SFS Summer: Limited Classical Offerings

As usual, Summer with the Symphony programming for the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will begin in a little less than a month’s time. Once again the classical repertoire will be limited, and this summer there will be only two such programs in Davies Symphony Hall. There will also be classical offerings at the annual Stern Grove performance at the beginning of the season, but that program will be shared with a generous “pops” supply. Specifics (with hyperlinks for purchasing tickets) are as follows:

Sunday, July 7, 2 p.m.: Edwin Outwater will conduct SFS for the Stern Grove Festival. The program will begin with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 551 (“Jupiter”) symphony in C major, the last of his 41 numbered symphonies. This will then be followed by “Sunrise,” the opening movement from Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite. The remaining “classical” offering will be Aaron Copland’s “An Outdoor Overture.” There will be no charge for general admission; however, as will be seen from the above hyperlink, picnic tables may be reserved for up to ten guests for $2000, which will be treated as a tax-deductible donation.

Thursday, July 11, 7:30 p.m.: The title of the first Davies concert program will be Spanish Favorites. It will be conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto. Guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas will be the soloist in a performance of Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.” The second half of the program will be devoted to the full score for Léonide Massine’s ballet “The Three-Cornered Hat,” composed by Manuel de Falla. The program will begin will selections from Isaac Albéniz’ Opus 47 Suite Española. This consists of eight movements for solo piano, each of which evokes a different region in Spain. SFS will play those selections as orchestrated by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Ticket prices range from $25 in the Side Terraces to $89 in the Loge, Boxes, and Orchestra.

Conductor Earl Lee (from the SFS event page for the July 25 performance)

Thursday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.: The second Davies concert program will couple a symphony by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with a concerto by Samuel Barber. The symphony will be the Opus 36 (fourth) in F minor, and it will fill the second half of the program. The concerto will be Barber’s Opus 14 for violin and orchestra, a three-movement composition. The soloist will be Stella Chen, who will be making her debut in Davies in the final Shenson Spotlight Series recital on June 26. By way of an “overture” the concerto will be preceded by “Fate Now Conquers” by Carlos Simon, which will be receiving its first SFS performance. The conductor will be Earl Lee. Ticket prices again range from $25 in the Side Terraces to $89 in the Loge, Boxes, and Orchestra.

For further information about ticketing, the Box Office is located in the Davies lobby and can be reached by telephone at 415-864-5000.