# Robert Greenberg & the Alexander String Quartet at St. John's Presbyterian Church, December 14, 2013

[SF Performances](http://sfperformances.org/performances/1314/ASQBerkeley.html) presents _The Hinge of Fate_, a lecture and performance featuring [Robert Greenberg](http://www.robertgreenbergmusic.com/) and the [Alexander String Quartet](http://www.asq4.com/)  
2013-12-21  
[St. John's Presbyterian Church](http://www.stjohnsberkeley.org)  
[2727 College Ave, Berkeley, CA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2727+College+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA&hl=en)  
10:00 AM, Saturday, December 21, 2013

## Set One

[10:02 AM announcements from Ruth Felt]

### Robert Greenberg

01. [10:04 AM] ASQ describe their instruments; Lecture  
[set ends 10:30 AM]

### Benjamin Britten: String Quartet No. 2

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op.36 (1945)

01. [10:31 AM] Allegro calmo
02. [10:39 AM] Vivace
03. [10:43 AM] Chacony  
[set ends 11:01 AM]


## Set Two

### Robert Greenberg

01. [11:22 AM] Lecture  
[set ends 11:54 AM]

### William Walton: String Quartet No. 2

Sir William Turner Walton OM (1902-–1983): String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1947)

01. [11:55 AM] Allegro
02. [12:06 PM] Presto
03. [12:11 PM] Lento
04. [12:20 PM] Allegro molto  
[set ends 12:26 PM, no encore]


## Performers

* [Robert Greenberg](http://www.robertgreenbergmusic.com/): lecturer.

### Alexander String Quartet

[Alexander String Quartet](http://www.asq4.com/)

* Zakarias Grafilo: violin;
* Frederick Lifsitz: violin;
* Sandy Wilson: cello;
* Paul Yarbrough: viola.


## Notes

Wow! The skill and maturity of composition exhibited by Benjamin Britten in today's work is leaps and bounds beyond that of [[2013-12-14-1| last week's]] SQ#1 and light-years beyond the [[2013-12-07-1|prior weeks']] _Divertimenti_. Simply stunning! I might quibble a bit that the ASQ seemed slightly off kilter at times -- rhythmically incoherent -- especially during the second movement. But given my unfamiliarity with the work, that effect could be a function of Britten's writing. I dunno, probably need to listen to some recordings to see how they compare to my recollection.

Things were similarly interesting in the second set today. Robert Greenberg packed a **lot** of information into his lecture, giving us a capsule biography of William Walton, a bit of juicy detail on his compositional rivalry with Britten, and a comprehensive introduction to the main elements of Walton's String Quartet No. 2

{{tag>music Robert_Greenberg Alexander_String_Quartet St._John's_Presbyterian_Church William_Walton Benjamin_Britten Zakarias_Grafilo Frederick_Lifsitz Sandy_Wilson Paul_Yarbrough}}

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