Coming Up: Ravel and Bernstein at San Francisco Symphony

Next week will be my last set of concerts with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for this season. We will be singing Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. The concert opens with Stravinsky’s Ode, written in memory of Natalie Koussevitzky. Michael Tilson Thomas will conduct.

Originally the first half of the concert was supposed to be Stravinsky’s Threni. Due to immigration and visa problems, the UK-based solists EXAUDI had to cancel, so the program changed. You may have heard the chorus sing Chichester Psalms to conclude last month’s Spring Choral Concert, but that was the reduced instrumentation for organ, harp, and percussion. With full orchestra it is even more glorious. The Ravel of course is one of the most beautiful works ever written. The Suite No. 2 that is often done comes from the third act of the ballet. In this concert we are doing the entire wonderful score.

Performances are May 19, 20, 21 and 23 at Davies Symphony Hall. The weekday concerts are at 8:00 pm and the Sunday concert is at 2:00 pm. Tickets are available online at www.sfsymphony.org and at the box office.

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