The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble is a community of friends who enjoy coming together to make music, and they consider their audience to be part of that community. Their concert season takes place in both Mill Valley and San Francisco, offering the same programs at both venues. In San Francisco they perform at 8 PM on Monday evenings in the Green Room of the San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center at 401 Van Ness Avenue, on the second floor of the building that houses Herbst Theatre. The new season consists of five concerts, each of which has its own characteristic title:
- October 25, String Quartet Century: As may be anticipated, this program will consist entirely of music for string quartet, beginning with the Opus 17 second string quartet by Béla Bartók, composed between 1915 and 1917 and given its first performance in 1918. This will be followed by two much more recent American works: the string quartet version of Terry Riley’s 1980 “G-Song,” originally composed for electric keyboard and soprano saxophone, and the world premiere of the second string quartet by Carl Schimmel. The scope of the entire program thus fits within the span of a century (hence the title), and each of these three intricate works inhabits an expressive work of its own and celebrates the string quartet in different ways.
- December 13: Conversation Pieces investigates musical dialogues. The major work on the program will be Robert Schumann’s Opus 47 piano quartet in E-flat major, conceived as the interplay of his Eusebius and Florestan personae. In Sándor Veress’ “Memento,” on the other hand, viola and bass assume the roles of two characters musing about the past. The program will also include the winner of the 2010 Left Coast Composer Prize, “The Devil’s Nine Questions,” by Steven Snowden. In addition virtuoso double-bassist Michel Taddei will perform Tom Johnson’s 1975 solo work, “Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for String Bass,” in which the soloist supplements his performance with a running narration.
- January 24: Root Causes spotlights four composers who have been particularly successful art fusing roots and concert music. The oldest of these is Antonín Dvořák, who drew upon folk music from both Europe and North America. He will be represented by his Opus 65 piano trio in F minor. On the other hand Ernest Bloch's “Abodah,” a duet for violin and piano, reflects the composer’s interest in both folk and liturgical sources of Jewish music. Yet another perspective will be provided by the jazz influences on John Musto’s 1998 piano trio. The program will conclude with a world premiere of a piano trio by Kurt Rohde consisting of four “remixes” of popular songs.
- April 18, Celebrating Youth: The major work on this program will be “Mládi” (youth), which Leoš Janáček composed at the age of 70 as a reminiscence of his boyhood. This composition is a woodwind sextet, which, because of its instrumentation, is rarely heard. The program will also feature world premieres of works by San Francisco composers Beth Custer and Hyo-shin Na.
- June 6, Viaggio Italiano: The final concert of the season will be informed by Italian perspectives. The most “classical” work on the program will be the “Fandango” quintet for guitar and strings by Luigi Boccherini. At the other extreme will be the world premiere of a sextet by Italian-born composer Luciano Chessa, which will be a reflection of the Bay Area historical landmark, the Peralta House. In addition the program will offer the West Coast premiere of “Brion” by Harold Meltzer, inspired by the architectural details and unexpected traces of bright primary colors in a cemetery near Venice.
Season tickets cost $95 or $65 for students and seniors. It is also possible to purchase a “Flex” package of any combination of five tickets for $95. Single tickets are available at the door for $20 or $15 for students and seniors. Further information, including a link for online purchase of tickets, may be found at the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble Web site. There is also a concert information line at 415-642-8054.
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