Featured Performers

• San Francisco Symphony
• Donald Runnicles, conductor
• Francesco Piemontesi, piano

Program

• VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 5 

• BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83

Under the baton of Donald Runnicles, the San Francisco Symphony returns with a luminous program pairing Vaughan Williams’ radiant Symphony No. 5 with Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring Swiss-Italian pianist Francesco Piemontesi.

Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony unfolds with serenity and quiet radiance, offering music of consolation and grace that has captivated audiences since its wartime premiere. Its glowing harmonies offer a profound sense of calm and reflection.

Complementing this orchestral meditation is Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, a masterpiece of sweeping grandeur and intimate lyricism. Francesco Piemontesi brings his poetic touch and commanding virtuosity to this monumental concerto, engaging in a richly nuanced dialogue with the orchestra.

The performance as a whole was nothing short of magnificent...

San Francisco Classical Voice

The musicians seemed primed to react to every flick of the baton. It was a revelatory reading, a glorious, majestic combination of precision and a sort of organic swelling and swerving that brought the score to life...

Seen and Heard International

Sponsors

sponsored by the Donna L. Kendall Foundation

sponsored by the Henry T. & Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation