Noontime Concerts

04/21/2020

Noontime Concerts www.noontimeconcerts.org live performances are postponed as we all shelter at home. So each week we are offering curated (high-quality) recordings of programs from our Noontime Concerts archives. Access to the concert and more Information can be found at www.noontimeconcerts.org click "Concert Details" or "Stream Concert".

This week's performance with Christina Mok Violin and Max Bragado-Darman, Piano be available at 12:15 PM Tuesday, April 21 and available until April 28.

Here is their program followed by program notes.

L. V. Beethoven

Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30, No. 1

Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Op. 30, No. 2

LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN

(1770-1827)

250th Anniversary of His Birth

German Composer of the Classical Era

You can hardly beat a program of two magnificent Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano duo which depict contrasting natures of the master. Along with sonata no. 8, these sonatas (nos. 6 and 7) comprise Opus 30 composed between 1801 and 1802 and dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

The former sonata depicts Beethoven’s gift for lyric beauty and tenderness. The latter typifies Beethoven’s sense of drama and heroic conquest associated with compositions that he wrote in C minor tonality. Both are virtuosic with highly expressive slow movements (adagios). This is vintage music belonging to Beethoven’s middle period known as Sturm und Drang (“Storm and Stress”) in which many movements in a composition are generated and permeated by a single melodic or rhythmic motive. --Carl Blake

04/14/2020

Noontime Concerts www.noontimeconcerts.org live performances are postponed as we all shelter at home. So each week we are offering curated (high-quality) recordings of programs from our Noontime Concerts archives. More Information and program notes can be found at www.noontimeconcerts.org click "Concert Details".

This week's concert will be available at 12:30 PM Tuesday, Aril 14 is a recording of a live concert from July 2, 2019, that features Florin Parvulescu, violin; Eric Sung, cello; and Samantha Cho, piano.

The trio plays
Claude Debussy: Piano Trio in G Major, L. 5 and
Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8

https://youtu.be/mcanu_avymE

03/08/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. Duo Violão Brasil

Duo Violão Brasil is the result of guitarists Rogério Souza and Edinho Gerber's reverence for Brazilian guitar, the “violão”, and their desire to explore and expand the musical possibilities of putting two “violões" together. With repertoire from composers like Pixinguinha, Baden Powell, and Tom Jobim, the duo navigates effortlessly through the many styles of 20th century Brazilian popular music while showcasing original works and inventive arrangements. 2019 marks the release of their first album, “A História do Choro”, where the duo joined forces with Bay Area percussionist, Ami Molinelli, to survey the musical history and evolution of Brasil’s greatest art form, Choro, while revealing its rhythmic and harmonic permutations and, in the process, create a unique musical statement, coherent in timbre and vision while marvelously varied in its nuances.

03/01/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, March 3, 12:30 p.m.
Sarah Wood, Emanuela Nikiforova, Stephanie Bibbo, Elaine Kreston, and Miles Graber
Dimitri Shostakovich: Quintet for Piano and Strings, Op. 57 and Romance from “The Gadfly” Op. 97

02/24/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, February 25, 12:30 p.m.
Emerging Artist, Weiwen Ma, Piano

Weiwen Ma, a native of Shanghai, is celebrated internationally for her virtuosic technique, her bold interpretations of the classical repertoire, and her vivacious stage presence. She has been described by world celebrated pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi as “(playing) with flair and technical prowess. Her keyboard skills are remarkable.”

02/16/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, February 18, 12:30 p.m.
Kouzov Duo

Praised as “a true artist” by Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich, the young cellist Dmitry Kouzov won the First Prize at the International Beethoven Competition and the New York Cello Society “Rising Star” Award, and is a two-time laureate of Russia’s International “Virtuosi of the Year” Festival-Competition.

Known for her passionate and musical interpretations and impressive technical facility, the St. Petersburg-born pianist Yulia Kouzova enjoys a varied international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Yulia has performed recitals and concerti in the major cities in Russia and regularly performs in Russia’s most prestigious venues such as St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall and State Capella.L. v. Beethoven: 12 Variations for Cello and Piano on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from Die Zauberflöte", Op. 66

Johannes Brahms: Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 38

Bohuslav Martinu: Variations on a Theme by Rossini

02/08/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, February 11, 12:30 p.m.
Tom Stone, Laura Gaynon, Allegra Chapman

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Trio élégiaque, No. 1

Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87

02/01/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, February 4, 12:30 p.m.
Midsummer Mozart Festival Chamber Players

01/24/2020

Noontime Concerts
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, SanFrancisco
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, January 28, 12:30 p.m.
Thalea String Quartet

“Thalea never failed to deliver a stirring performance” - Calgary Herald

The Thalea String Quartet is dedicated to bringing timeless music to audiences from all walks of life. From living rooms to concert stages around the world, the Thalea String Quartet aims to connect with audiences on a musical, emotional and personal level, from first-time listeners to string quartet aficionados. They are devoted to building a new and diverse audience for chamber music through innovative programming and community engagement.

