Saturday Matinee

Perusing through the event calendar for the San Francisco: Summer in the City series, there are some good shows coming up. Some of my recommendations:

• Mozart and Beethoven: the amazing Jeremy Denk playing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23, and the SFS is playing one of my favorite symphonies of all time, Beethoven No. 7. My favorite pieces really are connected to personal memories – this one, I saw the LA Chamber Orchestra play it when I was in high school and absolutely fell in love with the second movement. It’s so slow and lugubrious, yet has such restrained internal movement and yearning. For me, it’s one of the most emotionally moving movements. The SF Symphony is fortunately repeating this symphony later this year.
• Classical Romance: Rach 3, enough said.
• An Evening with Tchaikovsky: Another memory associated with my love for the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. In our youth orchestra, our concert master played the first movement with us. Yes, so technique wasn’t as clean as Joshua Bell, but he played with unequivocal emotion and passion that his bow was being torn apart by the end of the movement. The entire orchestra watched him play in this piece, absolutely mesmerized. If given a choice, give me passion over technique any day.
• Patti Lupone is doing her one woman show at the Davies Symphony Hall. Any reviews, anyone? Wondering if this is worth going to.
• Chris Botti is also making an appearance with the SFS.

It’s really nice that the symphony is still being played over the summer, when the SF Ballet and Opera are on a break.