The Saint Michael Trio rewinds the life of music’s one true colossus, tracing a path backwards from tragedy to triumph, from autopsy to cradle. On offer: his lyrical E-flat Major Piano Trio (Opus 70, No. 2) contrasted with his younger but portentous C minor Piano Trio (Opus 1 No. 3). Admission free, but reservations required by emailing the Saint Mike box office.
The Saint Michael Trio presents a major landmark in Beethoven’s chamber repertoire, the E-flat Major Piano Trio, Opus 70, No. 2. The performance will take place at most extensive collection of Beethoven artifacts and materials outside of the composer’s native Bonn, and will feature the use of a contemporaneous piano. Admission free.
He was quintessentially European but he ended up in Iowa writing an American classic. He was steeped in Slovakian culture and syntax and yet he led America to discover its native musical language. His friends found him bland, but he wrote music of nuance and complexity. The Saint Michael Trio unpacks Dvorak’s contradictions in one of their patented "informances," integrating slides and commentary into their presentation of his E-Flat Major Piano Quartet (Opus 87). Tickets ($50).
Bedrich Smetana's lone piano trio is considered his most gripping piece of chamber music, and it was rooted in unspeakable tragedy that befell him at the age of 31. In it, he gives profound expression to grief in its many forms (anguish, denial, rage, acceptance, reflection, resolve) and uses a wide palate of musical tools to express it. In one of their patented "informances," the Saint Michael Trio illuminates the tragedy and demonstrates the compositional devices Smetana used for personal expression, long before he became Eastern Europe's foremost vehicle for national expression. Tickets ($50).
Bedrich Smetana's lone piano trio is considered his most gripping piece of chamber music, and it was rooted in unspeakable tragedy that befell him at the age of 31. In it, he gives profound expression to grief in its many forms (anguish, denial, rage, acceptance, reflection, resolve) and uses a wide palate of musical tools to express it. In one of their patented "informances," the Saint Michael Trio illuminates the tragedy and demonstrates the compositional devices Smetana used for personal expression, long before he became Eastern Europe's foremost vehicle for national expression. Admission free but reservations required by emailing the Saint Mike box office.
The Saint Michael Trio breaks out the entire cast to celebrate spring! Using their trademark mix of classic and contemporary, the group will assume different combinations (trio, quartet) proving once again why they are hailed as Silicon Valley’s update to the chamber music scene. Bach followed by the Beatles! Violins locked in a Kreisler smack-down! Strings suddenly grow an accordion! You’ll visit Parisian cafes, Hollywood sound stages, and Sixties jazz lounges because anything can happen when Saint Mike turns chamber music on its head. Tickets ($50).
Heavy-handed, cantankerous, his personal life a wreck, he nevertheless wrote music of unsurpassed delicacy and refinement. Though he chafed at the label, he became music’s supreme impressionist in a twilight moment of European culture. The Saint Michael Trio shows you how he did it in one of their patented "informances" featuring slides, commentary and demonstrations of Debussy's compositional devices.
The Saint Michael Trio makes an insane dash through multiple centuries. Classical! Romantic! Jazz! Show tunes and more! Can it all hang together? Absolutely, but you won’t believe it till you witness it.
The Saint Michael Trio makes an insane dash through multiple centuries. Classical! Romantic! Jazz! Show tunes and more! Can it all hang together? Absolutely, but you won’t believe it till you witness it.
In another of their patented informances, Saint Mike explores the music of Robert Schumann, pianist and composer who ushered in the early Romantic period. Using his epoch-making E-flat major Piano Quartet, Saint Mike will unpack Schumann’s musical DNA and place the composer in the context of his time and circumstances.
In another of their patented informances, Saint Mike explores the music of Robert Schumann, pianist and composer who ushered in the early Romantic period. Using his epoch-making E-flat major Piano Quartet, Saint Mike will unpack Schumann’s musical DNA and place the composer in the context of his time and circumstances.
In another of their patented informances, Saint Mike takes up the great existential questions: Where did chamber music come from? How did it evolve into its current format? The program will zero in on a key period at the turn of the 19th century when the central figures in the drama -- Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven -- changed the form from tinkling to majestic, carrying it out of the salon and onto the concert stage.
In one of their patented informances, Saint Mike explores the refinement and ingenuity of Gabriel Faure. Using slides, commentary, and demonstrations of his compositional devices, the artists will show how the French genius spanned the romantic and modern periods, carving out a singular style that still merits scrutiny. Tickets ($50) on sale beginning January 1.
The Saint Michael Trio makes an insane dash through 300 years of music. Baroque! Classical! Romanticism! Impressionism! Jazz! Blues! Show tunes! Three centuries in 75 minutes—you won’t believe it until you see it. Tickets ($50) on sale beginning January 1.
In one of their patented informances, Saint Mike explores the refinement and ingenuity of Gabriel Faure. Using slides, commentary, and demonstrations of his compositional devices, the artists will show how the French genius spanned the romantic and modern periods, carving out a singular style that still merits scrutiny. Admission free, but seat reservations required.
In their first appearance since the pandemic, Saint Mike performs their trademark mix of classical and contemporary. Admission free, but seat reservations required.
