program
Latest
[San Francisco Symphony Commission and U.S. Premiere]
Pictures at an Exhibition
performances
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Event Description
Sight and sound converge in Pictures at an Exhibition as Modest Mussorgsky translates the canvases of his late friend Victor Hartmann into music. Now a twist: Bay Area artists Liz Hernández and Fernando Escartiz unveil newly commissioned artwork in response to each of Mussorgsky's musical pictures. Over more than seven prolific decades, Franco-American composer Betsy Jolas has developed her own distinctive style: lyrical and cerebral, tender and fierce. Her Latest receives its U.S. premiere in these concerts. Meanwhile Augustin Hadelich brings his eloquent artistry to Antonín Dvořák’s rousing and rhapsodic Violin Concerto.
Augustin Hadelich’s appearance is generously supported by the Shenson Young Artist Debut Fund.
This concert is part of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music
The California Festival at the San Francisco Symphony is made possible by Sakurako and William Fisher.
These performances of Betsy Jolas' Latest are supported by the Paul L. and Phyllis C. Wattis Endowment for New Music.
The commissioning of Betsy Jolas' Latest is supported by the Ralph I. Dorfman Commissioning Fund.
These concerts are generously sponsored by the Athena T. Blackburn Endowed Fund for Russian Music.
At A Glance
Antonín Dvořák wrote his Violin Concerto for the famed soloist Joseph Joachim, who liked the piece, but never ended up performing it in public. The music reflects Dvořák’s admiration for his predecessors Brahms and Schubert, blending boldness with lyricism, classical elements, and Slavic influences.
Modest Mussorgsky wrote Pictures at an Exhibition to pay tribute to his friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann, whose sudden death at age 39 prompted a gallery show of his work. Originally for piano, the suite was later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel, who lent incredible color and depth to each vignette.
Enrich Your Experience
- See newly commissioned artwork inspired by Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition by Bay Area artists Liz Hernández and Fernando Escartiz in the lobby and on screen during the concert.
- Go behind the scenes in a look at how music inspires art.
- Head to the lobby bar to drink in the timeless artistry of a French 75 cocktail, a favorite for over a century.
