Tribute To Michael Tilson Thomas

Beethoven's masterful Ninth Symphony is the star of a moving program conducted by James Gaffigan, paying tribute to the orchestra's longtime former director, the late, great, Michael Tilson Thomas. Joined by the voices of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus directed by Jenny Wong, Gaffigan leads the orchestra through the glory of Beethoven's final work, as well as Michael Tilson Thomas' own original composition Agnegram and some of his favorites by Brahms and Ives.

Compositional Mastery

Often hailed as the most central work of Western classical music as well as 'the symphony to end all symphonies', Beethoven's Ninth is the apex of technical and compositional mastery as well as imagination. Composed and first performed in 1824, the Ninth would be Beethoven's final complete symphony, so it's fitting that it would contain his most well-known melody. Pushing the symphonic structure to its absolute limits, the epic journey immortalizes the unity of mankind and its place in the universe, culminating in the ever-popular and ebullient Ode To Joy finale.