The Opera Tattler

American Mavericks: Monk, Reich, Foss, & Del Tredici

* Notes * 
The American Mavericks Festival at San Francisco Symphony had one last performance yesterday before heading on tour. The chamber music program included pieces by Steve Reich, Meredith Monk (pictured left), Lukas Foss, and David Del Tredici. The afternoon began with Reich's Music for Pieces of Wood (1973), which was played by Jack Van Geem, Raymond Froehlich, David Herbert, Tom Hemphill, and James Lee Wyatt III. These five musicians used claves of varying sizes to hit out various patterns. One person would start and then the others would join in one by one. It seemed simultaneously very simple and very complex, and the effect was meditative and pleasing.

The second piece that followed was newest by nearly forty years, in fact this was the first performance of Monk's Realm Variations (2012). The instrumentalists included Catherine Payne, piccolo; Nadja Tichman, violin; Adam Smyla, viola; Bruce Roberts, horn; Stephen Paulson, bassoon; Steve Sánchez, contrabass clarinet and B-flat clarinet; and Jieyin Wu, harp. Payne was featured, along with the voices of Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble. Monk's alto is distinctive, and was easily picked out from the other five voices. The music has an elemental quality to it, at times serene, and at others rather strident.

After the intermission came Foss' Echoi, which included the talents of Jeremy Denk, piano; Jack Van Geem, percussion; Carey Bell, clarinet; and Peter Wyrick, cello. The music was seemed rather fun to play, and third movement was perhaps most amusing. Denk plays in a showy manner, but it suited the piece just fine.

The final work was Del Tredici's Syzygy, scored for 21 musicians, including a soprano. Michael Tilson Thomas conducted the two contrast-filled songs, settings of poems by James Joyce. Kiera Duffy's voice seemed icy and hard, the amplification made her sound a bit harsh. Nicole Cash's horn playing was rather warm and round.

*Tattling*
There was a lot of talking, and many people were sternly hushed. The woman in front of me in W 19 loudly asked both the people around her if the Reich "was good." Perhaps if she had bothered to listen, she could have formed her own opinion.

