Gershwin and Bernstein – what a fabulous combination! And with a selection of other Broadway numbers, and vocalist Rhiannon Giddens performing songs from the American south, Edwin Outwater and the San Francisco Symphony plan a wonderful night out on Thursday!
No matter how many times you hear Gershwin’s An American in Paris, there always seems to be something new to discover, and this performance is no exception. According to the Symphony’s program notes, musicologists have discovered that percussionists have been honking the wrong taxi horns for the past 70 years! Watch the video clip above to see Edwin Outwater explain – but whichever horns are used, and in whatever sequence, this is still a sensational piece of music.
Rhiannon Giddens – courtesy San Francisco Symphony
Rhiannon Giddens, lead singer and founding member of the Grammy Award-winning African-American folk group, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, went solo in 2015 with Tomorrow Is My Turn – one of 2015’s most highly praised albums – of which the New York Times wrote, “her voice is a perpetually soulful marvel”. Grammy nominated, it won for Giddens the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Singer of the Year. She was also nominated for two Grammy’s this year, for her 2016 EP Factory Girl – for Best Folk Album, and the song Factory Girl for Best American Roots Performance. Her second solo album Freedom Highway, which explores African-American experiences, was released in February. Giddens records on the Nonesuch label.
The concert finale belongs to Leonard Bernstein with a performance of his hugely popular Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, a firm favorite in the repertoire of the San Francisco Symphony. Let the video clip (above) do all the talking.
Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony, with vocalist Rhiannon Giddens, in a program featuring the music of Gershwin and Bernstein at Davies Symphony Hall on Thursday, July 20. For tickets and more information, visit the San Francisco Symphony website .
Ben Folds – courtesy San Francisco Symphony
Ben Folds appears with the Symphony on Friday night in a program which opens with Leonard Bernstein’s gorgeous overture to Candide. The program features some of Ben Folds’ greatest hits over the years, as well as selections from the Ben Folds Five. Frequently appearing with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, he was recently appointed the first-ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center where he’ll be involved in bringing together the talent of pop artists and the Orchestra.
Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony, with guest artist Ben Folds, in a program at Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, July 21. More information and tickets are available on the San Francisco Symphony website.
Women of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus – courtesy San Francisco Symphony
The women of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus feature in a performance of Holst’s The Planets on Saturday evening. This orchestral suite of seven tone poems was written between 1914 and 1916, when Holst was director of music at St Paul’s Girls’ School in London. According to the composer, “There is no programme music in them, neither have they any connection with the deities of classical mythology bearing the same names. If any guide to the music is required, the subtitle to each piece will be found sufficient, especially if it be used in a broad sense.” (Betsy Schwarm, Encyclopaedia Britannica). Jupiter, the bringer of jollity, and Mars, the bringer of war, for example, illustrate his point well.
Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony and the women of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in Gustav Holst’s The Planets at Davies Symphony Hall on Saturday, July 22. Tickets and further information can be found on the San Francisco Symphony website.
The San Francisco Symphony on the Waterfrong – courtesy San Francisco Symphony
On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco Symphony, led by Edwin Outwater, presents the second of its two free concerts this summer – this one to be held on the San Francisco Waterfront. Featuring guest artist Julie Adams (soprano), the program is full of popular works – Bernstein’s overture to Candide and his Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Copland’s Hoe Down from Rodeo, Debussy’s Clair de lune, Dvořák’s Song to the Moon from Rusalka, and a selection from Holst’s The Planets.
Pack a picnic, gather family and friends, and enjoy an admission-free concert at the James R Herman Cruise Terminal, Pier 27, at 12 pm on July 23. See more detail on the San Francisco Symphony website .
Sources:
San Francisco Symphony program notes
Artists’ websites: