San Francisco Symphony featuring Leif Ove Andsnes and Mason Bates 2014-09-10
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
8:00 PM, Wednesday, September 10, 2014

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Beethoven: The Consecration of the House Overture
Mason Bates: Alternative Energy
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring Leif Ove Andsnes

[8:m PM lights down, announcements]

Gioacchino Rossini: Overture from La Gazza Ladra (the Thieving Magpie) (1817)

1. [8:m PM] Opus

Missed it, dang!

Mason Bates: Alternative Energy (2011) (ca. 25 minutes)

1. [8:16 PM] Ford’s Farm, 1896
   [the turning of a car motor crank (it's in the percussion section) jumps the music ahead to present-day Chicago]
2. [8:25 PM] FermiLab, 2011
3. [8:30 PM] Xinjiang Province, 2112
4. [8:39 PM] Icelandic rainforest, 2222
   [set ends 8:43 PM]

[9:06 PM lights down, announcements]

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15, (1797) featuring Leif Ove Andsnes: piano. (ca. 35 minutes)

1. [9:08 PM] Allegro con brio
2. [9:23 PM] Largo
3. [9:33 PM] Rondo. Allegro scherzando
   [set ends 9:42 PM]

1. [9:43 PM] Bagatelle in C major: Moderato cantabile, Opus 119, No. 8 (1820)
2. [9:44 PM] Bagatelle in A-flat major: Presto, Opus 33, No. 7 (1802)
   [show ends 9:48 PM]

San Francisco Symphony

• Alexander Barantschik: violin, concertmaster;
• Michael Tilson Thomas: conductor, music director;
• symphony members vary by program, see the current list.

• Leif Ove Andsnes: piano;
• Mason Bates AKA DJ Masonic: composer, electronics.

7:10 Macallan presentation begins … stuck in the Regency basement until 7:55 or so. Doh! Bad planning! Or possibly, perfect planning, since we managed to get ourselves into our seats with moments to spare before tonight's featured event, young master Bates' Alternative Energy. This was a fun work, with plenty of cracking good sounds and soundscapes, and I really look forward to hearing it again!

Closing the show with Beethoven's first piano concerto was a fine idea, though I fail to grasp much musical connection to the Bates piece. Andsnes did a fine job, and it seemed a special treat to get the two bagatelles tracked on as an encore.

• Mason's blog piece about this work.
• Mason's program notes.
• Stephen Smoliar's review for the Examiner.
• Joshua Kosman's review for SFGate.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2014 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2014 event list! ☸ On to the next event!