The Aleron Trio (pianist Teresa Yu, violinist Solenn Séguillon, and cellist Anne Suda) gave their debut recital in the Old First Concerts series at Old First Church in May of last year; they will return to Old First on the last Friday of this month, using their debut concert as a point of departure from which to pursue new directions.
Last May they introduced themselves to Old First audiences by opening with Ludwig van Beethoven’s first published composition, the first of his Opus 1 piano trios, the one in E-flat major. This was a lively demonstration of Beethoven’s youthful confidence, well aware of the kind of tricks that his teacher Joseph Haydn could play and determined to outdo his master. This month’s program will begin with Beethoven’s 1814 Opus 97 trio in B-flat major, commonly know as the “Archduke” because of its dedication to Archduke Rudolph of Austria. The third movement of this trio (Andante cantabile ma però con moto. Poco piu adagio.) is an early example of how Beethoven could explore variations on a theme in great depth over an extended duration; and it is a sign of the rhetoric that will be encountered in many works from his late period.
The remaining two works on the program offer more international perspectives. The first of these is the “Trio sur des melodies populaires irlandaises” by the Swiss composer Frank Martin, an extended fantasy on Irish folk sources. The Trio then heads across the Atlantic in a southwesterly direction to the Argentina of Ástor Piazzolla. The program concludes with the piano trio version of “Primavera porteña,” the “spring” movement from his Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (four seasons of Buenos Aires) suite of tangos.
Old First Concerts events take place in the Old First Church at 1751 Sacramento Street (on the southeast corner of Van Ness Avenue). This recital will be held on February 24 at 8 PM. General admission is $17 with a special $14 rate for full-time students and seniors. These may be purchased through the Performances page on the Old First Concerts Web site. Further information may be obtained by calling 415-474-1608.
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