Beethoven at the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

One of my favorite soapbox monologues about technology is that while I’m excited that it can put myriad tools of creation into the hands of the masses, if we don’t take the time and focus to study masters of our preferred medium, we can’t easily or reliably find our own true voice. It won’t be honed by practice and truly worthy of an audience.

I think of early Rothko, who adored Matisse, and whose early paintings often resembled the style of Leger. Also Gorky, who had to grapple with war-ravaged Romania and was largely self-taught, didn’t find his unique stride until he was masterful at recreating the works of Cezanne and other past masters. In classical music, the Kronos Quartet, as I’ve said in a previous post, is far more interested in new and evolving music, but first seriously studied past masters before pushing the envelope. It isn’t something to check off your list; it is a the practice that justifies taking the stage, no matter what the medium, and allows for that genius to simmer like the 10,000 hour-rule Malcolm Gladwell so completely explores in his book Outliers. I think audiences could practice too.

This is one of the reasons I think listening to classical music is so important and relevant to these times. Even if you have no ambition to become a musician, being a music lover in the deepest sense requires some amount of cross-genre appreciation. I see the building blocks of all modern music in these early forms, certainly not only early Western music although it was so widely heard that it does have an important place.

The classics are far from dead, they are part of music’s evolution. San Francisco’s symphony orchestra, led by Michael Tilson Thomas (often referred to simply as MTT) is on a campaign to educate and enliven. Though the orchestra hosts visiting conductors and soloists throughout the season, his Leonard Berstein-esque passion for the stories behind the music come through at Louis Davies Hall performances. Most concerts begin with an entertaining talk about the pieces being performed and the people who composed them.

Such was the case this February, when I my mother gifted me tickets to see Beethoven’s 1^st and 2^nd symphonies, sandwiched by one of my very favorite works of music, the Triple Concerto for violin, cello, and piano. I describe this piece as a place, not like a musical geography like the painting of a thunder storm in Chopin’s raindrop prelude, but a place that I can go to without picturing anything physical in my mind. The themes of the music are explored with infinite nuance. After the dozen plus hours since hearing it performed live I can still feel the music and hear it inside.

The talk beforehand reminded me of Beethoven’s study, for better or worse, with Haydn, and I could hear the influence (Beethoven surely learned by Haydn’s example) and evolution of his speedy minuets and the progressions of a theme to intensify it and twist it before moving to the next idea. The way the concert was organized was like hearing Beethoven find his own voice.

I certainly would have enjoyed hearing this world-class music without the talk, but it made the music come to life in a new way, and I learned something. I imagine it would as interesting to someone who has never studied classical music, maybe even more so. The San Francisco Symphony is wonderful to hear by any means, but this pre-show treat elevates the concerts.

Don’t let the fact that your normal Saturday night would include an electronica show, or a rock band, or an MC battle stop you from coming to Louis Davies Hall. My thinking is that it’ll make your love for music grow.

You can snag tickets to MTT’s famous performances of Mahler’s symphonies and a full range of other concerts for as little as $15, and there is a series of youth concerts, which are shorter and are quite fun, that cost just $5. The witty speaker Scott Foglesong ended his pre-concert talk by conjecturing that if Beethoven were alive today he’d own and know how to operate every type of sound maker and electronic music device. In my opinion, he is the true king of rock ‘n roll. Hearing his early symphonies, then going home and listening to his earth-shattering Eroica (symphony 3), then his famous 5^th, etc, you may come to this too. What a joyful revelation.

Good Idea

Listen to classical music no matter what your favorite genre. Find ways to hear it live. It is possible to do this without tons of moolah thanks to less expensive ticket offerings, matinees and concerts for kids. This beautiful music can be accessible, and heard in a hall that I’ve heard was constructed by a woman-owned construction firm. Way cool.

Deets

Louise Davies Symphony Hall is the home of the SF Symphony: 201 Van Ness, across from City Hall, 415.864.6000, concert times vary. There’s no parking garage for the space, and BARTing or taking Muni is easy and highly recommended. The hall is blocks from Civic Center BART, and can also be reached by any bus or trolley car running up Market Street to Van Ness. More info:

• www.sfsymphony.org