In Wednesday’s (3/2) San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman writes, “Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony let the other shoe drop this week on the 2011-12 season, announcing the rest of the year’s agenda after previously unveiling plans to mark the orchestra’s centennial. The season will be marked by an expansion beyond pure instrumental music, with programs featuring theatrical works and multimedia offerings alongside traditional orchestral fare. The programs include Bartók’s one-act opera ‘Duke Bluebeard’s Castle’ and Debussy’s oratorio ‘Le martyre de Saint Sébastien,’ both done in semi-staged productions. ‘Polaris: Voyage for Orchestra,’ a work featuring music by Thomas Adès and film and video projections by Tal Rosner, will have its local premiere, and Thomas will lead a program devoted to music and culture of Gold Rush-era San Francisco. … The schedule includes new commissioned works by John Adams, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mason Bates and Meredith Monk. The Sept. 7 opening gala, with pianist Lang Lang and violinist Itzhak Perlman, will be broadcast on PBS’ ‘Great Performances.’ Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will solo with the orchestra in Hindemith’s Cello Concerto. Among the artists making debuts with the orchestra are conductors Susanna Mälkki and Rinaldo Alessandrini, pianists Khatia Buniatishvili and Olivier Cavé, and soprano Sondra Radvanovsky.”
Posted March 2, 2011
