Two Voices: A Musical Conversation for Cello and Piano

“Listening, answering, echoing, remembering.”

Two extraordinary musicians meet in an intimate musical conversation spanning centuries. Internationally acclaimed pianist Alon Goldstein, celebrated for his dynamic performances and adventurous programming, joins cellist Jonah Kim, an artist whose “cosy warmth” of tone and formidable technique have captivated audiences worldwide.

A program of intimate musical dialogue, bringing together works by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Dvořák. From the intricate architecture of Bach’s D-major Partita to the lyrical intimacy of Schubert and Brahms, this recital explores the many ways two voices can speak to one another—through melody, dialogue, contrast, and shared silence. Beethoven’s radiant A-major Sonata and Schumann’s expressive Fantasiestücke reveal the cello and piano as equal partners, while Dvořák’s spirited Rondo brings the conversation to a brilliant close.

THE ARTISTS: 

Kim made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at just twelve years old and has since performed around the world. Goldstein has appeared with leading orchestras including the Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles Philharmonics. Together, they bring exceptional artistry, curiosity, and a shared love of musical discovery to a program that invites us to listen not simply to two instruments, but to two voices in conversation.

THE VENUE:

A venue of natural beauty and deep spiritual inquiry, the Swedenborgian Church is a humble beacon of respite and contemplation nestled within its own gardens on Lyon and Washington Streets in Pacific Heights. This handcrafted earthen chapel, heated by hearthfire and built in the time the Passacaglia was being written, is a National Historic Landmark, recognized as the first public example of Arts & Crafts architecture on the West Coast. Its raw wooden interior, including a roof held aloft by unstripped madrone trees, presents an ideal resonance environment for small string ensembles, becoming at times a vibrational extension of the instruments themselves. Wooden chairs, the first Mission-style chairs ever designed and the inspiration for Stickley's classic, drink up the cello through the plank floors, while the overtones of violin and piano reverberate through the candlelit air.