MTT Celebrated by San Francisco Symphony at Final Performance
On Saturday, April 26, the San Francisco Symphony threw an MTT 80th Birthday Celebration filled with music, special guests, and lots of blue. The celebratory event was the culmination of a 51-year relationship between the San Francisco Symphony and MTT, who made his debut with the orchestra in 1974 and served as its Music Director from 1995 to 2020. Here are some highlights!
Now Streaming
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To Be a Conductor
Made in 1970, this documentary directed by Terry Sanders follows the activities of MTT when he was a 26-year-old launching his career. It shows him as a student with his teacher Ingolf Dahl; at home with his parents; as a teacher; and studying the score of Brahms’ Serenade no. 1 for Orchestra, working it out on the piano, rehearsing it with an orchestra, and conducting it at the Ojai Music Festival.
New Release
Grace: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas
A four-disc deluxe box-set that spans more than five decades of MTT’s compositional life and features 18 of his works, from premiere recordings to remastered archival recordings available for the first time.
Documentary
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Michael Tilson Thomas: Where NOW Is
Presented as part of PBS’ award-winning American Masters series, Michael Tilson Thomas: Where NOW Is documents MTT’s life and career—from his childhood in California to his ascension to the world stage and leadership roles with the New World Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony.
Featured Composition
Meditations on Rilke
“In 1917, in a bar just outside Oatman, Arizona, sat an old piano. Behind it there sat a seemingly older pianist. He’d been there since forever. No one could remember when he wasn’t. He played for tips and for drinks, and was happy to provide whatever music anyone wanted to hear. Occasionally he channeled the spirits of Schubert, Mahler, and Berg. Everyone had gotten kind of used to his musical …
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Recent Press
MTT Profiled on CBS Sunday Morning
MTT spoke with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl about his life in music for this CBS Sunday Morning feature that was produced by Amol Mhatre. MTT discusses his grandparents, Bessie and Boris Thomashefsky; his introduction to conducting in middle school; the significance of Mahler to him personally; his admiration for James Brown, the New World Symphony, and more before playing a little bit from his song “Grace,” on the piano.
Sony Classical Releases 80-Disc MTT Box Set
In celebration of MTT’s’s 80th birthday on December 21 this year, Sony Classical has released an 80-CD box set that collects Michael’s entire discography from Columbia, Sony and RCA recorded between 1973 and 2005.
The collection showcases many of the orchestras Michael conducted, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and more.