The Thalea String Quartet has been praised for its “vibrant performance” and “sincere expressivity” (SF Classical Voice). They were the first quartet-in-residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 2015-17. They were recently named the Young Professional String Quartet at the Butler School of Music, where they are mentored by the highly acclaimed Miró Quartet. They also serve as Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium, where they are mentored by the Artemis Quartet. The Thalea String Quartet were top prize winners at both the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2018 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. They were appointed as the Sphinx Ensemble at the 2018 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and will return this coming summer as a Shouse Ensemble. They were ensemble-in-residence at the Bear Valley Music Festival for the summers of 2018 and 2019.

01/19/2020

Noontime Concerts
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, January 21, 12:30 p.m.
Friedrich Edelmann, bassoon
Rebecca Rust, cello
Dmitriy Cogan, Piano
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco

Noontime Concerts, San Francisco's Musical Lunch Break, is a non-profit that offers free classical music concerts on Tuesdays at Old St. Mary's Cathedral.

01/10/2020

Noontime Concerts
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, January 14, 12:30 p.m.
Albany Consort, St. Bede's Soloists, and Whole Noyse
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco

Venice in the 1640’s – without a doubt the time to be alive. Why? Monteverdi's late masterpieces.

Program
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Canzon Vigesimanona à 8

Claudio Monteverdi: Altri canti di marte from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi

Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon 4 à 6

Monteverdi: Confitebor tibi from Selva morale e spirituale

Gabrieli: Canzon 2 à 8

Monteverdi: Altri canti d’Amor from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi

Giovanni Picchi: Canzon Decima Ottava à 5

Monteverdi: Beatus vir from Selva morale e spirituale

01/03/2020

Noontime Concerts
www.noontimeconcerts.org
Tuesday, January 7, 12:30 p.m.
Tom and Iris Stone Violin Duo
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco

Tom Stone was born in Chicago where he studied music with Hilel Kagan. At age 16 he attended Tanglewood where he coached with Eugene Lehner of the Kolisch Quartet and played in an orchestra under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Stone went on to pursue musical studies at the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His major teachers have included Donald Weilerstein, Zvi Zeitlin, Gyorgy Sebok, and Bonnie Hampton. Mr. Stone has also performed in masterclasses for Issac Stern and members of the Amadeus, Emerson, Juilliard Quartets and LaSalle Quartets. He has performed with many distinguished artists including Awadagin Pratt, Leon Fleisher, Zuill Bailey, Jon Nakamatsu, Ian Hobson, and Donald Weilerstein.

During his 20 years as a founding member of the Cypress String Quartet, Mr. Stone performed in major musical venues all over the world including the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress and the Ravinia Festival.

Mr. Stone has served as artistic director of the Centrum Chamber Music Festival and has worked closely with educational and arts organizations throughout the country to conceptualize and implement some of the nation’s most innovative educational programs. He has also served as treasurer of the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, board member of Chamber Music America, and panelist for the San Francisco Arts Commission. Mr. Stone plays on a violin made in Cremona, Italy by Carlos Bergonzi in 1734.

A native of Berlin, Germany, violinist Iris Stone has been a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra since the 1995/96 season under Stuart Canin and has been performing with the orchestra since 2001.

As part of the Stone-Zimmermann violin-piano duo and chamber musician in various ensembles, Iris has performed all over Europe and the United States. She recently performed and recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. The concert was telecast live on German national television and recorded on the EMI label.

As a member of the Munich Chamber Orchestra, a world-class touring ensemble, Iris performed in the great concert halls of Europe, Asia, and America on prestigious series such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York and San Francisco Performances. She has also been a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, has been Assistant Concertmaster of San Francisco’s Women’s Philharmonic and Principal 2nd Violin of the Monterey Symphony Orchestra.

Iris first came to the United States in 1993 as a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship. Subsequently, she worked with violinist Donald Weilerstein, a founding member of the Cleveland Quartet, and was granted a long-term residency at the Banff Center for the Arts in Canada.

Noontime Concerts, San Francisco's Musical Lunch Break, is a non-profit that offers free classical music concerts on Tuesdays at Old St. Mary's Cathedral.