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My Classic Russian Composers: Pianist Orion Weiss and the SF Symphony

Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness San Francisco, CA 94102)
Orionweiss-071009
Full Price:
$30.00 - $60.00
Our Price:
$15.00 - $30.00*
4.5 by 11 members
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Immerse yourself in the ardent pathos of this trio of Russian classics. Captivating 26-year-old pianist Orion Weiss takes center stage in Rachmaninoff's fiery "Second Piano Concerto," bookended by Mussorgsky's "A Night on Bald Mountain" and the intoxicating strains of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade."

* Additional fees apply.

All offers for My Classic Russian Composers have expired.

The last date listed for My Classic Russian Composers was Thursday July 23, 2009 / 8:00pm.

Currently at Davies Symphony Hall:

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Full Price:
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Our Price:
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Former music director Edo de Waart returns to perform with the San Francisco Symphony for the first time since 1997. The evening begins with an introduction to the music of Franz Schreker, an Austrian opera composer whose music combines the stylistic traits of several artistic movements and whose immersive scores are cinematic in their ability to draw the listener into the story. This innovative and once-obscure composer has seen a revival in popularity in recent years. The program also includes Rachmaninoff's sophisticated and modern Fourth Piano Concerto and the thundering Organ Symphony of Camille Saint-Saëns, his last and most dramatic symphonic work. Learn More

Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94102
Website
415-864-6000
Davies-venue

Goldstar Member Tips

  • on Where to Park
    Lots of parking available
  • on What to Wear
    Appropriate for a cultural event & respect for artists
  • on Where to Eat
    "Le Jardinier" for cocktails before performance & later for dinner

Goldstar Member Reviews

Black_swan
Rating_4_0
Another grand night for the SF Symphony - the solists, especially the bassoonist, flutist and first violinist, were exceptional. The pianist did credit to the Rach 2 with style. Gafigan is an utterly endearing and lovable conductor
Written on Jul 24 2009

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Rating_3_0
Popular, crowd pleasing program. The sound of the piano was dominated by the orchestra on most of the louder passages, the sound engineer should have done a better job balancing.
Written on Aug 10 2009

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Rating_3_0
I attended chiefly to hear the Rachmoninoff which is one of my favorite pieces of music--- and one I rarely have the occasion to hear live. I was thinking of the other two pieces as merely window-dressing--- was I wrong!

Particular standouts for the evening were the flute and violin soloists for Night on Bald Mountain and Sheherazade. After a frenetic opening and middle section, the still, clear and lyrical flute beautifully captured the sense of dawn and new life which closes the piece. The horns were at times too loud, but all in all, nicely done. The same for Sheherezade where the first chair beautifully offered lilting sounds of suggestion and passion as the voice of the story-teller. It was clear this last piece was the orchestra's favorite, hanging on the conductor's baton yet also pushing him on to new heights of emotion.

The concerto, though? Deeply disappointing. Weiss played notes faithfully, but generally without art. No high places, no arc of emotion. I actually found myself bored at times! The friend who accompanied me had been listening to my build-up all week and look at me quite puzzled after the event: he found the concerto dull. With piano concerti the soloist really needs to *own* the piece and the stage and for most of the performance Weiss seemed background music at best.
Written on Jul 25 2009

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Rating_5_0
An amazing night. The first piece by Mussorgsky is one of his most well known and the orchestra played it quite well with the vibrato filling the whole hall.
The second piece by Rachmaninoff was by far my favorite. The pianist was very accomplished and showed both his technical skills and mesmerizing playing style (the 2nd movement was my favorite of the 3 movements).
The final piece was by Rimsky-Korsakov and was also one of his more well known pieces. Here the concertmaster was truly amazing (playing a Strat no less!) in her solos during the performance, as were the other soloists who played during the piece.

For 1/2 the price and 2nd tier tickets, although we didn't really see them that well from that distance, the music was rich and easily heard even from up there in the rafters.
Written on Jul 25 2009

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More Information About My Classic Russian Composers

Website

http://www.sfsymphony.org/season/Event.aspx?eventid=38088

Description

Artists
James Gaffigan, conductor
Orion Weiss, piano

Program
Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

About the Ticket Supplier: San Francisco Symphony

The San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas present more than 220 concerts each year from September through July in a variety of genres, with SFS musicians performing classical concerts, holiday favorites, summer pops events, free outdoor concerts, special series for families and children, plus presentations of visiting guest artists and orchestras from around the globe. The San Francisco Symphony also takes its unique style to audiences world-wide, touring nationally and internationally every year. The SFS is currently recording all the Mahler symphonies on its own media label and has recently launched Keeping Score, a national, multi-year, multi-media project bringing classical music to millions of Americans via TV, radio, the Internet and more.