San Francisco Piano Quartet
March 22, 2009
* Notes *
The San Francisco Piano Quartet played this afternoon as part of Noe Valley Chamber Music's 16th season. The performance began with three movements of Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quartet in E flat Major, then involved various bits and pieces of music from related composers, and finally ended with the last movement from the first piece. Interspersed thoroughout were educational segments from the pianist, Avi Downes. She basically would give a bit of history on the pieces and talk about how they were germane to Dvořák's American journey.
Harry Burleigh's In the Cold Moonlight resembled Chopin more than the spiritual for solo piano it is supposed to be. The opening movement of Goldmark's Piano Quartet in A Major was likewise lush and florid. The Three Preludes for Violin and Piano from Gershwin were exuberant and fun, more so than Sam Bass' Jazz Sonata for Cello and Piano, though the cello pizzicato in the latter piece was engaging. The Dvořák had a good deal of both playfulness and brashness. All of the playing was quite good.
* Tattling *
There was a rather loudly-barking dog nearby, but the audience itself was well-behaved save some person who unvelcroed something at least three times during the music.
During the intermission we were approached by the managing director of Noe Valley Chamber Music, who asked us how we found out about the concert. She noted our relative youthfulness, given that their audience is mostly over 50.