San Francisco Symphony Combines Classical with Neo-Classical

By Eman Isadiar

In a rare performance of Mozart's piano concerto No. 23, Michael Tilson Thomas appeared in the twin roles of conductor and soloist (photo courtesy of San Francisco Symphony).

During a break in this winter's extreme weather, San Francisco Symphony music director proved himself a force of nature on the keyboard in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. This rare appearance by Michael Tilson Thomas in the twin roles of conductor and soloist was framed by two works by Stravinsky – the Octet for winds and music from the ballet Pulcinella – each representing a different side of the composer's stylistic temperament.

Until today, we might have thought it impossible for Michael Tilson Thomas to charm us any more than he already has over his fifteen-year history as the symphony's music director. For a world-renowned conductor to show his instrumental skills, it takes more than courage. It is a meaningful gesture – an expression of trust.

And having done so with the sublime elegance of a Mozart concerto rather than a technically opulent romantic or modern work, M.T.T. made this occasion even more precious.

There is a long list of reasons why many consider Mozart's K. 488 concerto in A major to be his greatest musical achievement. Completed five years before the composer's death, the concerto predates Mozart's decline in health and was written at a time when his creative genius and his career in Vienna were both at their brightest. It was also written in the same year that saw the creation of The Impresario and The Marriage of Figaro, which could explain the concerto's unmistakable operatic quality.

Tilson Thomas displayed a clear sense of reverence in his approach to the concerto, which indicates the piece must hold a special place in his repertoire as a conductor and pianist. Delicate dynamics, lyrical swells and singing effects were prominent throughout the first movement. The very subtle fluctuations in tempo added a moderately romantic touch, and the tastefully held-back cadenza displayed some impressive finger work.

Some fleeting moments of the second movement, however, were intensely laden with emotion. The most powerful of these was marked by Tilson Thomas' sophisticated half-pedaling and use of the sostenuto pedal, which simulated the sonorities of an 18th century fortepiano. In a moment of pure musical enchantment, the faint, pleading voice of Mozart was heard, as if through a tunnel from 220 years away.

Any clouds which may have gathered during the dark despair of the second movement were quickly dispelled in the opening bars of the energetic third, and the more familiar jovial Mozart came bursting through.

Stravinsky's Octet for winds preceded Mozart's concerto on the program, and made a rather suitable complement. The piece dates back to the middle period in the composer's career dominated by a return to older musical idioms, during which Stravinsky explores the same principles of music used and perfected by Mozart, but in a contemporary context.

The three-movement Octet for winds is notoriously difficult in its frequent and sudden tempo changes, which are often managed by a conductor. Stravinsky himself conducted the premiere at the Paris Opera House, and was described by playwright Jean Cocteau as “an astronomer engaged in working out a magnificent instrumental calculation in figures of silver.”

While most chamber groups would have required a conductor to smooth out the rapidly shifting transitions, the elite ensemble of the San Francisco Symphony was able to give a solid performance of the Octet without the need for one. The fast-paced and playful finale was particularly exciting.

The final piece on the program was the music from Stravinsky's ballet Pulcinella commissioned by the fabled Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Stravinsky was specifically tasked with using music attributed to 18th century Italian composer Giovanni Pergolesi, which Diaghilev thought would be the perfect accompaniment to the ballet's Comedia dell'arte setting.

While wrapping the ancient Italian tunes entirely in his own unique style – to the point that any trace of the original composer is all but entirely erased – Stravinsky is deeply marked by this return to Europe's earlier music. Pulcinella is said to be the seminal work that triggered an important period in Stravinsky's style, and subsequently that of other composers of his generation, known as “neo-classicism.”

Apparently, Diaghilev had in mind a lavish ballet production, incorporating orchestral and vocal music as well as making prominent use of the visual arts in the sets, which were to be designed by none other than Pablo Picasso. The choreography and libretto were both done by Diaghilev's protégé Leonide Messine.

Michael Tilson Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony in a stunning performance of Pulcinella with its nine arias, each sung brilliantly by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tenor Bruce Sledge and bass Eric Owens.

