San Francisco Symphony

MTT and the SF Symphony’s first performance at Carnegie Hall, November 1996

1996–97

Embracing Experimentation

MTT’s second season features a far-out festival that examines the intersections of the sacred and the profane, spiritual calamity and salvation. Its provocative theme and the Orchestra’s virtuosic performances put MTT’s artistic vision into spectacular focus. It’s clear that MTT’s instinct is to think differently; even more radical is the ease with which he inspires audiences to embrace experimentation.

From the very first concert I heard the musicians play, I was aware of the wonderful daring spirit of the SF Symphony. . . . I continue to be excited and moved by the sheer brilliance, consistency, and elegance with which the Orchestra plays, week after week. ”

— Michael Tilson Thomas

This music has always been important, but Mr. Thomas and his orchestra made it very important. Every melodic line spoke clearly; every evocation of opaqueness had its own kind of light. ”

— The New York Times, reviewing a 1996 SF Symphony performance of Ives’ Holidays Symphony at Carnegie Hall

CELEBRATIONS OF THE SACRED & PROFANE

MTT is at it again in spring 1997, when the San Francisco Symphony presents Celebrations of the Sacred & Profane, a festival of music sparked by the friction between our earthiest desires and our most spiritual aspirations. Pairing Mozart, Schubert, and J.S. Bach, with Giancinto Scelsi, Terry Riley, and Kurt Weill, and featuring an appearance as co-host by Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, the unorthodox and edgy festival is a massive hit: The colossal audience response is described as “lusty” in more than one outlet.

Phil Lesh, Steven Mackey, Terry Riley, David Del Tredici, Lou Harrison, MTT, and John Adams

David Del Tredici and MTT at the Celebrations of the Sacred & Profane Festival, June 1997

PREMIERES
Henze: Erlkönig Fantasy
(US premiere)

Scelsi: Aion
(US premiere)

MUSICIAN APPOINTMENTS
Christina King (Viola)

Recordings

European Tour

The November 1996 European Tour with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is MTT’s first tour of Europe with the San Francisco Symphony.

Anne-Sophie Mutter and MTT greet German Chancellor Helmut Kohl & Mrs. Kohl

New York City, US, Carnegie Hall

London, England, Barbican Centre

Manchester, England, The Bridgewater Hall

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Concertgebouw

Brussels, Belgium, Palais des Beaux Arts

Paris, France, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

Cologne, Germany, Philharmonie

Düsseldorf, Germany, Tonhalle

Hamburg, Germany, Grosse Musikhalle

Berlin, Germany, Philharmonie

Vienna, Austria, Grosser Saal, Musikvereinssaal

Munich, Germany, Philharmonie am Gasteig

Stuttgart, Germany, Liederhalle

I met MTT when I was 17 and barely a freshman at the USC School of Music. Wouldn’t you know, the first glance I had of him he was standing on top of a desk, exclaiming, singing, and dancing! Who was this person, this star, this Mike Thomas?

Well he turned out to be a very special person in my life and our lives intertwined from that day forward. I cannot begin to name the hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of amazing concerts I’ve been lucky enough to play under MTT here in San Francisco and around the world. My heart is full of memories of all the music we made together over the years. And every once in a while our eyes meet across the stage and I know we’re both thinking of moments of our shared past.

”

— Darlene Gray, SF Symphony violinist since 1982

1996–97

CELEBRATIONS OF THE SACRED & PROFANE

Recordings

European Tour

Tune in to KDFC at 3pm daily for “MTT Time”—special concert broadcasts from each year of MTT’s historic tenure, featuring commentary from MTT himself.