“We do something like that two or three times a year,” Collon says. It’s some extra stress for the players. They spend a lot of time learning the music, but that’s the joy of it, going so deeply into that incredible music.

“It also opens the door for other possibilities in how you present the music. For example, in the first half of the Beethoven Ninth concert, we did a big, 45-minute long, almost a play. It was me and two actors exploring Beethoven at the time he composed it, and his deafness, all the context of him writing the symphony.

“In 10 years we’ve probably done about 100 performances from memory, and there’ve never been any big mistakes. I’ve had many more mistakes from orchestras playing with music than without!”

What should the audience know about his conducting? “I guess I’m somewhat defined by the work I do. I cover a huge range of repertoire: I’ve done lots of contemporary music, but I do Baroque music, lots of mainstream, traditional, Romantic repertoire. I think I’m curious—that’s probably the best way of putting it—curious about what music can do, and very passionate, really, about what music can bring to people and the power that it has.”

For Collon’s debut with the San Francisco Symphony, there will be scores on the music stands. He’s leading off with a suite from Powder Her Face, an opera by Thomas Adès. “It’s quite an amazing story, based on a famous, scandalous affair,” which involved the Duchess of Argyll, whose divorce proceedings appalled and titillated the British in the 1960s. “Adès is one of the great contemporary composers for me, and he knows exactly how to write brilliant music for orchestra. This suite makes a really good concert opener, to show off what an orchestra can do.”

Next on the bill: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring soloist Conrad Tao, an award-winning pianist and composer who has been heard at Davies Symphony Hall several times in recent seasons. “He performed with my orchestra in Helsinki, and they really liked him,” Collon says. “He’s very well-respected, and of course the Tchaikovsky is a fantastic piece of music.”
 
The Enigma Variations have delighted and puzzled classical music lovers for over a century. Elgar described the piece as a series of portraits of some of his closest musical friends. “It is such an enigma that people have tried to work out: what is the secret code behind the principal theme?” Collon notes. “Is there a love interest? Is it something else? Every year or so, I see another article in the newspaper claiming to have discovered what the enigma is. But musically, it’s a wonderful set of variations that just explores every kind of color of being human, through music. It’s beautifully put together, and it’s great fun to play as well.

Collon’s history with the piece stretches back to a youth orchestra performance he played when he was 11. “I very clearly remember just being totally bowled over by the music. And then, probably 10 years later, I conducted it for the first time, and I’ve been conducting it ever since. I’m very much looking forward to conducting it, and the rest of the program, in San Francisco. I’ve never been to the city, and I know from Esa-Pekka Salonen what a great orchestra it is.”

Collon takes an organic approach to rehearsing with an orchestra for the first time. “First, I like to see what they bring for me to hear. That’s always an interesting moment. Then you have to be quite laser focused. What do they need? What can I bring? How can I be efficient? But I also ask how I can bring this music to life in my own way. And of course, these three pieces we’ll be doing have different challenges. The Adès piece has quite a lot of difficult changes in time, meter, and rhythm. Sometimes it depends if the orchestra knows a piece or not, and whether they’ve played it recently.”

When asked if he has time for sightseeing in his busy schedule, Collon laughs. “I wish I did. The problem with guest conducting is, you’re always learning new music. If you’re not rehearsing or performing, you’re back in the hotel, studying scores. But I do get to go to amazing places. I’ll try to immerse myself in San Francisco. And of course, it’s such a great pleasure to bring this brilliant music to an audience.”

 Kazuki Yamada is delighted to be making his conducting debut with the San Francisco Symphony. “It’s such a great orchestra,” he notes. “When I got the invitation, I just thought ‘Wow, really, wow!’ To be with this group that’s been led by people like Seiji Ozawa, Michael Tilson Thomas, and so many others, I’m very honored.”

Born in Kanagawa, Japan, Yamada initially studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts, later working closely with Ozawa to refine his conducting skills. He is currently the music director of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; he also keeps up a busy schedule of guest conducting appearances. He has spent the past decade or so conducting mostly in Europe, but lately has been invited to lead several prominent US orchestras, including those of Boston, New York, Chicago, and Cleveland.

His San Francisco program begins with the United States premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Entwine. “Dai is a very close friend of mine, and I’ve conducted his other works many times,” Yamada says. “All of his pieces have a special sound, being rhythmic, enthusiastic, and totally beautiful. His pieces are challenging for the musicians, but afterwards, everybody can be smiling: the musicians, the audience, and the conductor.”

As for playing with Hélène Grimaud, soloist in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, Yamada says, “I’ve wanted to perform with her for such a long time, and now it’s finally happened. The Ravel is a very colorful piece and an iconic part for the pianist of course, but it also puts orchestra members in the spotlight. Many of the musicians have solos: the piccolo, the English horn, the trumpet. It’s a little difficult technically, but it’s a balanced piece. There’s even a jazz feel to it.”

The concert closes with Fauré’s Requiem, featuring soprano Liv Redpath, baritone Michael Sumuel, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Jenny Wong. “This is music anchored in the Christian religion. I’m a Buddhist, but I feel something special in it: It’s very open and welcoming to everyone. It’s scored for a small orchestra, but every note has deep meaning. I’m also very much looking forward to working with the SF Symphony Chorus for the first time as choral conducting is very important to me. I love the human voice, and I want to do something special with them.”

Like all guest conductors, Yamada must be very efficient with his rehearsal time. “First, I like to respect the way the players make music. Of course, I can watch videos and listen to CDs but I can’t really get a sense of the orchestra’s atmosphere until I’m on the rehearsal stage with them. I want to feel their atmosphere and share it with them. After that, I’ll make suggestions and try out different approaches. Sometimes the reaction is great; sometimes not, so I make adjustments.”

Like Nicholas Collon, Yamada wishes he had more time to enjoy the cities on his globe-trotting itinerary. “Sometimes, unfortunately, I have a very tight schedule for rehearsals and performances, so there’s no time for sightseeing. However, I recently conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, and my family and I had three or four days to discover Boston, which was very nice.”

Assuming he can make the time, what’s on the agenda for his first visit to San Francisco?
“I want to see and ride the cable cars. Is it true that sometimes the people have to get out and push? I want to walk around the city but I hear it’s not so flat!”

Steve Holt is an arts reporter and contributing writer to the San Francisco Symphony program book.