While both of the Stravinsky pieces were written in close chronological proximity, they represent the two extremes of composer's approach to neo-classicism – the Octet being essentially a modern piece aspiring to classical principles while Pulcinella contains old music guised in 20th century modernism and orchestral color.

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Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Composer George Benjamin Inaugurates ‘Project San Francisco’

By Eman Isadiar

Guest conductor David Robertson led the San Francisco Symphony in music by British composer George Benjamin, the first resident artist of the orchestra’s new “Project San Francisco” program. The season’s latest concert also included works by Debussy and Mendelssohn.

British Composer George Benjamin is featured as San Francisco Symphony’s resident artist in “Project San Francisco” (photo by Betty Freeman)

George Benjamin comes to us by way of Paris, where he studied as a precocious teenager at the Conservatoire with one of the brightest musical luminaries of the last century, Olivier Messiaen.

Now 50, Benjamin is noted equally for his painstaking and meticulous writing style, and—not surprisingly—for the fewness of the works he has produced since being a favored student of Messiaen in the ‘70s.

The program opened with Benjamin’s 1985 work titled Jubilation for orchestra and a chorus of about 100 children’s voices, sung here by the Allegro chorus of Berkeley’s Crowden School. The imposing size of the orchestra and Benjamin’s rich tonal palette in Jubilation would win over even the most averse of patrons to contemporary music.

Guest conductor David Robertson led the San Francisco Symphony in Jubliation and Dance Figures by George Benjamin (photo courtesy of San Francisco Symphony).

Leading such a large ensemble, some of whose youthful singers also doubled as clave players, required attention to a dizzying level of detail. The challenge was a perfect match for St. Louis Symphony music director David Robertson, who appears frequently as a guest conductor of the San Francisco Symphony.

Then followed Debussy’s Three Etudes for the piano, orchestrated by Swiss composer Michael Jarrell.

The études by Debussy were conceived as technical exercises, which, similar to the études of Chopin, serve not only to enhance the pianist’s skill, but are also each a gem of great musical brilliance. These pieces are doubly precious as they also represent Debussy’s very last works for the piano near the end of his battle with cancer.

The first étude features quickly repeated notes, while the second focuses on bringing out individual melodic lines in a thick harmonic setting. The last etude deals with the difficulties of playing parallel block chords moving in rapid succession.

Jarrell’s orchestration closely follows Debussy’s own orchestral model, and retains much of the musical value of the études. Surprisingly, even the educational component intended by Debussy seems to be present, but transferred from keyboard to strings.

Next on the program were Benjamin’s Dance Figures—a collection of nine short pieces adapted from the original piano version to an orchestral accompaniment for dance, or as a stand-alone symphonic concert piece. With a creative voice uniquely his own, Benjamin’s Figures range from intrigue to exuberance; from introspection to excitement.

A distinctly French thread ran through the first half of the program, with music by a composer whose formative years were shaped at the Paris Conservatoire, the orchestral reincarnation of piano works by the founder of French impressionism, and a conductor with a distinguished set of artistic tenures in both Lyon and Paris.

By contrast, the second half of the program brought Scottish-inspired music by a Jewish-born composer from Hamburg.

Felix Mendelssohn allegedly felt the first stirrings of what was later to become the Scottish Symphony while visiting Scotland as a budding 20-year old musician. However, he completed the work 13 years later at the height of his creative genius.

Typical of composers of the romantic period, Mendelssohn’s four-movement work follows the classical symphonic form as brought into practice by Haydn and perfected by Mozart and Beethoven. Yet the longing melodies of the second movement and the heroic motifs of the fourth bear the unmistakable mark of Mendelssohn’s unique musical gift.

The Scottish Symphony—a workhorse of the standard repertoire—provided a well-balanced ending to an evening whose goal was clearly to introduce the San Francisco public to the music of George Benjamin.

As part of the symphony’s “Project San Francisco,” Benjamin will make multiple appearances as conductor and pianist in his own music as well as that of other composers through January 17. George Benjamin will be followed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma as the second resident artist of “Project San Francisco”, with concerts through January 26.

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Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.