such as tonight's that focus on a single composer and/or a single suite of related works, but I think a bit more relaxed presentation -- beginning by extending the pauses between movements and going on to split the program into two or three distinct sections -- would have done much to allay the complaint of "too much, too much." Just as enjoyment of a fine dining experience depends on the pacing of the services, I think the decision to compress the evening into a single unbroken set resulted in a disservice to us all. | |
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| Stephen Smoliar offered up similarly grumpy review for [[http://www.examiner.com/article/midori-s-first-solo-bach-recital|the Examiner]]. I get the impression that he's a bit jaded these days -- how could the performance be dazzling and yet remain "matter-of-fact"? | |
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| Overall, I'm quite glad to have attended this show, and I'll take any chance I get to listen to a performer of Midori's calibre in such an intimate setting! | |
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| {{tag>music Midori St._Mark's_Lutheran_Church JSBach BWV1001 BWV1004 BWV1005}} | |
