San Francisco Symphony San Francisco Symphony -- Friday 6.5 Series

Friday 6.5 is a different concert experience. It’s a rare opportunity to hear the conductor share his thoughts and insights about the evening’s program before each work is performed in its entirety. They take you through each piece step by step before you enjoy the complete performance. It’s not a lecture—it’s an innovative way to go deeper into the music. This season’s Friday 6.5 Series features conductor Herbert Blomstedt, Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony, and an evening with MTT conducting Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.

Another bonus: The early start time of 6:30pm lets you enjoy a leisurely dinner after the concert, and it’s perfect if you’re already in the city. And because this series was introduced just last fall, you have the opportunity to secure premium seats usually held by longtime subscribers. Join us for the Friday 6.5 Series—a fresh new way to experience classical music.

Subscribe to the Friday 6.5 Series.

2007-08 Programs

Oct 12 *Saint-Saëns’s Organ* Symphony Roberto Abbado*, conductor* Ingrid Fliter, piano	Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3, Organ	This is a program of seductions. Chopin invented the sound of the Romantic piano. North America’s largest concert-hall Ruffatti organ stars in a Saint-Saëns thriller. This Friday 6.5 Series concert features Roberto Abbado’s short remarks before the complete works are performed. Tickets: $25-$120

Nov 9 *Dvořák’s New World* Symphony Roberto Minczuk*, conductor* Katia and Marielle Labèque, piano duo	Martinů Concerto for Two Pianos Dvořák Symphony No. 9, From the New World	American folk tunes and spirituals inspired Dvořák’s beloved New World Symphony, an audience favorite. Martinů is Dvořák’s 20th-century heir, and the Labèques bring his sharp rhythms and spicy tunes to life. The New York Times hails the Labèques as the “The best piano duo in front of an audience today.” This Friday 6.5 Series concert features the conductor Roberto Minczuk’s short remarks before the complete works are performed. Tickets: $25-$120

Jan 11 Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor	Oliver Knussen Symphony No. 3 Beethoven Symphony No. 4	This Friday 6.5 Series concert features MTT's insightful remarks before the complete works are performed. Perfect for commuters! Tickets: $25-$120

Feb 15 Blomstedt conducts Tchaikovsky Herbert Blomstedt, conductor Nikolai Lugansky, piano	Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, Pathétique	Name two favorite works by one of music’s favorite composers, and you will come up with these: Tchaikovsky’s grand Piano Concerto No.1 and the emotionally searing Pathétique Symphony. Perfect for commuters! This Friday 6.5 Series concert features Blomstedt’s insightful remarks before the complete works are performed. Tickets: $25-$120

Apr 4 Bach and Handel Harry Christophers, conductor	Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 Handel Water Music Suite No. 3 Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances Suites Nos. 1 & 3	Christophers makes music of three centuries ago sound contemporary and utterly vital. Here, he conducts Baroque works, music of dazzling color and invention. This Friday 6.5 Series concert features Harry Christophers’s insightful remarks before the complete works are performed. Tickets: $25-$120

Jun 6 SFS Conductors on the Podium James Gaffigan, conductor Benjamin Shwartz, conductor Ragnar Bohlin, conductor Alexander Barantschik, violin SFS Chorus	Mark-Anthony Turnage Asteroids Poulenc Figure humaine Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin Suite	SFS conductors take turns at the podium, with music from one of England’s hottest composers, choral gems from France, and Bartók’s savage ballet score. This Friday 6.5 Series concert features the conductors’ insightful remarks before the complete works are performed. Tickets: $25-$120
Please note: There will be no pre-concert Inside Music talks for concerts in the Friday 6.5 Series. Each work is performed in its entirety. All concerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Programs subject to change.

Subscriber Benefits

Subscribers of the Friday 6.5 Series enjoy many benefits, including:

Savings on tickets! Friday 6.5 Series subscribers save $6 per concert off the single-ticket price. And this subscriber-only price is locked in for all Davies Symphony Hall classical series and Great Performers series concert exchanges and additional single-ticket purchases throughout the 2007-08 season.
Guaranteed same seats for the concerts in your series.
Ticket exchange by phone. Only subscribers can exchange their tickets by phone. (Phone-exchange privileges cost $12 per phone transaction.)
Free ticket exchange by mail or in person (handling fee charged for phone and fax exchanges).
Priority notice of special events throughout the year.

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Sponsors

San Francisco Symphony programs are supported by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund and by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

Take BART to the concert.