CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE SWEDENBORGIAN
It is a rare thing to hear chamber music played by internationally acclaimed soloists. It is rarer still to hear it played in a chamber as intimate and compelling as the music itself. On Saturday, November 9th, the historic, candlelit Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco will host an evening of virtuosic duets and trios from the Romantic era, presented by the world-renowned artists of the San Francisco Music Festival.
THE MUSIC :
Between soloing at the most prestigious concert halls worldwide, conducting masterclasses at top conservatories, holding artist residencies at home and abroad, and their countless other professional and philanthropic engagements, the astonishing musicians of the San Francisco Music Festival gather as friends in a single location a few times a year for the sheer joy of performing some of the most intriguing, challenging, and rarely-presented pieces in the repertoire.
In their third such presentation at the Swedenborgian Church on November 9th, charismatic cellist Jonah Kim will be joined by the dazzling Eric Silberger on violin, and the brilliant and innovative Oskar Yao and special guest Christine McLeavey Payne on piano. Their selections for this concert are specialties of only the most masterful musicians, showcasing every angle of their instruments and displaying a wide range of techniques, tempos, colors, and atmospheres. From "The Impossible Duet," the dizzying and sublime Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia, which opens the evening, through Franck's soulfully melodic Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, to the masterwork that is Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, and finally culminating in the driving passion of Piazzolla's modern Le Grand Tango, this program is sure to thrill and enthrall musicians and audience alike.
THE CHAMBER:
A venue of natural beauty and deep spiritual inquiry, the Swedenborgian Church is a humble beacon of respite and contemplation nestled within its own gardens on Lyon and Washington Streets in Pacific Heights. This handcrafted earthen chapel, heated by hearthfire and built in the time the Passacaglia was being written, is a National Historic Landmark, recognized as the first public example of Arts & Crafts architecture on the West Coast. Its raw wooden interior, including a roof held aloft by unstripped madrone trees, presents an ideal resonance environment for small string ensembles, becoming at times a vibrational extension of the instruments themselves. Wooden chairs, the first Mission-style chairs ever designed and the inspiration for Stickley's classic, drink up the cello through the plank floors, while the overtones of violin and piano reverberate through the candlelit air. Seating is very limited, so please reserve early. Donations requested at ticketing site.