Having accounted for the launch of the new San Francisco Symphony (SFS) season a little less than two months ago, it is now time to report on the two Orchestral Series programs that will be performed during the remainder of the month of September. As usual, each of the dates will be provided with a hyperlink to facilitate ticket purchases. Tickets may also be purchased at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office, which is at the entrance on the south side of Grove Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street.
Thursday, September 18, Friday, September 19, Saturday, September 20, 7:30 p.m.: James Gaffigan will conduct a program that will feature three composers influenced by Harlem. In fact, the final work on the program will be Duke Ellington’s orchestral suite “Harlem,” which was originally commissioned by Arturo Toscanini (who never conducted it). Pianist Hélène Grimaud will be the soloist in two of George Gershwin’s best-known works for piano and orchestra, his Concerto in F, which he composed after the success of “Rhapsody in Blue.” The program will begin with Carlos Simon’s “The Block,” whose Harlem influence was inspired by the works of African-American Romare Bearden, who was both a painter and a songwriter.
Conductor Donald Runnicles (from the SFS Web page for the concert he will lead)
Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, September 28, 2 p.m.: Donald Runnicles has prepared a program that will pair early works by Alban Berg and Gustav Mahler. Indeed, the title of the first offering is Seven Early Songs. Berg composed these during his studies with Arnold Schoenberg. The Wikipedia page for this composition suggests that Berg had a generous number of other influences beyond Schoenberg himself. These include Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, Richard Wagner, and Mahler himself. The vocalist will be mezzo Irene Roberts. The second half of the program will be devoted entirely to Gustav Mahler’s first symphony in D major.
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