Time to reset your GPS to EPS (Esa-Pekka Salonen), SF Symphony’s new music director designate

Esa-Pekka Salonen, taking in the love Friday evening at his inaugural concert as SF Symphony’s new music director designate.  Concertmaster Sasha Barantschik is on the left while associate principal cellist, Peter Wyrick, is on the right. Photo: Geneva Anderson

What great fortune to have a front row seat last night at Esa-Pekka Solonen’s inaugural concert as San Francisco Symphony’s new music director designate.  Davies Symphony Hall was packed and the audience was excited, rapturous, rising to their feet several times to applaud the 60-year-old Finn who will take the helm as SFS’s Music Director in September 2020.  He succeeds MTT (Michael Tilson Thomas) who, in 2020, will have been at the helm for a quarter of a century.

Esa-Pekka Salonen. Photo: Geneva Anderson

What a wonderful way to start things off with Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s mysterious tonal poem METACOSMOS, composed in 2017.  It stuck just the right tone with an audience eager to hear something that had obvious meaning to Salonen and ready to embrace a female composer, which we haven’t had much of at Davies of late.  METACOSMOS had a Nordic feel and was both modern and  romantic, taking us on a short speculative journey down into a deep dark hole, the murky unknown of the consciousness, where epic battles ensue between forces of light and darkness.  It was followed by Also sprach Zarathustra, Richard Strauss’ grand tonal poem, from 1864, which was inspired by Nietzsche’s ideas about the course of humankind.  With moments of emblazoned flare, EPS coaxed a glorious sound from SFS.  Sitting just feet from his podium, I caught the fluidity and grace of his hands as well as the serenity in his face.  This is a man who is expressive, passionate, and in deep conversation with his musicians and his heart.  Musically, he knows exactly what he’s doing and it comes across in every gesture.

The evening closed with Sibelius’ Four Legends from the Kalevala, another tonal masterpiece, from 1895, which weaves the powerful Finnish epic Kalevala myth into four movements.  Again, a multi-sensory piece with wonderful contrasts and rich melodies, showcasing various sections of the orchestra throughout.    English horn player Russ deLuna and cellist Peter Wyrick were on fire.   What a journey we have ahead.  Experiencing the magic in person will cement memories for years to come.

Details:  There are two remaining chances to hear EPS conduct SFS this weekend: 8 p.m. Saturday, January 19 and 2 p.m. Sunday, January 20.  $50-$225. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-6000.  Tickets: www.sfsymphony.org