A Concert Surprise

I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from my series concert Friday night.  Right in the middle of the holiday music season, this seemed like an odd program:

Sibelius

Pohjola’s Daughter

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Violin Concerto

Wagner

Excerpts from Götterdämmerung

 

The following nights feature Peter and the Wolf, Colors of Christmas, and of course Messiah.

 

So it was a pleasant surprise to hear two works that were new to me that are definitely worth repeat hearings -- the Sibelius and Salonen's concerto.  And the Wagner excerpts were beautifully done with Christine Brewer as an excellent Brunhilde. 

 

San Francisco Symphony concerts are broadcast locally on KDFC and on the web.  I don't see this concert on the list yet but, if and when they broadcast it, it's definitely worth a listen.

 

As a side note, it was also a surprise to see how many empty seats there were in the hall -- very unusual for a series concert.  Offsetting that were the presence of numerous, enthusiastic younger audience members -- something we need to encourage.