Midori at Herbst Theatre, March 11, 2025

San Francisco Performances presents Midori with Özgür Aydin
Herbst Theatre
Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA
7:30 PM, Tuesday, March 11, 2025

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• BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 76
• POULENC: Sonata for Violin and Piano;
• RAVEL: Kaddish (arr. Garban);
• RAVEL: Tzigane;
• CHE BUFORD: Spirituals (West Coast Premiere)
• SCHUMANN: Stücke im Volkston for Violin and Piano, Op. 102

[7:32 PM] {Greetings from Melanie Smith & program change announcement}

Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (1849)

1. [7:33 PM] Vanitas vanitatum
2. [7:37 PM] Langsam
3. [7:40 PM] Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen
4. [7:44 PM] Nicht zu rasch
5. [7:46 PM] Stark und markiert
   [7:49 PM] {applause at work end; all off}

[7:49 PM] {performers back onstage}

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 (1879)

1. [7:51 PM] Vivace, ma non troppo
2. [8:02 PM] Adagio
3. [8:11 PM] Allegro molto moderato
   [8:20 PM] {applause at set end}
   [8:21 PM] {done}

[8:41 PM] {lights down, performers out}

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (1899–1963): Sonata for Violin and Piano, FP119 (1949)

1. [8:42 PM] Allegro con fuoco
   [8:49 PM] {long pause! for Midori to retune}
2. [8:50 PM] Intermezzo
3. [8:56 PM] Presto tragico
   [9:02 PM] {applause at work end}
   [9:03 PM] {off & then back out right quick!}

1. [9:04 PM] Maurice Ravel (1875–1937): Kaddish (1914) (arr. Garban, 1924), Mvt I from Deux mélodies hébraïques for voice & piano, M.A 22
   [9:10 PM] {applause at work end}
2. [9:11 PM] Ravel: Tzigane, for violin & piano, M.76 (1924)
   [9:22 PM] {applause at set end}
   
   Encore
   [9:23 PM] {entrance and prep}
3. [9:23 PM] ENCORE TBD!
   [9:27 PM] {applause at work end}
   [9:31 PM] {done}

• Özgür Aydin: piano;
• Midori Goto: violin;

Tonight's show was a really great listening experience: it's always rewarding to hear a duo that is so sympatico!

My overall impression is that the program weighed a little heavily on dramatics and woeful expressions, but without words to convey meaning, maybe that was just the musical equivalent of a mime's exaggeration? I'm sure it would have helped if I could read the program notes, but I left my readers in the car tonight, so all I had to go on were the sonic impressions I received.

It appeared to me at the end of the show that Özgür might have been fighting off illness or travel-fatigue: the smiles of the first set having been replaced by a grimacing mask of determination: the show must go on?

Steven Smoliar posted a friendly review of the show on his blog, but unfortunately, he too failed to ID the encore. Drat!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Program Notes or program notes

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2025 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2025 event list! ☸ On to the next event!