# San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, September 26, 2014

[San Francisco Symphony](http://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2014-2015/MTT-conducts-Also-sprach-Zarathustra.aspx) celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss with _Also Sprach Zarathustra_  
2014-09-26  
[Davies Symphony Hall](http://www.sfsymphony.org)  
[201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=201+Van+Ness,+San+Francisco,+CA&hl=en)  
6:30 PM, Friday, September 26, 2014

[[2014-09-24|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2014#September_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[2014-09-27|On to the next event!]]

## Tentative Program

Foss: _Then the Rocks on the Mountain Began to Shout_  
Ives: _Three Places in New England_  
J. Strauss, Jr.: _By the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz_  
Ligeti: _Lux aeterna_  
R. Strauss: _Also sprach Zarathustra_

## Set One

[6:30 PM lights down, announcements]

01. [6:35 PM] Lukas Foss (1922-2009): "_. . . then the rocks on the mountain began to shout_"—Charles Ives (1978), featuring a capella chorus (ca. 8 min)

[[http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/FOSS-then-the-rocks-on-the-mountain-began-to-shout.aspx|Program Notes]] by James Kellar & Jeanette Yu

Charles Ives: _Three Places in New England_ (Orchestral Set No. 1) (1935) (ca. 18 min)

[[http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/IVES-Three-Places-in-New-England.aspx|Program Notes]] by Michael Steinberg

02. [6:47 PM] The "St. Gaudens" in Boston Common (Col. Shaw and his Colored Regiment)
03. [6:51 PM] Putnam's Camp, Redding, Connecticut
04. [6:57 PM] The Housatonic at Stockbridge -- played in accompaniment to Ives: Number 15 of 114 Songs (1922), featuring the SFS Chorus
[work ends 6:57 PM]

[set ends 7:17 PM]

## Set Two

01. [7:37 PM] Johann Strauss, Jr.(1825-1899): _An der schönen, blauen Donau_ (By the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314 (1867)

[[http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/STRAUSS,-JOHANN,-JR-By-the-Beautiful-Blue-Danube.aspx|Program Notes]] by Jeanette Yu

02. [7:50 PM] György Sándor Ligeti: _Lux aeterna_ (1966) for a capella chorus

[[http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/LIGETI-Lux-aeterna.aspx|Program Notes]] by Thomas May

### R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

Richard Strauss (1864-1949): _Also sprach Zarathustra_ (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) Tone Poem (freely after Friedrich Nietzsche) for Large Orchestra, Op. 30 (1896)

[[http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/STRAUSS,-R-Also-sprach-Zarathustra.aspx|Program Notes]] by James Kellar

(The piece is divided into nine sections played with only three definite pauses. Strauss named the sections after selected chapters of the book)

01. [8:01 PM] Einleitung, oder Sonnenaufgang (Introduction, or Sunrise)
02. [8:02 PM] Von den Hinterweltlern (Of Those in Backwaters)
03. [8:04 PM] Von der großen Sehnsucht (Of the Great Longing)
04. [8:06 PM] Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften (Of Joys and Passions)
05. [8:08 PM] Das Grablied (The Song of the Grave)
06. [8:18 PM] Von der Wissenschaft (Of Science and Learning)
07. [8:22 PM] Der Genesende (The Convalescent)
08. [8:24 PM] Das Tanzlied (The Dance Song)
09. [8:37 PM] Nachtwandlerlied (Song of the Night Wanderer)  
[show ends 8:41 PM; applause through 8:43 PM]


## Performers

### San Francisco Symphony

[San Francisco Symphony](http://www.sfsymphony.org)

* [Michael Tilson Thomas](http://www.michaeltilsonthomas.com/): conductor, music director;
* symphony members vary by program, see [the current list](http://www.sfsymphony.org/About-Us/Musicians-Conductors).


### San Francisco Symphony Chorus

[San Francisco Symphony Chorus](http://www.sfsymphony.org/About-Us/Musicians-Conductors/SFS-Chorus)

* Ragnar Bohlin: director;
* [performers vary by program](http://www.sfsymphony.org/About-Us/Musicians-Conductors/SFS-Chorus/Chorus-Roster)


## Notes

The connection between the opening work by Foss and the following suite by Ives seemed to consist entirely in Foss being inspired by Ives: musically the pieces were quite disparate. On the other hand, starting with Foss coal work in set one's was paralleled by ligeti's coral work in set two,a nice touch on Tilson's part.

And then they served the main course: with it's dramatic opening sequence, _Also Sprach Zarathustra_ is a particularly memorable work, though like Beethoven's 5th, what's "known" is that iconic riff, while the rest of the work remains relatively unfamiliar. I would estimate that I did a decent job of noticing the minor divisions in the work, but I'll be happy to bow to an expert armed with evidence from an official recording who is willing to point out any errors on my part.

Alsop Marin has a nice [[http://www.npr.org/2012/01/14/145168801/alsop-sprach-zarathustra-the-conductor-decodes-strauss-iconic-tone-poem|interview-ish piece]] about ASZ on the NPR website.

Stephen Smoliar posted a typically grumpy [[http://www.examiner.com/article/mtt-conceives-and-presents-and-unlikely-encounter-between-ives-and-kubrick|review]] of the Thursday night performance for the Examiner.

{{tag>music classical orchestral choral San_Francisco_Symphony San_Francisco_Symphony_Chorus Davies_Symphony_Hall Michael_Tilson_Thomas Ragnar Bohlin Foss Ives J_Strauss_Jr. Ligeti R_Strauss}}

[[2014-09-24|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2014#September_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[2014-09-27|On to the next event!]]