Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 / Tilson Thomas, Ax

San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas; Emmanuel Ax, Piano

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Piano Concerto No. 4

Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in performances of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the composer's Fourth Piano Concerto, with pianist Emanuel Ax as soloist, December 9-12 at Davies Symphony Hall. The orchestra will also perform Webern's Symphony and his arrangement of Schubert's German Dances.
These are the first of Emanuel Ax's four appearances under the auspices of the San Francisco Symphony this season. In recognition of the bicentenaries of Chopin and Schumann in 2010 and in partnership with the San Francisco Symphony, Barbican, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Emanuel Ax has commissioned new works from Thomas Adès, Peter Lieberson and Osvaldo Golijov. At Davies Symphony Hall, he'll perform the new Lieberson work, Remembering Schumann, with cellist Yo-Yo Ma (Jan. 26), the Golijov piece with soprano Dawn Upshaw (March 20), and a solo recital April 25 in which he'll perform the Thomas Adès commission. The Thomas Adès piece replaces a previously scheduled John Adams commission.
Emanuel Ax toured Asia in October with the New York Philharmonic and Music Director Alan Gilbert. This month, he tours in Europe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and James Conlon. In the spring, Ax performs on tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony with Manfred Honeck, and with the Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston Symphony Orchestras. Ax also is collaborating with the Mark Morris Dance Group and Yo-Yo Ma in a new dance work.

Price: $20.98