It’s August “” that time when music lovers who don’t live in La Jolla find themselves putting lots of mileage on the car. The reason is La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest 2007 (Aug. 3-26), a glorious glut of gatherings, encounters, chamber music concerts, coaching sessions, open rehearsals and lectures, most all held in the Village of La Jolla.
As always, total immersion is tempting, and this year it’s easier because there are built-in nights off for concertgoers. With only one exception, tune-up begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Each is preceded by an informative prelude.
Opening festivities commence at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, with a warm onstage welcome from music director Cho-Liang Lin and La Jolla Music Society artistic director Christopher Beach. The evening features acclaimed pianists Cecile Licad and Joseph Kalichstein, who play Antonin Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances for piano, four hands, No. 1 in C Major, No. 2 in E minor and No. 8 in G minor. Also programmed are Bedrich Smetana’s Piano Trio in G minor, featuring violinist Cho-Liang Lin, cellist Gary Hoffman and Licad. The concert concludes with Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor with pianist Kalichstein, violinists Chee-Yun and Adam Barnett-Hart, violist James Dunham and cellist Hoffman. A public reception follows in Axline Court at Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, 600 Prospect St.
SummerFest continues Saturday at Sherwood with a program titled “Great Romantics.” There’s a 6:30 p.m. prelude performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Major by the Escher String Quartet. At 7:30 the Escher joins the Shanghai String Quartet (violinists Weigang Li and Yi-Wen Jiang, violist Honggang Li, and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras) in performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, Opus 11. The program also features Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor played by Chee-Yun, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and Licad; Dvorak’s Terzetto for two violins and viola in C Major, performed by Chee-Yun, Barnett-Hart and violist Pierre Lapointe; and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, performed by Kalichstein and the Shanghai String Quartet.
The SummerFest Gala takes place Saturday, so Sunday is a free day of rest. The concert schedule resumes Tuesday, Aug. 7 with the first of the programs devoted to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. Titled “Beethoven I “” the Young Hero,” selections include Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Opus 1, No. 1 performed by violinist Joanna Frankel, cellist Marie-Stéphanie Janecek and pianist Weiyin Chen. The Shanghai Quartet is joined by violinist Sheryl Staples, violist James Dunham, cellist Weilerstein, bassist Chris Hanulik, clarinetist Burt Hara, bassoonist Valentin Martchev, and horn Richard Todd in performance of Septet in E-flat Major for strings, winds and brass, Opus 20.
Wednesday, Aug. 8 is titled “An Evening with Cho-Liang Lin” and commences with a 6:30 p.m. lecture by Stanley Walens titled “A Man for All Music: A Portrait of Jimmy Lin.” The program is as follows: Julian Milone’s “Magic Flute” Fantasy for four violins and bass performed by violinists Lin, Frankel, Barnett-Hart and Wu Jie and bassist Hanulik, Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano played by Lin and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott; Bela Bartok’s “Contrast” for violin, clarinet and piano performed by McDermott, Lin and Hara; Brahms’ String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Opus 36, played by violinists Lin and Staples, violists Dunham and Brian Chen, and cellists Ralph Kirschbaum and Weilerstein.
Readers must agree it’s a fabulous first week, bursting with interesting programming and must-hear artists. For a complete calendar and tickets, visit www.ljms.org or call (858) 459-3728.