San Francisco Symphony's 2012-2013 Season

September 5-8 2012: Bychkov conducts Wagner, Bruch, Tchaikovsky; Pinchas Zuckerman, violin
September 12-15 2012: Bychkov conducts Shostakovich's 7th
September 19 2012: Opening Gala: MTT conducts Berlioz, Chausson, Saint-Saëns, Ravel; Joshua Bell, violin
September 20-23 2012: MTT conducts Berlioz, Chausson, Saint-Saëns, Ravel; Alina Pogostkina, violin
September 27-30 2012: MTT conducts Samuel Carl Adams, Mahler
October 4-6 2012: Vasily Petrenko conducts Pärt, Bartók, Respighi
October 7 2012: Schiff plays Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
October 11-13 2012: Schiff conducts Mendelssohn, Bach
October 18-20 2012: Jurowski conducts Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev
October 21 2012: Schiff plays Well-Tempered Clavier, Book Book II
October 24-28 2012: van Zweden conducts Wagner, Mozart, Brahms
October 27 2012: John D. Goldman Tribute Concert
October 30 2012: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
October 31 2012: MTT conducts Volkert, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff; Yuja Wang, piano
November 1-2 2012: MTT conducts Volkert, Bartók, Rachmaninoff; Lang Lang, piano
November 3 2012: Día de los Muertos Concert
November 4 2012: SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
November 11-12 2012: Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
December 5-8 2012: MTT conducts Widmann, Berlioz
December 9 2012: Cabrera conducts Peter and the Wolf
December 13-16 2012: Messiah
December 31 2012: New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball
January 10-13 2013: MTT conducts Debussy, Duparc; Renee Fleming, soprano
January 16 2013: Renee Fleming, soprano and Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
January 17-19 2013: MTT conducts Grieg
January 23-26 2013: Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart
January 25-29 2012: Zukerman conducts Mozart, Hindemith
February 2-14 2012: Blomstedt conducts Mozart, Tchaikovsky
January 26 2013: Cabrera conducts Music for Families
January 30- February 1 2013: Dutoit conducts Ravel, Lalo, Elgar
February 2 2013: Chinese New Year Concert
February 6-10 2013: Dutoit conducts Poulenc, Berlioz
February 8 2013: Gil Shaham, violin & Akira Eguchi, piano
February 12-13 2013: Russian National Orchestra
February 14-17 2013: Heras-Casado conducts Lindberg, Liszt, Prokofiev
February 17 2013: Itzak Perlman, violin & Rohan De Silva, piano
February 21-23 2013: Tortelier conducts Debussy, R. Strauss, Mendelssohn
February 23 2013: Cabrera conducts Music for Families
February 28- March 2 2013: MTT conducts Mozart, Bruckner
March 6-9 2013: MTT conducts Berio, Beethoven, Brahms
March 10 2013: Cameron Carpenter, organ
March 14-17 2013: MTT conducts Mahler's 9th
March 24 2013: Cabrera conducts SFS Youth Orchestra
April 5-6 2013: Labadie conducts Mozart & Handel
April 6 2013: Cabrera conducts Music for Families
April 14 2013: Schiff plays French Suites
April 17-20 2013: Blomstedt conducts Beethoven & Nielsen
April 15 2013: Schiff plays English Suites
April 25-27 2013: Eschenbach conducts Schoenberg, Brahms, Dvorak
April 28 2013: Paul Jacobs, organ
April 28 2013: Matthias Goerne, baritone & Eschenbach, piano
May 2-3 2013: MTT conducts Beethoven
May 4-9 2013: MTT; Michael Fabiano, tenor; & St. Laurence String Quartet
May 10-11 2013: MTT conducts Missa Solemnis
May 15-18 2013: Janowski conducts Schumann, Brahms
May 19 2013: Cabrera conducts SFS Youth Orchestra
May 22-25 2013: Robertson conducts Carter, Ravel, Gershwin
May 29- June 2 2013: Valcuha conducts Dvořák, Kodaly, Bartok
June 6-9 2013: Karabits conducts Honegger, Britten, Sibelius
June 13-15 2013: Abbado conducts Schumann, Fedele, & Schubert
June 19-20 2013: MTT conducts Stravinsky; Gil Shaham, violin
June 21-22 2013: MTT conducts Stravinsky; The Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble
June 27- July 2 2013: MTT conducts West Side Story

Gil Shaham plays Brahms at SFS

* Notes * 
Michael Tilson Thomas is conducting San Francisco Symphony in a program of Wagner and Brahms this week. Yesterday's performance began with the Prelude to Act II of Lohengrin. For some reason, without the rest of the opera, this music struck me as being a bit more absurd than it usually does. The brass sounded clean but the woodwinds bordered on squeaky. The following Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 77 by Brahms with soloist Gil Shaham (pictured above, photograph by Boyd Hagen) was more nuanced, the dynamics were clear. Shaham seemed very happy to be playing with the orchestra, and listened attentively to each section. His own playing is precise but never cold. The woodwinds were lovely, especially William Bennett's solo at the beginning of the Adagio. The Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace was exactly that, filled with an irrepressible joy but never out of control as far as tempo is concerned.

The last piece of the evening was also from Brahms, his Quartet No. 1 in G minor for piano and strings, orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg. The soli from Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik were particularly beautiful. The principal clarinetist also played rather well. The final movement (Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto) was a great deal of fun.

* Tattling * 
There was whispering when Gil Shaham was not playing in the violin concerto, and between movements throughout the performance. The person in O 111 hit me (very lightly) in the head with her scarf as she put it on during the ovation for Shaham. I was also elbowed by the person in N 113 as he checked the time on his mobile after the last piece.

Conlon conducts Verdi's Requiem at SFS

* Notes * 
This week James Conlon conducts San Francisco Symphony in Verdi's Requiem. Fabio Luisi was originally scheduled to take the podium, but took over most of James Levine's fall engagements at the Met. Perhaps it is just as well, Maestro Conlon did a fine job with the work, the phrasing was lucid and taut. The pianissimi were especially beautiful. The chorus sounded robust.

