Michael Tilson Thomas Conducts Stravinsky & Haydn
Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony present a vibrant program comprised of three Stravinsky works and a Haydn. Joined by American tenor Nicholas Phan, Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan, the Windy City's very own cello virtuoso Oliver Herbert and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the ensemble begins with Caticum Sacrum and Symphony of Psalms, two of Stravinsky's most celebrated neo-classical choral-orchestral pieces.
This is followed by Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, an extraordinarily beautiful concerto that shines a spotlight on the cello with jaunty rhythms, double stops and high register flights of passage work. The program comes to a close with Stravinsky's rousing Symphony in Three Movements, a jazz-flavored wartime masterpiece filled with great energy, complex movements, highly original ideas and bold contrasts.