Great orchestra, great seats and an unusual performance with visual images, singers up on scaffolds and the chorus was impressive. Obviously MTT LOVES the Debussy piece!

Great conductor! Great seat!

The SFS Orchestra & Chorus completed a masterful program that included multi-media projection with many wonderful sounds, showing off some of the great playing that we have come to expect from this grand band of music makers. The Debussy had many shimering string moments and soloists on all levels - brought together with narration by the great Frederica von Stade. Opening with a Czech gem by Janacek that showed off the marvelous brass.

I loved it all! The venue, wild / different classical music. For my date it was his 1st symphony. He had a vertigo attack (racing heart rate, sweaty/clamy). We left @ intermission.

I will definitely return :-)

WOW WOW WOW. Such a memorable concert. Chorus, narration, use of the Hall's upper tier for horns and voice, and organ!

We are fortunate to live in a city with world class cultural experiences ...discounted tickets via Goldstar give us a chance to enjoy things from the Symphony to Segways without breaking the bank. Bank?
What Bank! ?! It's the PIGGY Bank these days.

Although I don't go to the symphony regularly, I do know and love a number of works by Debussy and I was really looking forward to this concert. The performance was lovely although quite solemn. Could easily have turned into a snoozefest had I not taken a nap earlier in the day. The musicians and singers were all extremely good.

This was a unique musical performance with interesting visual elements
which I believe enriched the event. I found the music challenging but also moving.

It was like theater-as-a-sacred-ritual -- the Debussy lifted one to a higher plane. MTT's conducting of Janacek Symphonietta was crisp and perfect. So glad I could go thanks to Goldstar ticket.

What an awesome evening. A friend who was in my party has been attending MTT concerts for more than 15 years and thought this was the best one ever!

First act was good but then it was horrible after intermission.

Outstanding event. Even our Second Tier (Red Velvet) seats were special: central with two empty seats just in front of us (none others to be seen in our section!). This is the second time we've landed seats with empties smack in front of us. Red Velvet is worth it!

An outstanding performance, by all participants. I, along with the whole audience, was thrilled and responded accordingly.

Loved the concert! I was in the second tier off to one side so could not see everything, but was able to see most of the orchestra and enjoyed watching them work, especially during the Janacek piece.. The sound in that hall is excellent anywhere I've sat. The narration for the Debussy is in French and there are English translations on either side for those of us who need them. The music, of course, is beautiful and felt transcendent to me. Thank you. I am so grateful I was able to attend.

where else can one hear this music ... well done / played / sung / spoken

The playing was wonderful, but that particular piece by Debussy is really flowering and overly religiously romantic. But the show was sold out and to be fair, the piece by Janấček was outstanding!

It was an amazing performance by the SF Symphony, and wonderful seats!

The entire concert was very well performed by all, but the piece by Janacek was only moderately interesting. The Debussy piece was pretty boring, rather obtuse, and not worth the time it took to hear/see it. Some people actually left well before the end, as we were tempted to do swell.

did not rock my world.

Beautiful, dramatic, poetic and just perfect.

This concert masterfully combined spoken narrative, arias, video imagery, and excellent musicianship under the direction of MTT. I like SF Symphony's semi-staged works.

I liked the first part, which was just the pure symphony. Davies Hall is gorgeous, would definitely go back.

The orchestra played very well. The Janacek Sinfonietta should have caught fire and didn't, but having said that it was well performed. The Debussy was very strange and very nice at the same time. I'd say it was money well spent for a night at the San Francisco Symphony

This was an outstanding performance of beautiful music and singing. A rarely heard choral and orchestral, semi-staged presentation, along with video and narration in French, of a longer theater piece with music by Debussy. Quite unusual and interesting.

The Debussy was painful. This particular piece has only been performed 7 times since it was written. There's a reason for it. The first half was great. Why did MTT pick this? Did he really think the majority of the audience would enjoy it? And it was long.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and hear a presentation of Debussy's "Martyrdom of Saint Sebasian", done in a multi-media style. It was beautifully produced, was in French (with supertitles) but a little difficult to follow with no male singer to portray Sebastian, and no men other than in the SF Symphony chorus.

What a magnificent performance. This was a once in a lifetime event for me as I doubt it will be performed regularly. I feel very privileged to have seen M.T. Thomas conduct and to have seen and heard this program. Bravo SFS.

Unbelievable value for this rarely heard piece.

Outstanding. 3 cheers for MTT and SFS.

We attended, not because of the headliner, but because of the Janacek Sinfonietta which with its large number of brass instruments was exceptionally beautiful. I'm rating the Janacek piece, though the Debussy piece, more ecclesiastical than to my liking was also beautifully performed and staged. Anita S.

The combinations of symphony, theatre, and opera with ethereal video backdrops made this a most interesting performance.

Particularly enjoyed Janacek opening piece. Brass execution was lively
and engaging.
Debussy work was well executed, but I was being lulled to sleep in the
dark, warm hall.

The Debussy production was a bit strange -- etheral is a good positve description, but I did not overall like it as much as the pure symphonic music.

Good seat at a great price.

Excellent program

Janacek Sinfonietta was great and Debussy "Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien" staged performance was really interesting and unusual. All together a great evening!

I loved some musical passages and others were boring. The optic effects were marvelous at first and then became tiresome. The singing was spectacular, including soloists and chorale.