# San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, June 18, 2017

[San Francisco Symphony](http://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2016-2017/Joshua-Bell-plays-Lalo-Symphonie-espagnole.aspx) with guest conductor [Vasily Petrenko](http://imgartists.com/artist/vasily_petrenko) presents [Joshua Bell](http://www.joshuabell.com/)      
[Davies Symphony Hall](http://www.sfsymphony.org)  
[201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=201+Van+Ness,+San+Francisco,+CA+94102+USA&hl=en)  
2:00 PM, Sunday, June 18, 2017

[[2017-06-17-2|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#June_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-06-21|On to the next event!]]

## Tentative Program

* Glinka: _Capriccio brillante_ on the _Jota Aragonesa_
* Lalo: _Symphonie espagnole_
* Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1

## Set One

[2:00 PM lights down, announcements, band out]

01. [2:02 PM] Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857): _Capriccio brillante_ on the _Jota Aragonesa_ (1845/49; SFS premiere)  
[work ends 2:11 PM; pause to reset the stage for the next piece; 2:15 PM tuning]

### Lalo: Symphonie espagnole

Édouard Lalo (1823-1892): _Symphonie espagnole_ for Violin and Orchestra (1874)

01. [2:16 PM] _Allegro non troppo_
02. [2:24 PM] _Scherzando. Allegro molto_
03. [2:29 PM] _Intermezzo. Allegro non troppo_
04. [2:36 PM] _Andante_
05. [2:43 PM] _Rondo_  
[set ends 2:50 PM; applause and bows, then all off after a minute or so]

## Set Two: Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1

[3:12 PM lights down, tuning]

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor (1897; SFS premiere)

01. [3:13 PM] _Grave. Allegro ma non troppo_
02. [3:27 PM] _Allegro animato_
03. [3:36 PM] _Allegro con fuoco_
04. [3:48 PM] _Allegro con fuoco_  
[set ends 4:01 PM; applause and bows, all off by 4:04 PM]


## Performers

### San Francisco Symphony

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

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


### special guests

* [Joshua Bell](http://www.joshuabell.com/): violin;
* [Vasily Petrenko](http://imgartists.com/artist/vasily_petrenko): conductor.


## Notes

Setting the tone this afternoon was Glinka's fabulous mood piece, _Capriccio brillante_, and the symphony pulled it off with flair and élan. It was surprising to me to read that this was an SFS premiere. Next up was Lalo's masterful violin concerto, _Symphonie espagnole_. Joshua Bell made it look easy, playing from memory and tossing off grace notes and other syncopated flourishes as if to emphasize his exuberant joy at playing, but it was obviously tough work, and he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow at each break.

It was kind of stuffy in the hall today, so we headed outside at break, but as it was even hotter out there on the front deck along Van Ness, we turned heels and headed back to the air conditioned comfort of the lobby. I thought it was strange that the air was cooler in the lobby than the main hall: maybe that choice was made in order to keep the instruments at a more constant temperature?

Given the tangled history of the Rachmaninoff symphony, it was less surprising to find that this also was an SFS premiere; I don't recall having heard it previously, either live or from a recording. And Petrenko pushed the symphony to deliver that emphatic Russian oomph with drama and zing: it was fun watching him lead the show.  Great fun!

David Bratman posted a [review](https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/san-francisco-symphony/joshua-bell-smooths-symphonie-espagnoles-rough-edges) of the Thursday performance with SFCV.

James MacBean posted a rather dry [review](http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2017-06-23/article/45830) with the Berkeley Daily Planet.

{{tag>music San_Francisco_Symphony Vasily_Petrenko Joshua_Bell Davies_Symphony_Hall Michael_Tilson_Thomas  }}

[[2017-06-17-2|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#June_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-06-21|On to the next event!]]