San Francisco Symphony Stages Rich Russian Recital

Michelangelo Buonarroti, chiefly known as a sculptor and architect, was also a poet of some renown. His Suite of Verses was transformed into a brilliant musical score by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich in the 1970s and has since become part of that vocal canon.

Just after finishing his composition, Shostakovich wrote to his friend Isaak Glikman: “I find it hard to make any judgment about Michelangelo, but it does appear to me that the essence has come through. And by the essence of these sonnets, I had in mind: Wisdom, Love, Creation, Death, Immortality.”

 Photo credit: Marco Borggreve

Matthias Goerne, who made his SFS debut in 1998, gave a stirring recital with the orchestra last night which should be long remembered.

What's Next:

 “You Must Remember This...” goes another familiar lyric long cherished by film buffs. Next week guest conductor, Sarah Hicks, leads SFS next Friday and Saturday evening performances of Max Steiner's score for “Casablanca.”

The movie was winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture and lauded as one of the greatest movies of all times by the American Film Institute. And yes, "As Time Goes By" will shake the house. 

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