Morrison Artists Series season opens: free concert with Alexander String Quartet, clarinetist David Shifrin

The Morrison Artists Series season opener is the first collaboration between the Alexander String Quartet and clarinetist David Shifrin, who is one of only two wind players to receive the Avery Fisher Prize since the award's inception in 1974. Composer Wayne Peterson, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1991, will be present for the premiere of his String Quartet No. 4.

Both quintets on the program were inspired by the virtuosity of specific performers. Mozart composed his Clarinet Quintet in 1789 for Anton Stadler, a member of Vienna’s Imperial Court Orchestra. The composer was so taken with the clarinetist’s abilities that he subsequently composed his great Concerto for Clarinet & Orchestra, K. 622 (1791), for Stadler. Similarly, Brahms composed his Clarinet Quintet in 1891 after hearing clarinetist Richard Mühfeld perform at the suggestion of conductor Hans von Bülow. Brahms also composed his Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano, Op. 114 and two Sonatas for Clarinet & Piano, Op. 120 for Mühfeld.

In addition to the clarinet quintets, the Alexander String Quartet will present the world premiere of Wayne Peterson’s String Quartet #4. Peterson, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1991, served as Professor of Music Theory and Composition at San Francisco State University until his retirement in 1996. String Quartet No. 4 will be the third work the Alexander String Quartet has commissioned from Peterson: the first being String Quartet #2: Apparitions, Jazz Play, followed by String Quartet No. 3: Pop Sweet (1998). In 2006, the Alexander released Peterson’s “Complete String Quartets” on a Foghorn Classics CD (FCL1994 – www.foghornclassics.com).

San Francisco State University’s Quartet-in-Residence since 1989, the Alexander String Quartet was formed in New York City in 1981 and came to international attention in 1985 as first prize winners of the London String Quartet Competition. The Alexander has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world’s premiere ensembles over three decades. They maintain a major artistic presence in their home base of San Francisco, serving as directors of instructional programs of the Morrison Chamber Music Center at SFSU’s School of Music and Dance and Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances.

Shifrin, after receiving the Avery Fisher Prize, has been in constant demand as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator. Shifrin has appeared with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras and the Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit and Denver symphonies among many others in the US, and internationally with orchestras in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Shifrin has also received critical acclaim as a recitalist, appearing at venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd Street Y in New York City as well as the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

In addition to the concert, the Alexander String Quartet and David Shifrin will present a master class under the auspices of the Morrison Chamber Music Center on Friday, September 20, from 2:30 to 4pm in Knuth Hall of the San Francisco State University, Creative Arts Building. Participating young musicians will be drawn from the SFSU School of Music and Dance and from the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.