San Francisco Symphony News

On Wednesday evening, the San Francisco Symphony gave the first in a series of three performances of instrumental works by J.S. Bach and his son, Johann Christian Bach, including three of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti.

Playing Bach chamber-style without a conductor, as the members of the San Francisco Symphony, are doing this week, is a double-edged sword.

Guest conductor Semyon Bychkov's second week with the San Francisco Symphony is shaping up to be full of drama, both musical and otherwise.

The originally scheduled San Francisco Symphony program for this week looked interesting: "Shoreless River," a new work by the 39-year-old German composer Detlev Glanert, the Schumann cello concerto with the handsome young French soloist Gautier Capucon, and Sibelius' wonderful Fifth Symphony.

Mason Bates is probably the only DJ who gets props from both the downtown dance community and ritzy classical society.

San Francisco Symphony: Ragnar Bohlin, who has brought new vitality to the Symphony Chorus since taking over as director in 2007, steps into the spotlight to conduct the orchestra and chorus in Bach's "Christmas Oratorio"; vocal soloists are soprano Malin Christensson, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, tenor Lothar Odinius and baritone Anders ...

The Best of San Francisco Stage, Film, Fashion, Dining, Travel, Business, Philanthropy, and Governance - Challah Is Taken Monday 09th of November 2009 GAUTIER CAPUA ON, Cellist - " Debut with San Francisco Symphony 9 November 2009 Famed cellist will perform Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor , Opus 129 By SeA n Martinfield Sentinel Editor and ...

San Francisco Symphony: Semyon Bychkov conducts the orchestra in an all-Rachmaninoff program, including "The Bells," a choral work based on Poe's poem, and the Second Symphony.

Osmo Vanska's second week as guest conductor with the San Francisco Symphony is shaping up to be as exciting and memorable as the first.

The Best of San Francisco Stage, Film, Fashion, Dining, Travel, Business, Philanthropy, and Governance - Challah Is Taken Saturday 31st of October 2009

The Finnish conductor Osmo VA1/3nskA1/3 is one of classical music's hot commodities.

"Call me Osmo," the conductor says, making his entrance like a character out of Melville.

How is it possible to take a musical warhorse as tired and broken-down as Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and make it sound fresh and exciting again? It's that old Finnish magic, I guess.

Nicolas Slonomsky , late in life with his friend, Frank Zappa The last time Osmo Vnsk visited to conduct the San Francisco Symphony, he opened with the United State premiere of the work of a Finnish composer , followed by an American piano soloist playing a concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

With some weeks off at the Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska has headed west, and is guesting at the San Francisco Symphony .

Review of the San Francisco Symphony's "Keeping Score -- Season Two" forthcoming ... Watch This Space! Civilization Keeping Score * Photo credits: Copyright controlled.

Itzhak Perlman's strengths as a conductor are clear and consistent. He fares best in music that is emotionally direct and transparent, with plenty of throbbing urgency.

THE BAY AREA is about to experience some bracing energy from the north when Finnish-born Osmo Vanska assumes the podium to pilot the San Francisco Symphony through two weeks of concerts from Oct.

Last week's guest conductor at the San Francisco Symphony was David Robertson , who usually leads the Saint Louis Symphony and London's BBC Symphony Orchestra.

This harp once belonged to the principal harpist of the San Francisco Symphony. Later it ended up in the house of my tuning customer.