The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) led by Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas will perform four concerts featuring repertoire by composers MTT has long championed -- Copland and Mahler -- as well as major symphonic works by Schumann and Schubert, during their 2016 East Coast tour from April 13 to 16. The tour begins with two concerts at Carnegie Hall in Stern Auditorium.
On Wednesday, April 13, at 8:00 p.m., Thomas and the SFS perform modernist works by Aaron Copland including Orchestral Variations, Inscape and the Piano Concerto with pianist Inon Barnatan soloing. Also on the program is Schumann's Symphony No. 2.
The SFS and Thomas are performing and recording all four Schumann Symphonies this season.
In a press recent release touting SFS' upcoming Carnegie Hall concerts, Thomas talked about what a major influence Schuman's work has had on his life:
"Robert Schuman's music has captivated me since I became a musician.
"His symphonic music requires great imagination, attention, and sensitivity on the part of the orchestra and conductor alike."
The second Carnegie Hall program, on Thursday, April 14, at 8:00 p.m., continues Thomas and the SFS' multi-year exploration of Mahler's works with Das Lied von der Erde, featuring mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke and tenor Simon O'Neill, paired with Schubert's Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished."
The SFS continue their tour with concerts at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Friday, April 15, where they will repeat the first Carnegie Hall program, and the Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts, on Saturday, April 16, where they will perform the Mahler and Schubert works.
Tickets for the Carnegie Hall concerts are priced from $20 to $120 and have been made available through the prestigious venue's official website or by calling Carnegie's box office at (212) 247-7800.
