The Beethoven Project with the San Francisco Symphony
May 3, 2013
Michael Tilson Thomas leads the San Francisco Symphony in a Beethoven project comprising three concert programs from May 2 to 11 at Davies Symphony Hall. Over the course of two weeks, MTT will lead the San Francisco Symphony, Chorus and soloists on a musical journey tracing Beethoven’s revolutionary musical ideas and their impact on composers who came long after, culminating in performances of one of his most significant works, Missa solemnis.
The concerts on May 2 and 3 showcase Beethoven’s early works and see the first SFS performances of his Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, a new arrangement of the song Adelaide to be performed by the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and the Sonatina for Mandolin and Fortepiano, which features mandolinist Joseph Brent. The performances also include Beethoven’s Second Symphony.
The second program of the Beethoven project pairs John Adams’s Absolute Jest – featuring the St. Lawrence String Quartet – with Beethoven’s Three Equali for Four Trombones, the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte, and the Fourth Symphony. Performances take place May 4, 5, & 9.
The Beethoven project culminates in two performances on May 10 and 11 of the Missa solemnis. Selections from Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli preface Beethoven’s choral masterpiece. The concerts feature solo performances by Laura Claycomb, Sasha Cooke, Michael Fabiano, and Shenyang.
Explore Beethoven’s inspirations, music, and legacy with MTT in the unique symposium Beethoven: Before and After on May 4 at 1pm.
