Free Symphony

In a couple of weeks’ time, the San Francisco Symphony and maestro Michael Tilson Thomas will embark upon their eighth European tour together. Joined throughout the journey by soprano Deborah Voigt, pianist Yefim Bronfman, and violinist Julia Fischer, the orchestra’s travels will take it to the legendary BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall as well as prestigious festivals in Edinburgh, Lucerne, Berlin, and Frankfurt. The orchestra will also perform concerts in the German cities of Hanover, Cologne, and Düsseldorf. A few days before the group flies off, S.F. gets an advance taste of the symphony’s European program when it performs a free lunchtime concert outdoors. Late Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s sprightly Allegretto from Symphony No. 5, the climactic final scene from Strauss’ Salome(featuring soprano Lise Lindstrom), and two feisty movements (the Scherzo and the Finale) from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydream, will give downtown S.F. an Old World vibe.
Fri., Aug. 24, noon