Curated by Nico Muhly Soundbox
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FOCUS CURATED BY NICO MUHLY SOUNDBOX 1 “The theme of this SoundBox is Focus, a notion I’m trying to explore in various senses of the word.” —Nico Muhly 2 Esa-Pekka Salonen SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen has, through his many high-profile conducting roles and work as a leading composer, shaped a unique vision for the present and future of the contemporary symphony orchestra. Salonen recently concluded his tenure as Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor for London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and he is Artist in Association at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. He is a member of the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he developed and directs the pre-professional Negaunee Conducting Program. Salonen is the Conductor Laureate for both the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he was Music Director from 1992 until 2009. Salonen co-founded— and from 2003 until 2018 served as the Artistic Director for—the annual Baltic Sea Festival. 3 The Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music Director SECOND VIOLINS CELLOS Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director Laureate Dan Carlson, Principal Vacant, Principal Herbert Blomstedt, Conductor Laureate Dinner & Swig Families Chair Philip S. Boone Chair Daniel Stewart, San Francisco Symphony Youth Helen Kim, Associate Principal Peter Wyrick, Associate Principal Orchestra Wattis Foundation Music Director Audrey Avis Aasen-Hull Chair Peter & Jacqueline Hoefer Chair Ragnar Bohlin, Chorus Director Jessie Fellows, Assistant Principal Amos Yang, Assistant Principal Vance George, Chorus Director Emeritus Vacant Vacant The Eucalyptus Foundation Second Century Chair Lyman & Carol Casey Second Century Chair FIRST VIOLINS Raushan Akhmedyarova Barbara Andres Alexander Barantschik, Concertmaster David Chernyavsky The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation Naoum Blinder Chair John Chisholm Second Century Chair Nadya Tichman, Associate Concertmaster Cathryn Down Barbara Bogatin San Francisco Symphony Foundation Chair Darlene Gray Phylis Blair Cello Chair Wyatt Underhill, Assistant Concertmaster Stan & Lenora Davis Chair Jill Rachuy Brindel 75th Anniversary Chair Amy Hiraga Gary & Kathleen Heidenreich Second Century Chair Jeremy Constant, Assistant Concertmaster Kum Mo Kim Sébastien Gingras Mariko Smiley Kelly Leon-Pearce Penelope Clark Second Century Chair Paula & John Gambs Second Century Chair Eliot Lev David Goldblatt Melissa Kleinbart Isaac Stern Chair Christine & Pierre Lamond Second Century Chair Katharine Hanrahan Chair Chunming Mo Carolyn McIntosh Yun Chu Polina Sedukh Elizabeth C. Peters Cello Chair Naomi Kazama Hull Chen Zhao Anne Pinsker In Sun Jang Yukiko Kurakata VIOLAS BASSES Catherine A. Mueller Chair Jonathan Vinocour, Principal Scott Pingel, Principal Suzanne Leon Yun Jie Liu, Associate Principal Daniel G. Smith, Associate Principal Leor Maltinski Katie Kadarauch, Assistant Principal Stephen Tramontozzi, Assistant Principal Sarn Oliver Vacant Richard & Rhoda Goldman Chair Florin Parvulescu Joanne E. Harrington & Lorry I. Lokey S. Mark Wright Victor Romasevich Second Century Chair Lawrence Metcalf Second Century Chair Catherine Van Hoesen Gina Cooper Charles Chandler David Gaudry Chris Gilbert David Kim Brian Marcus Christina King Wayne Roden Nanci Severance Adam Smyla Matthew Young 4 FLUTES TRUMPETS SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS Tim Day, Principal Mark Inouye, Principal Members of the American Guild of Musical Artists Caroline H. Hume Chair William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Chair Robin McKee, Associate Principal Aaron Schuman, Associate Principal SOPRANOS Catherine & Russell Clark Chair Peter Pastreich Chair Cheryl Cain, Michele Kennedy, Ellen Leslie, Linda Lukas Guy Piddington Jennifer Mitchell, Natalia Salemmo, Daphne Touchais, Alfred S. & Dede Wilsey Chair Ann L. & Charles B. Johnson Chair Cindy Wyvill, Angelique Zuluaga Catherine Payne, Piccolo Jeff Biancalana ALTOS The Rainbow Piccolo Chair Terry Alvord, Karen Carle, Silvie Jensen, TROMBONES Margaret (Peg) Lisi, Brielle Marina Neilson, OBOES Timothy Higgins, Principal Leandra Ramm, Dr. Meghan Spyker, Merilyn Telle Vaughn Eugene Izotov, Principal Robert L. Samter Chair Edo de Waart Chair Nick Platoff, Associate Principal TENORS James Button, Associate Principal Paul Welcomer Seth Brenzel, Michael Desnoyers, Elliott JG Encarnación, Pamela Smith Vacant, Bass Trombone Samuel Faustine, Kevin Gibbs, Michael Jankosky, Dr. William D. Clinite Chair Jimmy Kansau, David J. Xiques Russ deLuna, English Horn TUBA BASS Joseph & Pauline Scafidi Chair Jeffrey Anderson, Principal Adam Cole, Mitchell Jones, Clayton Moser, James Irvine Chair Matthew Peterson, Chung-Wai