““ONE OF THE TOP 20 MUSIC FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD TO ATTEND THROUGH THE REST OF THE SUMMER” ”
The San Francisco International Piano Festival is supported, in part, by a grant from the Ross McKee Foundation.
Fauré & Les Français
Welcome to the 7th annual San Francisco International Piano Festival
It is my honor and privilege to share this season with you, our wonderful audience and supporters.
The 2024 festival speaks (and sings) with a distinctly French accent as we celebrate the life and music of Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) in his centennial year. Not only was Fauré an inspired voice in of 19th and 20th century music, his oeuvre occupies a unique position in the repertoire: it is equally beloved and unknown. The C Minor Piano Quartet, selected mélodies, the A Major Violin Sonata, Requiem, and Pavane, are justly famous, while his works for solo piano and other chamber masterpieces often languish in obscurity. This has begun to change in recent years, but it is still a relative rarity to hear one of the 13 nocturnes, 13 Barcarolles, 5 Impromptus, or even the great Theme & Variations in concert. How can a composer so well loved also be so unfamiliar?
Fauré was a self-effacing and private man, though one of great charm and understated charisma; he was less oriented toward self-promotion musical polemics than many of his contemporaries. Fauré also held steadfastly to his artistic values throughout his long career, making his strikingly individual harmonic language avant-garde against the backdrop of the Belle Époque but nostalgic compared to the works of Stravinsky, Ravel, and Schoenberg. Yet, Fauré’s firm dedication to the cause of contemporary music led to his role as founding president of the Société Musicale Indépendante in 1910, a progressive concert series promoting the leading composers of the time. (The executive committee included Nadia Boulanger, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, and Arnold Schoenberg.) As a teacher, Fauré mentored Florent Schmitt, Nadia Boulanger, George Enescu, and the young Maurice Ravel. In leading the Conservatoire de Paris, he was known as “Robespierre” for his unflinching commitment to musical excellence and refusal to bow to tradition for tradition’s sake. Because of the central importance of Fauré in the music of his time, the festival will feature both the composers that influenced Fauré, his contemporaries, and his musical descendants. This is certainly not limited to the music of France, as evidenced by Fauré’s catholic tastes in the SMI (Société Musical Indépendante).
The Festival is thrilled to continue its partnership with Old First Concerts in presenting 4 Main Stage events. It is a joy to welcome back Gwendolyn Mok, authoritative interpreter and artistic partner. Renowned pianist Asyia Korepanova will make her San Francisco debut in a solo recital of her own transcriptions, and Stephen Prutsman returns with the Telegraph Quartet for an evening of quintets by Robert Schumann and Mr. Prutsman’s brilliant score to Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr.
Our finale concert celebrates one of the most important genres of Fauré’s life: the song cycle. In partnership with Lieder Alive!, the festival is proud to present Fauré’s La Bonne Chanson featuring Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich. Pianist Gwendolyn Mok and yours truly will be featured in this closing program which unites cycles of music and life.
In partnership with the Ross McKee Foundation, the McKee Masterclass Series will feature guest artists Paul Sánchez, Gwendolyn Mok, and the return of Sharon Mann by popular demand. Join us as these leading artists work with gifted young pianists in sessions offered free to the public. Speaking of free admission, our friends at Noontime Concerts join with us to present a free lunchtime recital with father and son duo, gifted violinist Ariel Pawlik-Zwiebel and acclaimed pianist, Markus Pawlik.
I wish to thank you personally for your continued belief in and support of the San Francisco International Piano Festival. In our 7th season, it is clear to me that our audience is growing in scope and depth, and it is thanks to so many of you who have been with us since the beginning. Thank you for sustaining the life-affirming performances we have heard at this festival; there is nothing quite like sharing some of the greatest music ever written around a piano.
With gratitude,
Jeffrey LaDeur
Founder & Artistic Director
