concert review: San Francisco Symphony

Yuja Wang, frequent guest pianist, has graduated from the regular concert series to the Great Performers Series, which may be why Davies was packed on Thursday, which it hasn't been for any of my ordinary subscription concerts, to hear her tackle the famous Rach Three*, which I've heard her do here before.

Figuring if she was to be the headliner, Yuja - already noted for her flashy outfits - decided to dress for the part, and appeared in a boldly red sequin-covered minidress, so tiny that it went up to here and down to there.

Never mind that, how was the playing? Astounding as usual. What's most striking is the calm energy with which she plays, full of power without exertion, and the clarity of the individual notes, even in fast runs.

The huge audience was delighted, and leapt to its collective feet. For her first encore, Yuja played an abridged arrangement, with added flourishes, of the Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez. For her second encore, a toccata-like piece I was not familiar with. For her third encore, a bit of Carmen.

The other half of the concert - all was conducted by EPS** - was two recent pieces. Tumblebird Contrails by Gabriella Smith, inspired - said the composer in an introductory talk - by sitting on the beach at Point Reyes, was full of whooshing sounds that sounded like waves, pittering sounds that sounded like raindrops or like sand squishing between your toes, and sheens of string sound that sounded like an evocation of enjoying yourself while this happens. Nyx, a tone poem by EPS himself, is big and bold next to this, full of interesting sounds, by far the most effective and agreeable piece of his that I've heard.

*Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 (1909) by Sergei Rachmaninoff
**Esa-Pekka Salonen, SFS music director