San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, April 9, 2015

San Francisco Symphony presents Pablo Heras-Casado conducting the San Francisco Symphony with guest soloist, Joshua Bell
2015-04-09
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
2:00 PM, Thursday, April 9, 2015

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• John Adams: Chamber Symphony;
• Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1;
• Beethoven: Violin Concerto, featuring Joshua Bell – 4/3/15, changed to Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

[2:00 PM lights down, announcements]

John Adams (b. 1947): Chamber Symphony (1992) (SFS premiere)

1. [2:02 PM] Mongrel Airs
2. [2:11 PM] Aria with Walking Bass
3. [2:20 PM] Roadrunner
   [work ends 2:26 PM; applause for a minute, then break for about 5 min while the full orchestra enters and tunes up]

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9b (1906) (SFS premiere)

1. [2:32 PM] Sonata. Allegro »
2. [2:m PM] Scherzo »
3. [2:m PM] Development »
4. [2:44 PM] Adagio »
5. [2:51 PM] Recapitulation and Finale
   [set ends 2:55 PM]

[3:15 PM orchestra onstage; 3:18 PM tuning/lights down]

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 (1878)

1. [3:19 PM] Allegro moderato
2. [3:39 PM] Canzonetta: Andante »
3. [3:46 PM] Finale: Allegro vivacissimo
   [show ends 3:55 PM; no encore today]

San Francisco Symphony

• Joshua Bell: violin;
• Pablo Heras-Casado: conductor;
• Michael Tilson Thomas: music director;
• symphony members vary by program, see the current list.

First of four performances of this program by the sfs.

I thought today's gig represented quite an adventurous program for the San Francisco Symphony, seeing as they opened with two modern works. To my ears, the opening piece from Adams clearly owed a composers debt to the following work by Schoenberg, and I was quite surprised to read that both performances today were SFS premieres. It's hard for me to understand why it took them over a hundred years to get around to the latter work – it didn't seem that challenging to me! Maybe it's just the association of Schoenberg with more difficult listening that kept them from programming it earlier.

In any event,I liked the Adams piece more, but I think that has to do with the joyful je ne sais quoi of his writing more than any sort of absolute rating that critics might attempt to assert.

Following a nice break, hanging outside in the shade and cut chatting with my buddy Hawk, we were treated to a bravura performance of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. Pablo Heras-Casado did a fine job leading the symphony, and Joshua Bell really knocked it out of the park, delivering a huge effort in the solo role. From memory. With elan!

I'm very glad to have put this show on my schedule, and I certainly plan to keep on the lookout for more performances by Bell.

Be'eri Moalem posted a laudatory review of the show for SFCV.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!