One leaves tonight's San Francisco Symphony Stravinsky Festival concert
doing a little jig, a spastic one, rather than walking straight.

A couple of hours of extreme syncopation does that to a body.

Imagine what the effect in on Michael Tilson Thomas after weeks of
concentrated rehearsal in preparation for the festival.  No wonder
he crouched and wiggled before the downbeat for the opening "Reynard,"
foxlike, starting his engine up for an exhilarating and exhausting evening.

Imagine, if you can, full-out performances of both "Les Noces" *and* "The
Rite of Spring"!  And "Reynard" and the novelty of "Zvezdoliki" ("King of
the Stars").

"Reynard" was utterly charming (with tenors Clifton Forbis and Richard
Clement, baritone Grant Youngblood, and bass Brian Jauhiainen, Clement
giving a superb performance), the two rhythmic terrors brutal and yet
disciplined.

Vance George's Symphony Chorus made "Les Noces" jump all the more, but
with one voice.  There were no loose ends anywhere during the evening.

Well, of course:  you expect that from MTT for Stravinsky, obviously.
But wait a sec -- he is an "American specialist," but there is now his
awesome Mahler, now Bruckner...  could it be?

Yes.  It's neither prudent nor fashionable to acknowledge a period other
than something long past, and yet I am certain that the time is *now* for
a kind of golden age at the SF Symphony.  Those regimes I know first-hand
-- Ozawa, de Waart, Blomstedt -- each had their ups and downs.  Today's
MTT reign seems to have only highs, I cannot think of a downside.  The
orchestra plays superbly, MTT provides leadership and friendly support to
both musicians and audiences.  Davies Hall is a terrific place for music
now, night after night.

And that means this in the immediate future:

6/12 -- Repeat of tonight's concert.
6/13 -- "Mavericks," with Meredith Monk, the Kronos
6/17 and 6/18 -- `Symphony in C," "Capriccio," "A Soldier's Tale," with
   Peter Serkin (piano), Patrick Stewart (narrator).
6/19 and 6/23 -- "A Soldier's Tale," "Pulcinella," with Michelle DeYoung
   (mezzo), Clement, Raymond Aceto (bass).
6/24 -- "Mass," "Symphonies of Wind Instruments," "Requiem Canticles,"
   "Canticum Sacrum," "Symphony of Psalms," with Nicolle Foland (soprano),
   DeYoung, Clement, Grant Youngblood (baritone).
6/25 and 6/26 -- "Star Spangled Banner," "Circus Polka," "Ebony Concerto,"
   "Preludium," "Scherzo ...  la Russe," "Scnes de ballet," "Agon,"
   "Symphony in Three Movements."

Janos Gereben/SF
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