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SF Symphony returns Wednesdays at 7PM on IPR Classical

Chris Wahlberg, courtesy San Francisco Symphony

When the San Francisco Symphony appointed the American conductor, composer, and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas as its music director, the chemistry was perfect from the start. The orchestra and "MTT" inspired each other creatively, and conveyed the artistic excitement to listeners. That was in 1995, and since then the orchestra has gained even more international renown than it already had, winning the most prestigious international prizes, including the Gramophone Award, France's Grand Prix du Disque, Japan's Record Academy, and no fewer than 11 Grammy Awards. More than that, it's shown how to innovate both in programming and presentation. It has premiered appealing new masterpieces while also bringing listeners of many backgrounds to the concert experience for the first time. Now, you can hear their latest season of concerts every Wednesday night at 7 PM on IPR Classical. Here's a list of the broadcasts this month:

May 3rd: SIR ANDRAS SCHIFF conductor and pianist:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 27 in B-flat
Joseph Haydn - Lord Nelson Mass (soloists: Anna Lucia Richter, Britta Schwarz, Werner Gura and Robert Holl)
Franz Schubert - selected songs

May 10th: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS , conductor
Jean Sibelius - The Swan of Tuonela
Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto (Leonidas Kavakos, violin)
Robert Schumann - Symphony no 3, "Rhenish"
Claude Debussy - Nocturnes

May 17th: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS , conductor
Richard Strauss: Serenade for Winds, op . 7
Richard Strauss: Brentano Lieder (Laura Claycomb, soprano)
Robert SchumannSymphony no. 1, "Spring"
Richard Strauss: A Hero's Life

May 24th: HERBERT BLOMSTEDT , conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 35, "Haffner"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto no. 1 (Alexander Barantschik, violin)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 41, "Jupiter
Leonard Bernstein: A Quiet Place, suite (Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor)

May 31st: CHARLES DUTOIT, conductor
Maurice Ravel: Mother Goose
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Nikolai Lugansky, piano)
Gabriel Faure: Pelleas et Melisande Suite
Igor Stravinsky: Firebird Suite

Clay Masters is the senior politics reporter for MPR News.