Tonight's programme at
the symphony exemplified the eclectic mix often scheduled by conductor Michael
Tilson Thomas.
The show opened with Gyorgy Ligeti's Atmospheres, a dreamy, soothing
work that drifts along like clouds in a bright blue sky, devoid for the most
part of anything resembling melody. Mom didn't much care for it, "sounds
like they were tuning up for the past ten minutes" was her summary, but I
liked it.
Next up was another relatively modern work, Bela Bartok's Music for Strings,
Percussion and Celesta. I thought the performance was quite gripping,
but again, mom thought otherwise.
The second half of the program consisted of pieces aimed at satisfying the
more traditionally-minded listeners. First was Chopin's Second Piano Concerto,
featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet in the lead role, and next was Liszt's Hungarian
Rhapsody #2. As might be expected, the audience greeted both of these more
familiar works with great enthusiasm.
You can read what the S.F.Chronicle's Joshua Kosman had to say about the
previous night's performance of the same program in his review: Magnificent Bartok enthralls audience
/ Chopin outshined at the Symphony.
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