SFS Opening Gala to Feature Lang Lang

SFS Opening Night pianist Lang Lang (photograph by Xin Qiu, courtesy of San Francisco Symphony)

Having accounted yesterday for the “head start” San Francisco Symphony (SFS) concert that will precede the Opening Night Gala, this site can now turn to the specifics for the Gala itself. The featured soloist will be pianist Lang Lang in a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Opus 22 (second) piano concerto in G minor. He will return in the second half of the program for more Saint-Saëns, this time the familiar suite entitled The Carnival of the Animals. This music was composed for a chamber ensemble performing with two pianists. In that latter capacity, the featured pianist will be joined by Gina Alice, who happens to be his wife. The program will begin with selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct.

As usual, because this is the Opening Night Gala, there will be additional celebratory events. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a pre-concert VIP reception in the lobby of Davies Symphony Hall with sparkling wine and light bites, after which the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Following the performance, there will be the annual Celebratory Gala Dinner in the Zellerbach Recital Hall. A single Web page has been created with full information about the options (including price levels) for attending this event.

The entire affair will take place on Wednesday, September 25. For those attending only the concert, tickets are available only in the Orchestra and Boxes ($375), Terraces ($199–$299), 1st Tier ($299), and 2nd Tier ($249). They may be purchased through the ticketing Web page for this event. Individual tickets for the Gala Dinner range between $2500 and $10,000. Tickets may also be purchased for parties of ten. All further information can be found on a single Web page, which also indicates how much of the expense is tax-deductible. (Those visiting this Web page should be advised that viewing the different options will require a generous amount of scrolling!)