San Francisco Symphony (SFS) Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) has prepared four distinctive programs for the month of November. These will cover an impressive breadth of repertoire and feature a host of significant solo appearances. This will make for a busy month in Davies Symphony Hall, so let us review the specifics without any further delay.
The first program will continue of celebration of the Bernstein Centennial with Leonard Bernstein’s second symphony, entitled “The Age of Anxiety.” The piece was named after an 80-page poem by W. H. Auden, a “Baroque Eclogue” (the author’s ironic subtitle) involving an encounter among four strangers in a seedy New York City bar. The symphony has extensive passages for solo piano, which will be played by guest soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The second half of the program will consist entirely of Richard Strauss’ Opus 40 tone poem “Ein Heldenleben” (a hero’s life).
This concert will be given three performances, at 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, and Friday, November 3, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 5. The Inside Music talk will be given by MTT, who will share his thoughts about both composers on the program. The talk will begin one hour before the performance, and doors to the lobbies open fifteen minutes before the talk begins. Ticket prices range from $15 to $155. They may be purchased online through the event page for this program on the SFS Web site, by calling 415-864-6000, or by visiting the Box Office in Davies Symphony Hall, whose entrance is on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. In addition the event page has a hyperlink for a free podcast about “The Age of Anxiety” hosted by KDFC’s Rik Malone. There is also a hyperlink for sound clips from “Ein Heldenleben.” Both of these hyperlinks require Flash for listening. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
In addition, these performances will be preceded by a Katherine Hanrahan Open Rehearsal. This special behind-the-scenes experience begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and complimentary doughnuts, followed by a half-hour introductory talk by John Palmer at 9 a.m. The rehearsal itself begins at 10 a.m.; and, of course, the pieces rehearsed are at the conductor’s discretion. General admission is $30 with $40 for reserved seats in the Premiere Orchestra section, the Side and Rear Boxes, and the Loge. Tickets may be purchased online through a separate event page.
The second offering of the month will be an American-themed program. The featured composer will be Charles Ives, represented by both his setting of Psalm 90 and his third symphony, which was given the title “The Camp Meeting.” In addition, Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 102, “The American Flag,” will be given its first SFS performances. The vocal soloists for this rarely performed American-inspired composition will be tenor Amitai Pati and bass-baritone Philip Skinner. The other American composer on the program will be George Gershwin, whose “An American in Paris” will conclude the performance. The SFS Chorus, prepared by Director Ragnar Bohlin, will also perform.
This concert will be given three performances, at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 10, and Saturday, November 11, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 12. The Inside Music talk will be given by James Keller. The talk will begin one hour before the performance, and doors to the lobbies open fifteen minutes before the talk begins. In addition Steven Winn will lead of Prelude Series discussion on the First Tier Lobby, which will begin 45 minutes before the performance. Ticket prices range from $35 to $159. They may be purchased online through the event page for this program on the SFS Web site, by calling 415-864-6000, or by visiting the Box Office. In addition, prior to the performances themselves, the Program Note Podcasts Web page will have a free podcast about the Ives symphony hosted by KDFC’s Rik Malone.
The third offering will offer more Ives, this time coupled with Ludwig van Beethoven. The first half of the program will be devoted entirely to Ives’ fourth symphony. This will again involve the participation of the SFS Chorus, along with solo piano work by Peter Dugan. The complexity of this score is such that performance often requires more than one conductor, and Christian Reif will assist MTT in this capacity. By way of contrast, the second half of the program will consist entirely of Beethoven’s Opus 61 violin concerto in D major, which will feature performances by two soloists.
Pinchas Zukerman will be the soloist at the performances at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 16, and ay 8 p.m. on Friday, November 17. The soloist at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, will be Viviane Hagner, who will be making her SFS debut. The Inside Music talk will be given by Peter Grunberg. The talk will begin one hour before the performance, and doors to the lobbies open fifteen minutes before the talk begins. Ticket prices range from $35 to $159. Separate event pages have been prepared for the respective performances by Zukerman and Hagner. In addition, prior to the performances themselves, the Program Note Podcasts Web page will have a free podcast about the Ives symphony hosted by KDFC’s Rik Malone.
The final offering of the month will combine the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with a symphony by Gustav Mahler. Soprano Isabel Leonard will return to Davies for both of those composers. In the first half of the program she will sing Mozart’s K. 165 cantata Exsultate, jubilate, and in the second half she will sing in the final movement of Mahler’s fourth symphony in G major. The program will begin with the first SFS performances of Mozart’s K. 509 set of German dances.
This concert will be given three performances, at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 24, and Saturday, November 25, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 6. The Inside Music talk will be given by Scott Foglesong. The talk will begin one hour before the performance, and doors to the lobbies open fifteen minutes before the talk begins. Ticket prices range from $35 to $159. They may be purchased online through the event page for this program on the SFS Web site, by calling 415-864-6000, or by visiting the Box Office. In addition the event page has a hyperlink for a free podcast about the Mahler symphony hosted by KDFC’s Rik Malone. There is also a hyperlink for sound clips from that symphony. Both of these hyperlinks require Flash for listening.
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