Farallon Quintet – Friday, June 8 at 8 pm
Farallon Quintet
Rob Patterson, clarinet; Hrabba Atladottir & Matthew Oshida, violins; Jason Bonham, viola; Evgeny Tonkha, cello
Carl Maria von Weber Introduction, Theme and Variations
Heinrich Baermann “Wagner’s Adagio” in D-flat major
Louis Spohr Fantasy and Variations, Op. 81
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Allegro in B-flat, KAnh. 91 (516c) (Quintet Fragment)
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arr. Toru Takemitsu Autumn Song
Osvaldo Golijov K’vakarat from “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind”
Ahmed Alabaca Ascension for Clarinet and String Quartet World Premiere!
Miguel del Aguila Pacific Serenade
George Gershwin, arr. S. Silverman, excerpts from Porgy and Bess, Show Girl, Girl Crazy, and others.
Farallon Quintet, founded in 2012, is a dynamic San Francisco Bay Area ensemble and the only professional chamber music group focused exclusively on the repertoire for clarinet quintet—string quartet plus clarinet. As champions of the clarinet quintet genre, the group’s mission is to build awareness around this lesser known yet artistically significant musical form. In addition to playing the classics, the quintet seeks to perform rarely heard works, innovative arrangements, and new music by living composers. With 600+ existing clarinet quintets to choose from, the ensemble offers diverse and engaging programs to the general public. This performance features the World Premiere of Ahmed Alabaca’s Ascension, composed in loving memory of the Southern Californian clarinetist and educator Rex Aniciete.
As a quintet, the group released their debut album entitled Farallon Quintet Originals, have been ensemble-in-residence at Old First Concerts, and received grants from San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. Their previous seasons consisted of 50+ performances throughout Northern California, sextet collaborations with pianist Jon Nakamatsu, and several new music commissions. To date, the ensemble has commissioned and premiered new works by Chad Cannon, Durwynne Hsieh, Jay Sydeman, Jose Gonzalez Granero, Emily Onderdonk, and Peter Josheff.
About Ahmed Alabaca’s Ascension: This piece was compose in loving memory of Rex Aniciete, A Southern CA native, clarinetist and educator. Alabaca composed Ascension to keep his dear friend Rex’s memory alive. Rex had such an eloquent and delightful sense of musicality-coupled with having a loving and giving nature. Therefore when Alabaca got word of Rex’s passing, he decided to honor him with a piece that would convey Rex’s high sense of musicality and exceptional character. From the melancholic Clarinet solo at the beginning which evokes the warmth and depth of Rex’s spirit. To the fast arpeggios and bouncy nature of the music after the strings come in, is a direct reflection of who Rex was-cheerful, gentle, and sincere.
Ahmed Alabaca is an American Composer/Conductor/Song-Writer/Pianist. Born and raised in San Bernardino California, he understands the value of handwork and perseverance. Ahmed moved to New York at the age 22 with hopes to expand his musical palette and experience. Over the span of 8 years he finished his BA in music from City University of New York, Hunter College. While living in New York, Ahmed scored 3 plays and composed 1 musical. He believes in the transformative power of music, growing up in an inner-city, underserved neighborhood, music was the one thing that gave him peace and a sense of hope, a true reason to reach for the stars. Now living in Los Angeles, Ahmed has scored several web series, television shows, short films, and concert music. Since the world premiere of his piece Across the Calm Waters of Heaven-A Piece for Peace at the 2016 Colour of Music Festival- Ahmed has been commissioned to compose new works for several of the musician from that festival and orchestras throughout the United States. Ahmed continues to push and challenge himself, seeking new and fun sounds to further expand his musical expression.