A Disappointing Night at Davies Symphony Hall

This week’s series of performances by the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Symphony Hall had been planned by Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt for his annual visit. Unfortunately, now 96 years old, he had to cancel that visit due to a fall that required hospital treatment. His program was still scheduled for performance and was turned over to Jukka-Pekka Saraste, now Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

That program consisted of a pair of symphonies from the “Late Viennese School” composers, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. (The “early” Viennese School composers are, as most readers probably know by now, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.) Performed in reverse chronological order, the program began with Franz Schubert’s D. 589 (sixth) symphony, often known as the “Little C major” (the “great” one being D. 944, Schubert’s final symphony). The intermission was followed by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 92 (seventh) symphony in A major. Both symphonies were composed in the same decade, Beethoven’s in 1812 and Schubert’s 1818.

Those of us familiar with Blomstedt’s work were probably already imagining the freshness that he would bring to these highly traditional selections. Sadly, we shall have to continue to dream on, since Saraste delivered thoroughly unimaginative interpretations of both compositions. Indeed, where Opus 92 is concerned, I still have fond memories of the dynamic energy that Nicholas McGegan brought to the score when he led a Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performance in Herbst Theatre in 2009. While there was no shortage of energy in Saraste’s interpretation, it came across as little more than a breakneck drive to be over and done with what felt like a distressing ordeal.

“Get things over and done with” also seemed to be the order of the day for D. 589. It was as if Saraste felt that the “Little” epithet stood for “little of interest.” One could be excused for wondering whether Schubert’s symphony would have fared better in the absence of a conductor, allowing the Concertmaster and Section Leaders to work out a plan amongst themselves. In any event, Blomstedt’s imaginative Late Viennese School “pairing” emerged as little more than a complete waste of time with Saraste in charge.