The San Francisco Symphony: An innovative programme but with few surprises

By Alan Yu, 12 January 2012

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Reviewed at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco on 8 January 2012

Liszt, Prometheus, S 99

Ligeti, Violin Concerto

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 1 in G minor "Winter Daydreams", Op.13

San Francisco Symphony

Michael Tilson Thomas, Conductor

Christian Tetzlaff, Violin

Full symphonic grandeur from Salonen and the SF Symphony

Lois Silverstein, 6th October

Sayaka Shoji and Salonen remain in close dialogue in a riveting performance of Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto.

****1

Finnish footprints in San Francisco: Salonen conducts Sibelius

Lois Silverstein, 14th March

As the news breaks that Esa-Pekka Salonen will be leaving at the end of his San Francisco Symphony tenure, he conducts the music of his fellow Finn, Jean Sibelius.

****1

Hail and farewell: MTT’s last Mahler in San Francisco

Cameron Kelsall, 25th January

After 50 years of performances with the San Francisco Symphony, including a quarter-century tenure as Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas chooses Mahler’s Fifth Symphony for his final subscription concert.

****1

Bach-inspired Mendelssohn in San Francisco

Edward Sava-Segal, 17th February

An exquisite rendition of Mendelssohn's Lobgesang makes one wonder why the work is not part of the regular repertoire.

****1

MTT offers familiar and unfamiliar Stravinsky in San Francisco

Edward Sava-Segal, 29th September

In a program including both modernist and neoclassical works, Michael Tilson Thomas and the SFO emphasized the common traits characterizing Stravinsky's entire ouevre.

****1

A phenomenally multi-layered Mahler 3 in San Francisco

Theodora Serbanescu-Martin, 29th June

Michael Tilson Thomas, Sasha Cooke, and choristers from the Pacific Boychoir and San Francisco Chorus come together in a phenomenal performance of Mahler's all-encompassing Third Symphony.

*****

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Alan Yu

The first concert Alan attended was Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. For 7 years he presented classical music programmes for Radio Television Hong Kong, partly to pay his way through university. He attends concerts whenever he can and believes there is no substitute for the thrill of live performances. He writes here.