As for soloists, tenor Frank Lopardo sounded a bit strange. He has a plaintive voice, but at times he seemed to hum rather than sing. In contrast, the bass, Ain Anger, sang with much less effort and much more confidence. Mezzo Dolora Zajick also gave a powerful performance, her full voice is never lacking in brilliance. Sondra Radvanovsky (pictured above, photograph by Pavel Antonov) however, was still the star of the evening. She never strained for the notes, her voice has a metallic brightness that does not get lost in the orchestration, but is never harsh.

* Tattling * 
There was a magnitude 3.8 earthquake at 8:16 pm, about 10 minutes into the performance on Thursday. A slight murmur was heard from the audience, but the singing and playing simply continued.

Conlon conducts SFS in Shostakovich & Mussorgsky

* Notes * 
This weekend James Conlon (pictured left, photograph courtesy of the Ravinia Festival) conducts San Francisco Symphony in Shostokovich's Symphony No. 14 and the Ravel orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Before the soprano and baritone took the stage on Friday evening, Conlon spoke about the two pieces in turn, noting that the Shostakovich had never been played at SF Symphony before. The 11 songs that comprise the work are poems set to music, the original texts translated into Russian, with the exception of Kücherbecker's "O Delvig, Delvig," written in that language already. Sergei Leiferkus sounded mournful and gritty, which was quite effective for "De profundis" and "In Santé Prison." Olga Guryakova has a flexible, piercing voice that has a darkness to it. She was alluring in the "Lorelei" and was appropriately disturbing in "Keeping Watch." The concluding duet was beautifully played and sung. The piece calls only 19 string players and a percussion section of 8 instruments, so singers and orchestra were rather exposed. The 3 cellists were especially wonderful, and the 2 bassists were not far behind.

Pictures at an Exhibition seemed a welcome change in mood for most in attendance. The first trumpet played with strength and clarity. There might have been a missed cue in the percussion near the end. Conlon let the work breathe, never pushing the orchestra to race along. There were moments of stateliness and grace, but also ones of joy and playfulness.

* Tattling * 
The subscribers in K 11 and 13 of the orchestra were aggressive about moving over to K 5 and 7. The woman who took seat K 5 spoke loudly enough during the music to annoy the people in front of her, but she did not seem to notice the many glares she received. At least she slept silently for much of the Shostakovich.

Some distinctly high pitched noises from a hearing aid were heard throughout the performance.

MTT conducts Mozart, Adès, and Stravinsky

* Notes * 
This week San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas performs a program of Mozart, Adès (pictured left, photograph by Maurice Foxall), and Stravinsky. Saturday's performance began with Mozart's Symphony No. 35 in D major, K.385, Haffner, which was played with much volume and heft. The tempi were not particularly distinctive, and the Menuetto lacked lightness. The Mozart was followed by a San Francisco Symphony co-commission of Thomas Adès entitled Polaris: Voyage for Orchestra. The piece itself had a pretty atmospheric quality, but Tal Rosner's video installation was simply absurd. The images of the beach were first obscured by some sort of Swiss cheese shadow that spun around and around. The rest of the video looked like a tasteful advertisement for either coats or seaweed, and there was one circle that appeared with a particular note in the brass that was extremely amusing.

After the intermission came Stravinsky's Petrushka. The playing was clear and forceful. The interplay between trumpet, bassoon, and flute was quite pleasing. MTT and the orchestra gave a charming encore, Stravinsky's Scherzo à la Russe. The playing was filled with vim.

* Tattling * 
My date absolutely hated the Adès and mooed during the ovation. I could only laugh.

MTT conducts Missa Solemnis at SFS

* Notes * 
This week San Francisco Symphony and Chorus have been performing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas kept the musicians synchronized. The orchestra was often rather loud, but the playing was clean. Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik's the violin solo in the Sanctus was beautiful. The brass was warm and pretty. The chorus was impressive, more so than the four soloists, though given a mass, perhaps this is appropriate. Both bass Ain Anger and mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus had a tendency to blend in well with the sound of the chorus and the orchestra. Gregory Kunde's voice had more ping, yet could sound a little constricted. Christine Brewer did not overpower her fellow soloists and never screamed the notes. It was gratifying to hear this piece live.

* Tattling * 
A man in BB 20 on the Orchestra Level spoke twice, but for the most part, only a few people around me whispered infrequently.

