A Night at the Symphony
My friend, Robert, invited me to a concert tonight of the San Francisco Symphony featuring piano soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. After scrambling to find the Flint Center entrance at De Anza College, I arrived, just in the nick of time.
Robert had gotten us perfect seats, right in the middle, eye level with the orchestra. I haven’t seen a symphony in person in a number of years, so this was a very special treat.
Two of the selections, the Overture of Le Corsaire by Hector Berlioz—a spirited overture with a gentle adagio passage in the middle—and Liszt’s Piano Concert no 2—an astonishing concerto performed by the featured soloist—kept the audience enthralled for over an hour. The pianist, Thibaudet, was brilliant and the orchestra complemented him perfectly.
The final piece, after intermission, was a very ambitious operatic score, Orchestral Suite from Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Shostakovich, arranged for orchestra by the conductor James Conlon. It was a brilliant example of Russian twentieth-century composition, was magnificently scored for the orchestra, but ended with a largo called “Exile to Siberia.” To end the concert with such a slow piece is a little strange. Overall, it was a gorgeous piece of music, consisting of several movements, including a baudy come-hither passage by the trombones.
This was the first time I’d ever seen the San Francisco Symphony. The fact that they regularly perform at Flint Center, just three miles from my house, should tell you all how neglectful I’ve been lately at maintaining a broad diversity of musical experiences.
Thanks, Robert, for the concert. I had a great time.
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