Although it has established an almost half-century tradition of a concert season here in Santa Clara County, the world-renowned San Francisco Symphony has attracted relatively few from our side of the valley. Many local music lovers have never even been aware of the programs at the Flint Center of De Anza College in Cupertino.
One reason is that music reviews of the orchestra in the San Jose Mercury News often report on the programs given at Davies Hall in San Francisco even though the same program will be offered at the Flint. We attended the most recent concert June 26 and found a good half of the seats empty, yet it was throughout an inspiring concert under a remarkable young conductor, David Robertson. It also showcased the talents of an amazing cellist, Alisa Weilerstein, 26, daughter of two top-flight concert musicians.
The concert featured a deeply emotional rendition of Anton Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor. Two other works showed off the orchestra in a stark modernistic piece of "absolute" music by Withold Lutoslawski, a famed 20th century Polish composer. It is music without a storyline or a conventional melodic framework. "Mi-Parti," written in the mid-1970s, has big sections where musicians are on their own
The third offering was a Russian saga "Taras Bulba," a blood-thirsty Cossack chieftain by Leos Janacek, the leading Czech composer. Subtitled "a rhapsody for orchestra" it is also a 20th century masterwork. Maestro Robertson controlled his vast symphonic forces with skill and sensitivity.
This kind of musical performance makes for an inspiring evening. And getting to hear it in Cupertino rather than driving up to San Francisco makes great economic sense and cuts down on the wear and tear of an evening outing.
Another program at the Flint by the S.F. Symphony is coming up next Wednesday, July 9, when the orchestra is to be led by its associate conductor, James Gaffigan. Two favorites of the classical repertory will be heard. The dazzling "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky will lead off followed by the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor. Soloist will be an astonishingly talented 23-year-old Stefan Jackiw. This concert will also be reprised a day later at Davies Hall in the city.
The 2008-2009 calendar for San Francisco Symphony's Flint series is already announced. There will be eight concerts beginning Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m., when a champagne reception will precede the opening night. Music by Beethoven, Mozart and the great Shumann Symphony No. 2 will be featured. Later concerts through the year will feature some of the top conductors in the world with two of the concerts under the baton of S.F. Symphony's inimitable leader, Michael Tilson Thomas. There will also be top-notch piano violin and vocal soloists.
The symphony is also starting a unique "Music for Families" series at the Flint Center that will go forth at 3 p.m. in the afternoon Oct. 5, April 4 and May 9. Tickets for this entire series are specially priced both for adults and kids between 7 and 12. It should be a great way to introduce classical music from one generation to the next and have fun and informality in the process.
Details about these and other symphony programs at the Flint Center are available at (415) 864-6000 or SFSymphony.org.
* * *
Mort Levine is co-founder and publisher emeritus of Milpitas Post Newspapers.
Font Resize