Vänskä conducts Larcher, Mendelssohn, & Vaughan Williams at SFS

* Notes * 
This week Osmo Vänskä conducts San Francisco Symphony in a program of Larcher, Mendelssohn, and Vaughan Williams. Thomas Larcher's eerie, cinematic Red and Green required a large number of instruments, yet was played with tasteful restraint. The sound was never overpowering, even when two of the trombone players hit their instruments with sticks. The brass sounded clear. The dynamic contrasts were impressive. Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Opus 64 featured concertmaster Alexander Barantschik, who was comfortable playing with the orchestra, and listened to the other musicians intently. It was a subtle, elegant rendering. The two horns and two trumpets were together, and were not muddy. After intermission came A London Symphony from Vaughan Williams. The piece ranges from atmospheric to gaudy, but was played well. The horn solo in the second movement Lento was strong, as was the solo violin in the third movement Scherzo.

* Tattling * 
Last night there was some whispering during the first San Francisco performance of the Larcher, but the composer received hearty applause and even a "bravo" when he came to the stage. A watch alarm was heard at 10pm near the end of the Vaughan Williams. I was particularly ill-behaved during this piece, for some reason, I lack the maturity necessary to control my laughter. The Big Ben references made me titter. Unfortunately, I lost my composure when the person in Section E Seat A 9 of the First Tier put her shoeless (but stockinged) foot up upon the railing.

MTT & Anne Sofie von Otter at SFS

* Notes * 
This week San Francisco Symphony performs a lovely program of Hindemith, Stenhammer, Nielsen, Sibelius, Grieg, and Brahms. Before Michael Tilson Thomas conducted Hindemith's Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass on Thursday night, he addressed the audience, saying the program notes, while good, did not convey how much joy there was in playing it. He also did an impression of Leonard Bernstein. The piece was played with vigor but prettiness. The end of the first part had a nice expansiveness without being overwhelming as far as volume. The principal trombone played particularly well in the slow section of Part II. The big soloist of the evening was mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, who joined San Francisco Symphony in a sampling of Scandinavian songs. The texts were mostly in Swedish, but there were ones in Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish too. Von Otter has a pure, lucid sound. She did seem at times a bit ahead of the orchestra. The sustained notes of Grieg's En Svane were beautiful, as was the illusory Var det en dröm? that ended the set. Von Otter gave a delightful encore of Wilhelm Peterson-Berger's Aspåkers-polska. The second half of the performance was devoted to Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D Major. The playing was pleasant, though the horn had a couple painful notes in the first movement. The brass did sound nice in the second Scherzo. The clarinet and oboe were exceptionally winsome in this piece.

* Tattling * 
A watch alarm rang throughout MTT's talk before Hindemith. The audience was exceedingly silent during the songs. There was whispering during Brahms, and applause between the last two movements.

