Conductor Tianyi Lu Debuts with SFS in Davies

Last night Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu made her debut in Davies Symphony Hall on the podium of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS). The program was a conventional overture-concerto-symphony performance, but Lu took a refreshing approach to the convention. Her “overture” was an SFS debut, “Zhiân,” followed by violinist María Dueñas as soloist in Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Opus 35, his only violin concerto composed in the key of D major. The “symphony” following the intermission was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Opus 35, his symphonic suite entitled Scheherazade.

The program was somewhat uneven, but the progress was a positive one. The word “Zhiân” means “life” in Kurdish and both “indignant” and “formidable” in Persian. Composer Imam Habibi was born in Tehran but is of Kurdish descent. His music was inspired by the many protests he had encountered both inside and outside Iran. Reflecting on his own state of mind through music was a noble undertaking; but, to the “outside observer” the results of his efforts amounted to little more than sound and fury signifying you-know-what. His approach to dynamics also suggested that he might have been paid by the decibel.

Poster for The Adventures of Robin Hood with Korngold’s name in the smallest type font (from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

I was much more satisfied with the account of the Korngold concerto. I have had a long-time interest in Korngold’s music, which is just as interesting as his biography. (He was able to escape the rise of the Nazis in Europe and was fortunate enough to find both refuge and work in Hollywood. He had no trouble getting jobs to write music for the movies, one of which was The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn in the title role. The story goes that Korngold liked to tell his friends that Robin Hood rescued him from the Nazis!) Mind you, his music would go on a bit too long from time to time. Nevertheless, Dueñas gave a thoroughly engaging account under Lu’s baton, which never felt that the duration was too much. Dueñas then gave a solo encore; and, as so often seems to be the case, she never bothered to introduce the composer and title to the audience.

Scheherazade, of course, does not require such introduction! Indeed, Lu’s command of the music was so solid that she did not require a score. Furthermore, in the third (and most lyrical) movement, “The Young Prince and the Young Princess,” she led the ensemble without her baton. This composition may be in the “old chestnut” category, but Lu definitely knew how to make the attentive listener sit up and take notice! Having enjoyed her debut offering, I am looking forward to her returning to Davies.