Soong, Michael Taylor, CLARINETS David Varnum, Nick Volkert Carey Bell, Principal HARP William R. & Gretchen B. Kimball Chair Douglas Rioth, Principal Vacant, Associate Principal & E-flat Clarinet Vacant TIMPANI Jerome Simas, Bass Clarinet Edward Stephan, Principal Marcia & John Goldman Chair BASSOONS Bryce Leafman, Assistant Principal Stephen Paulson, Principal † Acting member of the San Francisco Symphony Steven Dibner, Associate Principal PERCUSSION Vacant Jacob Nissly, Principal Steven Braunstein, Contrabassoon James Lee Wyatt III The San Francisco Symphony string section utilizes revolving seating Bryce Leafman on a systematic basis. Players listed in alphabetical order change seats periodically. HORNS Stan Muncy† Robert Ward, Principal Second Century Chairs are supported in part by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Foundation, ensuring the ongoing artistic excellence Mark Almond, Associate Principal LIBRARIANS of the San Francisco Symphony’s string sections. Bruce Roberts, Assistant Principal Margo Kieser, Principal Alexander Barantschik plays the 1742 Guarnerius del Gesù violin, on Jonathan Ring Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Jessica Valeri John Campbell, Assistant Daniel Hawkins Matt Holland-Gray, Assistant Daniel Stewart’s appointment as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra is generously supported by the Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Endowment Fund. 5 Soundbox: focus Nico Muhly curator ORLANDO GIBBONS / NICO MUHLY This is the Record of John Carey Bell clarinet Melissa Kleinbart · Helen Kim violins Christina King viola Anne Pinsker cello Marc Shapiro piano MEREDITH MONK (arr. Nico Muhly) Fat Stream, from Key Jerome Simas clarinet Suzanne Leon · Amy Hiraga violins Jonathan Vinocour viola Barbara Andres cello James Lee Wyatt III percussion Nico Muhly organ NICO MUHLY Motion Carey Bell clarinet Melissa Kleinbart · Helen Kim violins Christina King viola Anne Pinsker cello Marc Shapiro piano INTI FIGGIS-VIZUETA Inbhir (many waters) David Goldblatt cello 6 LUKÁŠ JANATA Flux World Premiere. San Francisco Symphony Commission Nico Muhly conductor Emma Lanier choreographer Jerome Simas clarinet Aaron Schuman trumpet Florin Parvulescu · Chen Zhao violins Katie Kadarauch viola Carolyn McIntosh cello Daniel G. Smith double bass Bryce Leafman percussion Jonathan Dimmock · Lukáš Janata keyboards Clyde Scott director Steven Condiotti director / director of photography (Flux) Taylor Joshua Rankin editor Luke Kritzeck lighting designer Adam Larsen projection designer 7 program notes This program includes two arrangement by Nico Muhly for small chamber ensemble. works in which curator and “Fat Stream has the world’s simplest accompaniment: composer NICO MUHLY (b. 1981) an organ playing four arpeggiated chords,” observes engages with the music of Muhly. “Over this, in its original version, the composer English Renaissance composer sings a series of phrases, some delicate and others ORLANDO GIBBONS painfully keening—many of the notes are not found on (1583–1625). “My piece, Motion, the piano, which is to say that her economy here is all references an anthem by Gibbons, and I thought it the delicious spaces between notes, as if the poignancy right to arrange a different Gibbons anthem just for is to be found always slightly off our traditional sense variety,” Muhly says. “Here, we have This is the Record of the cartography of tonality. It’s always reminded me of John, which, in its original form, was to be sung by of seeing a three-dimensional object interact with a soloists who were then replied to, and imitated by, a two dimensional one—a bird flying over a flat road, for full chorus. Motion, taking as its starting point the instance—with a sense of tragedy, beauty, and power.” anthem See, See the Word is Incarnate, buries the Originally from Washington DC tunes and harmonies from the Gibbons and places it and now residing in New York in a matrix of ostinatos and little repetitive patterns. City, INTI FIGGIS-VIZUETA The idea is that the Tudor and Jacobean music is (b. 1993) is the 2020 recipient constantly coming in and out of focus, and that the of the ASCAP Foundation Fred ear can use the gridwork to latch onto something Ho Award and is currently in decidedly modern, or something beckoning to us from residency at Sō Percussion’s a different time.” Brooklyn studio for the 2021–22 season. Her musical MEREDITH MONK (b. 1943) practice is physical and visceral, attempting to has explored the possibilities of reconcile historical aesthetics and experimental the human voice for close to practices with trans and indigenous futures. Recent fifty years, creating theatrical commissions include works for the Los Angeles works that meld ensembles in Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, Attacca Quartet, JACK wordless choruses to evoke Quartet, and Crash