San Francisco Symphony's 2011-2012 Season

September 7 2011: Gala with Lang Lang, piano and Itzhak Perlman, violin
September 14-17 2011: MTT conducts Beethoven, Hindemith, Brahms; Yo-Yo Ma, cello
September 21-25 2011: MTT conducts Mahler's 3rd
September 29- October 1 2011: Mozart, Adès, Stravinsky
October 5-9 2011: Shostakovich, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Elgar; Joshua Bell, violin
October 13-16 2011: Conlon conducts Shostakovich, Mussorgsky/Ravel
October 19-22 2010: Luisi conducts Verdi Requiem
October 23 2011: LA Phil plays Adams, Chapela, Prokofiev
October 24 2011: Adams, Stravinsky, Berlioz
October 27-29 2011: Gilbert conducts Beethoven, Dutilleux, Haydn
October 31 2011: Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)
November 2-4 2011: Bychkov conducts Strauss, Schumann
November 5 2011: Día de los Muertos Concert
November 6 2011: SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
November 6 2011: Chamber Music at Davies
November 6 2011: Joshua Bell, violin
November 11-13 2011: MTT conducts Schubert
November 17-21 2011: MTT conducts Gubaidulina, Brahms; Jane Archibald, soprano
November 23-26 2011: MTT conducts Wagner, Brahms; Gil Shaham, violin
December 6 2011: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Berlioz, Mozart, Carter, Bartók
December 7 2011: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Harbison, Ravel, Mahler
December 8-10 2011: Salonen conducts Sibelius, Salonen, Wagner; Leila Josefowicz, violin
December 10-11 2011: Cabrera conducts Peter and the Wolf
December 11 2011: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
December 16-18 2011: Messiah
December 31 2011: New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball
January 5-8 2012: MTT conducts Liszt, Ligeti, Tchaikovsky; Christian Tetzlaff, violin
January 12-14 2012: MTT conducts Janáček, Debussy
January 15 2012: Cabrera conducts the Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival
January 19-22 2012: Heras-Casado conducts Stravinsky, Ravel, Dallapiccola, Falla; Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
January 22 2012: Paul Jacobs, organ
January 25-29 2012: Zukerman conducts Mozart, Hindemith
February 2-14 2012: Blomstedt conducts Mozart, Tchaikovsky
February 5 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
February 8-10 2012: Blomstedt conducts Bruckner
February 11 2012: Chinese New Year Concert
February 12 2012: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
February 14 2012: Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Honegger, Bates, Franck
February 15 2012: Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Schubert, Clyne
February 16-19 2012: de Waart conducts Schreker, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns
February 23-25 2012: Alessandrini conducts Haydn, Mozart
March 1-3 2012: Dutoit conducts Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky,  Bartók
March 4 2012: Isabelle Demers, organ
March 8-9 2012: MTT conducts Copland, Harrison, Ives
March 10-14 2012: MTT conducts Foss, Cowell, Cage
March 15-17 2012: MTT conducts Bates, Adams, Feldman, Varese
March 18 2012: Chamber Music in Davies
March 25 2012: Cabrera conducts SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
April 1 2012: Christopher Houlihan, organ
April 11-14 2012: Perlman conducts Vivaldi,Tchaikovsky
April 15 2012: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
April 15 2012: Cleveland Orchestra plays Mendelssohn, Saariaho, Shostakovich
April 16 2012: Cleveland Orchestra plays Beethoven, Adès, Smetana
April 19-22 2012: Deneve conducts Roussel, Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky; Thibaudet, piano
April 27-28 2012: Malkki conducts Grisey, Prokofiev, Sibelius; Gutierrez, piano
April 29 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
April 29 2012: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields plays Beethoven; Joshua Bell, violin
May 1-5 2012: Glover conducts Handel, Bach
May 2-5 2012: Bach, Handel; Barantschik, violin
May 10-12 2012: MTT conducts Barbary Coast and Beyond
May 13 2012: NY Phil plays Berlioz, Lindberg, Tchaikovsky
May 14 2012: NY Phil plays Dvořák , Bartók, Debussy, Ravel
May 16-29 2012: MTT conducts Mahler, Schnittke, Beethoven
May 20 2012: SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
May 24-27 2012: Vänskä conducts Aho, Prokofiev, Shostakovich; Hilary Hahn, violin
May 31- June 3 2012: Robertson conducts Britten, Dvořák ; Dawn Upshaw, soprano
June 2 2012: Black and White Ball
June 9 2012: Philadelphia Orchestra plays Hindemith, Ravel, Shostakovich
June 10 2012: Philadelphia Orchestra plays Ranjbaran, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Scriabin
June 14-17 2012: MTT conducts Faure, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff; Yuja Wang, piano
June 21-23 2012: MTT conducts Lizst, Bartók; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
June 24 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
June 27-30 2012: MTT conducts Schoenberg, Beethoven; Erin Wall, soprano

The San Francisco Symphony announced the 2011-2012 season today. Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Michelle DeYoung, and Erin Wall sing. Guest conductors include James Conlon, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Osmo Vänskä.

Press Kit | Official Site

MTT conducts Feldman & Mozart at SFS

* Notes * 
This week San Francisco Symphony performs a contemplative program of Urbaitis, Feldman, and Mozart. Ragnar Bohlin conducted the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in Mindaugas Urbaitis' Lacrimosa, an inoffensive, pretty piece, which was sung with beauty. Before Michael Tilson Thomas conducted Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, he addressed the audience, and did an impression of the late composer. The piece itself is pensive, the chorus made for a humming cloud to support the percussion, celesta, and viola solist Jonathan Vinocour. The latter played thoughtfully and with warmth. He walked about the stage silently in stocking feet, from one of the five music stands to another. Most of the audience seemed to be there for Mozart's Requiem, which was sung and played perfectly well. The chorus was strong, the orchestra clear, and the soloists blended nicely. Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke sang with particular loveliness.

* Tattling * 
The audience on in the Loge was silent. At least one person was looking at her phone during the Feldman.

Ton Koopman & Mario Brunello at SFS

* Notes * 
Ton Koopman is conducting San Francisco Symphony this week in a program of J.S. Bach, Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, and Schubert. Last night's performance began with J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3. The playing was stately and vigorous. One of the trumpets might have had a single bad note, but otherwise the playing was clean. The orchestra maintained a refined sound for Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2. In comparison, soloist Mario Brunello (pictured above) was sloppy, his instrument buzzed and jarred at times. Yet he pulled it off, his personality and warmth shone through. Brunello clearly listened to the other musicians and was playing with them. In any case, it was not a boring performance. C.P.E. Bach's Symphony in G Major was lively and Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major was light and sweet. Maestro Koopman made many sweeping gestures and was able to find good contrasts in tempi.

* Tattling * 
The audience on the orchestra level spoke aloud a few times, but on the whole was fairly silent. The lady in K 107 wore a most dashing fake mustache.

Yan Pascal Tortelier & Vadim Gluzman at SFS

* Notes * 
Yan Pascal Tortelier is conducting San Francisco Symphony this week in a program of Mussorgsky, Khachaturian, and Prokofiev. Last night's performance began with Mussorgsky's Prelude to Khovanshchina, orchestrated by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The playing was clear and lively. The Khachaturian Violin Concerto that followed was likewise sprightly, the soloist, Vadim Gluzman, sounded bright and genial. There were times when the orchestra did not seem precisely together, the horns dragged slightly, perhaps. Despite this, the playing did gleam and shimmer. The orchestra was more comfortable with Scenes from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and the dynamic contrasts here were rather marked. The maestro did many impressive balletic moves whilst conducting.

* Tattling * 
The audience on the orchestra level was quiet for most of the performance, until the mandolin players stood up in the Prokofiev. For some reason, more than one person felt that this deserved commentary aloud during the music, despite the fact this part of the music is called "Dance with Mandolins" and it was obvious that mandolins were on stage.

Kirill Karabits & Helene Grimaud at SFS

* Notes * 
Kirill Karabits made a promising conducting debut at San Francisco Symphony this week in a program of Silvestrov's Elegie, Schumann's Piano Concerto, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. Last night's performance began with the piece by Silvestrov, scored for string orchestra. The small ensemble played with grace and the work was rather pretty. Next came the Schumann, the pianist Hélène Grimaud was perhaps ungainly, but perfectly precise and never boring. She listened to the orchestra but sounded quite distinct from the other instruments. The Rachmaninoff dances were fluid and adroit. The trumpets and trombones were clean but slightly harsh. The woodwinds were particularly beautiful.

* Tattling * 
The audience on the orchestra level was exceedingly well-behaved for the first half of the performance, especially when Grimaud was playing. Almost no one left during intermission, but light talking was noted during Rachmaninoff, and more than one person fell asleep.

SF Symphony's 2011-2012 Season Highlights

September 7 2011: Gala w/ Lang Lang & Itzhak Perlman
September 8 2011: Birthday Bash Free Concert  
September 9 2011: Community Concert
October 23-24 2011: Gustavo Dudamel conducts LA Phil
December 6-7 2011: James Levine conducts BSO
January 2012: Herbert Blomstedt conducts SFS
February 2012: Edo de Waart conducts SFS
February 14-15 2012: Riccardo Muti conducts CSO
March 8-17 2012: American Mavericks 2012
April 15-16 2012: Franz Welser-Möst conducts Cleveland Orchestra 
May 13-14 2012: Alan Gilbert conducts NY Phil
June 2 2012: Black & White Ball
June 9-10 2012: Charles Dutoit conducts Philadelphia Orchestra

The San Francisco Symphony announced highlights from the centennial 2011-2012 season today. John Adams and Mason Bates will both have world premieres during the American Mavericks Festival 2012. The full season will be announced on March 1, 2011.

Press Release [PDF] | Official Site