Midori
performing Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, part 1
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA
8:00 PM, Saturday, March 23, 2013

[8:06 PM, lights down, Introduction by Ruth Felt]

• Adagio
• Fuga: Allegro
• Siciliano
• Presto

[work ends 8:25 PM]

[8:26 PM ready]

• Adagio
• Fuga
• Largo
• Allegro assai

[work ends 8:51 PM]

[8:52 PM ready]

• Allemande
• Courante
• Sarabande
• Gigue
• Chaconne

[show ends 9:20 PM]

• Midori Goto: violin.

Program Notes courtesy of SFPerformances.

Wikipedia article about the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.

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!

My overall impression of tonight's presentation (especially as compared with the 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 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.

Stephen Smoliar offered up similarly grumpy review for 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”?

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!