# Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg at St. John's Presbyterian Church, December 3, 2016

[San Francisco Performances](http://www.sfperformances.org/performances/1617/ASQBerkeley.html) presents [Alexander String Quartet](http://www.asq4.com/) with [Robert Greenberg](http://www.robertgreenbergmusic.com/)  
2016-12-03  
[St. John's Presbyterian Church](http://www.stjohnsberkeley.org)  
[2727 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705-1247 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2727+College+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA+94705-1247+USA&hl=en)  
10:00 AM, Saturday, December 3, 2016

[[2016-12-02|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2016|Up to the 2016 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2016#December_events|Up to the 2016 event list!]] ☸  [[2016-12-03-2|On to the next event!]]

## Set One: Mozart: Quartet in A Major, K. 464

[10:05 AM welcome from Melanie Smith]

01. [10:07 AM] [Lecture by Robert Greenberg]  
[ends 10:34, pause for a bit of tuning]  
   
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): String Quartet No. 18 in A major, K. 464, 1784
01. [10:35 AM] _Allegro_
02. [10:42 AM] _Menuetto_
03. [10:48 AM] _Andante_
04. [11:01 AM] _Allegro non troppo_  
[set ends 11:07 AM; all off after a minute or so]

## Set Two: Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5

[11:29 AM back for part two]

01. [11:30 AM] [Lecture by Robert Greenberg]  
[ends 12:00 PM, pause for a bit of tuning]  
   
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5, 1799
01. [12:01 PM] _Allegro_
02. [12:08 PM] _Menuetto - Trio_
03. [12:13 PM] _Andante cantabile con variazioni_
04. [12:23 PM] _Allegro_  
[show ends 12:30 PM; applause for awhile, then out]


## Performers

### Alexander String Quartet

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

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

### Robert Greenberg

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

## Notes

Woke up bright and early (thanks to my rooster alarm, cock-a-doodle-do!), dragged my sorry ass out of bed, got dressed, washed up, then headed down to St. John's for this morning's show, the first of four lecture-concert programs in the current season: _Beethoven: Before and Beyond_, pairing four of Ludwig van's chamber works against the works of four other composers, beginning today with Mozart's influence on Beethoven.

To my ears, K.464 certainly sounds fresh and modern -- it's a bit more challenging to listen to than his usual tuneful fare, and I can see why the piece hasn't really ever caught on with the listening public -- it's not the easily singable Mozart they expect to hear. A great way to start off this series!

Beethoven cribbed his String Quartet No. 5 in A Major more-or-less directly from Mozart's amazing K.464, and Robert Greenberg's second-half lecture illuminated how this wasn't really any sort of plagiarism, but instead Beethoven's way of learning from his predecessor. 

If I hadn't run out of steam, I probably would have had something to say about the second half performance, but all I can recall just now, is that I liked the Mozart better.

[Program Notes](http://sfperformances.org/img/perfnotes/1617/ASQBerkeleyNotes.pdf)

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

[[2016-12-02|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2016|Up to the 2016 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2016#December_events|Up to the 2016 event list!]] ☸  [[2016-12-03-2|On to the next event!]]