What a good thing that the Declaration of Independence was signed within the first few days of July – it gives the San Francisco Symphony a grand platform from which to launch its Summer with the Symphony program – opening with a performance at The Annual 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on Tuesday evening.
At this year’s celebration, the Symphony – led by the Director of Summer Concerts, Edwin Outwater – opens the program with a selection of patriotic musical favorites, including Richard Rogers’ Carousel Waltz, Leroy Anderson’s Plink! Plank! Plunk!, some traditional American songs, Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, an arrangement of Lowden’s Armed Forces Salute and Sousa’s Semper fidelis.
Marking the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s Summer of Love, the Symphony has commissioned from internationally acclaimed composer Nicole Lizée a medley of favorites from that era . Taking the title Legacy of Love, Nicole Lizée’s work is performed against the backdrop of a video reflecting imagery from the summer of 1967, and features vocalist Storm Large singing numbers which include Piece of My Heart, Happy Together, and San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair). Ms Large also performs an arrangement of Queen’s Somebody to Love.
In another celebration – the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars series – the Symphony performs some of the unforgettable music which composer John Williams has written for these hugely popular films, pieces such as the Imperial March and The Asteroid Field from The Empire Strikes Back, and Leia’s Theme from A New Hope.
In true Fourth of July tradition, the concert ends with a dazzling fireworks display.
Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony in a program of American music at the Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, which takes place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, on Tuesday, July 4, at 8.00 pm.
Tickets are on sale at LiveNation.com.
Back at Davies Symphony Hall, on July 6 and 7, Edwin Outwater and the San Francisco Symphony present a program of music taken mainly from some of John Williams’ greatest film scores. In a career spanning almost 50 years, with five Academy Awards® and 23 Grammy® Awards to his credit, John Williams is recognized as one of the greatest film composers of his time.
As well as a selection of themes from the Star Wars series, the concert features scores from films such as Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Superman, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, E T, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There’s also Stu Phillips’ Theme from Battlestar Galactica, and Michael Giacchino’s Main Theme from Star Trek: Into Darkness.
Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony in an orchestral concert of film scores – no video clips included – at Davies Symphony Hall on July 6 and 7. Further information and tickets are available on the San Francisco Symphony website.
Storm Large appears again with the Symphony in Saturday evening’s concert – which has the tantalizing title A Night at the Moulin Rouge – in which she sings songs from Bizet’s Carmen and a medley of Edith Piaf songs arranged by Edwin Outwater. Also on the Parisian-themed program are the Can-Can from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and two of Ravel’s most popular works – La Valse and Boléro.
A Night at the Moulin Rouge takes place at Davies Symphony Hall on Saturday, July 8. For tickets and further information, visit the San Francisco Symphony website .
And don’t forget that Edwin Outwater and the Symphony are at the Stern Grove Festival on Sunday afternoon, with soprano Jana McIntyre and baritone Hadleigh Adams, in a program which includes music by Mozart, Bizet and Ravel. For more information, see the San Francisco Symphony website.
Source:
San Francisco Symphony program notes
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