Labadie Conducts SFS

* Notes * 
This week Bernard Labadie conducts San Francisco Symphony in a program of Haydn and Mozart. The Friday performance in San Francisco began with Haydn's Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major. The strings sounded precise and the brass clear, the overall effect was refined but jaunty. Dan Nobuhiko Smiley (violin), Peter Wyrick (cello), Jonathan Fischer (oboe), and Stephen Paulson (bassoon), all played beautifully.

Mozart's Gran Partita was played elegantly by thirteen members of the orchestra. The woodwinds were exquisite, though the horns had a few bad notes in the second and sixth movements. At least they pulled it together for the final movement, which ended with pomp and brilliance.

* Tattling * 
Attendance was a bit sparse, but there were quite a lot of squeals coming from hearing devices that were audible during the second piece. At least the other electronic noise was at a minimum, as was the whispering.

Moderated by Ron Gallman, the Off The Podium panel consisted of the conductor and the four soloists from the first piece. Labadie talked a bit about how B-flat major was uncommon in 18th century music, and we heard a good story from Paulson and Smiley about looking at an autograph score of the Gran Partita in Washington, DC.