SF Performances presents the Alexander String Quartet, with special guest, Sarah Cahill
2015-01-24
St. John's Presbyterian Church
2727 College Ave, Berkeley, CA
10:00 AM, Saturday, January 24, 2015

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• Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478
• Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493

[10:02 AM announcements from Ruth Felt]

1. [10:04 AM] (lecture)

Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478 (1785)

1. [10:34 AM] Allegro
2. [10:45 AM] Andante
3. [10:53 AM] Rondo (Allegro)
   [set ends 11:01 AM; applause, then off after a minute or so]

1. [11:23 AM] (lecture)

Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493 (1786)

1. [11:53 AM] Allegro
2. [12:04 PM] Larghetto
3. [12:14 PM] Allegretto
   [set ends 12:23 PM; applause, then all off after a big standing ovation for minute or so]

Alexander String Quartet

• Zakarias Grafilo: violin (set two);
• Frederick Lifsitz: violin (set one);
• Sandy Wilson: cello;
• Paul Yarbrough: viola.

• Robert Greenberg: lecturer;

• Sarah Cahill: piano.

  ## Notes

Darn hard to get going this morning after yesterday's long day. Up and out the door a few minutes later than is optimal, then stuck in some early morning local traffic means that the only spots left open in the lot were illegal or too tight (due to lazy parking on the part of earlier arriving guests). C'est la vie! At least there's plenty of street parking, and even if it means moving the car at set break, that just prompts me to get in a little more walking. Remarkably warm today… very much like spring.

The first set was great, with a fine lecture by RG that gave us a firm grounding in the structure of K.478 Like usual, it was good to hear and learn from his talk, but on short rest, I found myself drifting away more than once. Sarah's mom was sitting behind me on the aisle of the third row, and I caught Sarah throwing smiles and glances at her throughout the lecture portion of the show.

The second half was similarly engaging, though Robert's lecture seemed slightly rushed, and the performance wasn't quite up to the standard I expected. Whether that's due to the difficulty of the work, lack of rehearsal time, or some other factor is unknown to me, but the musical flow seemed to lose synchronization during the faster arpeggio sections, particularly in the final rondo. Makes me think I should dig out a top-notch recording for some comparative listening. Still, it was a good way to start the day, and I look forward to next season's future offerings.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!