concert review: San Francisco Symphony

Dunno what I'd write if I were reviewing this for pay. It was a standard performance of standard repertoire. Marek Janowski, of the Berlin Radio Symphony (Berlin's other orchestra), conducted.

First we had a sloooow rendition of Sibelius's Finlandia, and how did that piece of growly fluff get off the pops list and onto a subscription program? Followed by the same composer's violin concerto, with Sarah Chang as soloist. She has a soapy tone, and had a good grasp of the concerto without the power to really wrestle it down.

Then a very smooth, sedate rendering of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, with some odd emphasizing of phrases and some very bad section balance.

Sitting next to me during the first half was a lanky youngish guy who'd clearly just been smoking outside. Apologies to the smokers among my friends, but: ych. He popped up and left as soon as Chang's curtain calls started, perhaps to avoid exposure to Beethoven's fresh air, who knows.