San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, June 2, 2022

Ruth Reinhardt conducts the San Francisco Symphony in a program featuring Daniil Trifonov
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
2:00 PM, Thursday, June 2, 2022

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• Lotta Wennäkoski: Helsinki Variations [San Francisco Symphony Premiere]
• Mason Bates: Piano Concerto [San Francisco Symphony Commission & Premiere]
• Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No. 5

• Sarah Cahill, speaker;
• [1:00 PM] {SC out promptly for today's lecture … maybe 100 folks present? Could be more: I didn't count very carefully!}
• [1:30 PM] {SC wraps things up … that's what I call timing!}

[1:55 PM] {SFS last-minute practicing}
[2:05 PM] {announcements; concertmaster entrance; concert tuning}

[2:06 PM] {recorded statement from Lotta Wennäkoski}
[2:08 PM] {enter Ruth Reinhardt}

Lotta Wennäkoski (b. 1970): Om fotspår och ljus (Of Footprints and Light)—Helsinki Variations (2019) [San Francisco Symphony Premiere]

1. [2:09 PM] opus
   [2:22 PM] {work ends; applause; RR exit; pause to rearrange things onstage a little bit}

[2:23 PM] {Mason Bates out to talk about his piece whie the stage hands do their thing}
[2:26 PM] {concert tuning}
[2:27 PM] {enter DT, RR}

Mason Bates (b. 1977): Piano Concerto (2021) [San Francisco Symphony Commission & Premiere], written for, dedicated to, and featuring Daniil Trifonov

1. [2:27 PM] I
2. [2:n PM] II »
3. [2:n PM] III
   [2:55 PM] {work ends; applause; DT & RR joined by MB onstage; principals off briefly}
   [2:56 PM] {principals back for a bit more applause; all off for set break after another minute or so!}

[3:15 PM] {SFS last-minute practicing}
[3:18 PM] {concert tuning}
[3:19 PM] {enter RR}

Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No. 5 in F major, Opus 76 (1875; revised 1887)

1. [3:19 PM] Allegro ma non troppo
   [3:32 PM] {brief pause at end of movement I}
2. [3:32 PM] Andante con moto
3. [3:40 PM] (unidentified tune #1)
   [3:47 PM] {brief pause at end of movement III}
4. [3:47 PM] Finale: Allegro molto
   [4:00 PM] {applause; much hooting and stomping}
   [4:00 PM] {RR off and then back}
   [4:02 PM] {show ends: time to hit BART for the ride back to the East Bay!}

San Francisco Symphony

• Esa-Pekka Salonen: music director;
• symphony members vary by program; see the current list.

• Ruth Reinhardt: conductor;
• Daniil Trifonov: piano.

A nice afternoon at the Symphony. Wennäkoski's piece was rather insubstantial: no particular message that I could detect aside from lots of sound exploration.

Bates work was performed without any pause, and at first listen, I couldn't tell at all where things should break. It certainly was interesting. Very busy. Lots to listen to from both Trifonov and the symphony. Sooner or later a formal recording should appear … or maybe an informal one? According to the review page at Bates' site, this was the 9th performance, and the premiere (or a proximate night) was streamed twice earlier this spring.

And after a pleasant break on the south side sun deck, it was time for a bit of the old rum-pum-pum and twiddle-dee-dee from Dvorák. First time that I can recall hearing this work in performance. Good stuff!

David Bratman posted an enthusiastic review of the following night's performance at SFCV.

Program Notes or program notes

Victoria Looseleaf posted a promo/interview with Ruth Reinhardt about a week in advance of the gig.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2022 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2022 event list! ☸ On to the next event!