Cal Performances presents: San Francisco Symphony
$40+
- Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
- Bertrand Chamayou, piano
Franz Liszt — Totentanz, S. 126
Hector Berlioz — Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
Surrender to the musical macabre, and bask in the sumptuous strings, ominous winds, and foreboding brass of the San Francisco Symphony in a special Halloween season concert conducted by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. The imagery is haunting and the sounds are unforgettable in these three spooky masterpieces – pagan witches dance maniacally in Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain; piano soloist Bertrand Chamayou grapples with the foreboding Dies Irae in Liszt’s blistering Totentanz ("Dance of Death"); and the protagonist in Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique witnesses his own funeral during a demonic and surreal nightmare. Join us in welcoming Salonen back to Berkeley in his first Cal Performances appearance leading the San Francisco Symphony, a musical chemistry the San Francisco Chronicle has already praised as “magnificently vibrant.”
This performance is made possible, in part, by Nadine Tang.
About Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Esa-Pekka Salonen is known as both a composer and conductor. He is currently the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, where he works alongside eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of disciplines ranging from composers to roboticists. He is Conductor Laureate for London's Philharmonia Orchestra, where, as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor from 2008 until 2021, he spearheaded digital projects such as the award-winning RE-RITE and Universe of Sound installations and the much-hailed app for iPad, The Orchestra; the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he was Music Director from 1992 until 2009, and was instrumental in opening the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall; and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is the cofounder – and until 2018 served as Artistic Director – of the annual Baltic Sea Festival.
https://www.esapekkasalonen.com/About Bertrand Chamayou, piano
Bertrand Chamayou is one of today’s most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognized for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Heralded for his masterful conviction and insightful musicianship across a vast repertoire, the French pianist performs at the highest level on the international music scene. He is recognized as a leading interpreter of French repertoire, shining a new light on familiar as well as lesser known works, while possessing an equally driving curiosity and deep passion for new music. He has worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès and Michael Jarrell.
https://www.warnerclassics.com/artist/bertrand-chamayou