San Francisco Symphony
Beethoven Project: MTT Leads Beethoven and Adams
2013-05-09
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
8:00 PM, Thursday, May 9, 2013

[8:00 PM announcements, MTT enters]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Three Equali for Four Trombones (1812), WoO 30

Featuring:

• John Engelkes: bass trombone;
• Tim Higgins: alto trombone;
• Mark Lawrence: tenor trombone;
• Paul Welcomer: tenor trombone;

(maybe one of tenors is actually baritone? my recollection is that no two instruments were the same size)

[ends 8:08 PM]

[resume ~8:10 PM]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): An die ferne Geliebte (1816)
(6 songs linked by a continuous solo piano part)

Featuring:

• John Churchwell: piano;
• Michael Fabiano: tenor vox.

[ends 8:24 PM]

[8:33 PM resume]

John Adams (b. 1947): Absolute Jest (2010) (San Francisco Symphony Co-Commission)
SFS Program Notes
Featuring the St. Lawrence String Quartet

[set ends 9:04 PM]

[9:25 PM onstage and ready]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony No. 4 in B flat, Op. 60 (1806)

1. Adagio - allegro vivace
2. Adagio (in E flat)
3. Allegro vivace
4. Allegro ma non troppo
   [9:m show ends]

• John Churchwell: piano;
• Michael Fabiano: tenor vox;
• St. Lawrence String Quartet;
• Michael Tilson Thomas: conductor;
• members of the San Francisco Symphony, TBD

Another fun night at the symphony!

The show began with a mere trifle, a sort of musical amuse-bouche from Beethoven, then continued with another appetizer, Beethoven’s song cycle An die ferne Geliebte (To the Distant Beloved).

John Adams’ Absolute Jest was originally commissioned to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the San Francisco Symphony in 2011; tonight, a newly reworked version served as a fun way to end the first half of the program.

The evening closed with a powerful rendition of Beethoven’s 4th Symphony – another sunny and cheerful piece, and an appropriate way to end the night.

SFS Program Notes for tonight’s Beethoven works

Joshua Kosman published a laudatory review with the SF Chronicle.

Jason Victor Serinus has posted a brief interview with Michael Fabiano – discussing in part An die ferne Geliebte – at the San Francisco Classical Voice website.