Sometimes, no matter what else is on the program, a single performer or piece makes a visit to a symphony extremely worthwhile. Here are some heavy hitters for fall.
Star Power: Thomas Adès, San Francisco Symphony
One of the greatest of living composers is Britain’s Thomas Adès. His life partner, Tal Rosner, has produced a film to accompany Adès’ latest composition, Polaris, which celebrates how the ancients used stars for navigation. Rockwell Kent’s 1930 illustrations for Moby Dick, in turn, inspired Rosner. This multimedia combination is a do-not-miss event for anyone interested in contemporary trends. Works by Mozart and Stravinsky are also on the program.
Sept. 29–Oct. 1, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, $15–$140, (415) 864-6000.
Melody Magic: Joshua Bell, San Francisco Symphony
If you’re a graduation groupie, hanging around mortar boards just so you can hear Edward Elgar’s famous Pomp and Circumstance march, an even better theme is coming to town: the motto theme for the composer’s Symphony No. 1. Besides the fine tune, which appears throughout the symphony, you’ll hear an amazing trick. Elgar slows down the scherzo theme so much that you can’t even recognize it note for note when it forms the subject of a heartfelt Adagio. In addition, the ever-popular Joshua Bell will show off the gorgeous melodies of Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto and Glazunov’s orchestral arrangement of a Tchaikovsky duo, the Meditation from Souvenir d’un Lieu cher (Memory of a dear place).
Oct. 5–8, 8 p.m.; Oct. 9, 2 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, $15–$140, (415) 864-6000.
Dark Shostakovich: James Conlon, San Francisco Symphony
If you’ve been dying to hear Shostakovich, his Symphony No. 14 is the one for you, because the end of life is what it’s all about. Soprano and baritone join the orchestra in 11 poems by various authors on topics of ill-fated love, war, suicide, political oppression, and decay. The piece will receive its first performance here by the San Francisco Symphony. With a coffin-opener like this on the program, along with Ravel’s orchestration of catacombs in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, you’ll be all ready for Halloween two weeks later.
Oct. 14–15, 8 p.m.; Oct. 16, 2 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, $15–$140, (415) 864-6000.
Singing the Cello Electric: Johannes Moser, Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Let’s hear it for “More power to the cello!” The L.A. Philharmonic and its dynamic director arrive in town and play an exciting contemporary program: Enrico Chapela’s Concerto for Electric Cello, John Adams’ Tromba lontana, and one of the most melodic of mid-20th-century symphonies, Prokofiev’s 5th. Johannes Moser will be plugging in his instrument for the Mexico City native’s concerto. Chapela has earned recognition for a lively piece describing a soccer match, with the conductor “playing” a referee’s whistle. So expect some sparks.
Oct. 23, 7 p.m.; Oct. 24, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, $30–$155, (415) 864-6000.
Catch the Trend: Kenji Bunch, Marin Symphony
If you’ve been avoiding “modern” music like the plague, you may not realize that fashion has brought new music back into audience-pleasing land. One of the more attractive young exponents of this trend is Kenji Bunch, the Oregon-born, multistylistic composer whose Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra brings back the glory days of melody. You can hear much of his music on his Web site before deciding to go hear his new piano concerto played by Monica Ohuchi, along with the Mahler First Symphony, but I think you’ll like what he has to offer, and will invite younger friends and relatives to join you. The Symphony offers special $10 youth pricing for Sunday concerts, by the way. Bunch rocks!
Nov. 6, 3 p.m.; Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m., Marin Center, San Rafael, (415) 479-8100.
Who Let the Cattle Out?: Sarah Cahill, Berkeley Symphony
Lou Harrison, that’s who. The late, great California-based composer’s massive piano concerto will be tackled by local star Sarah Cahill. Its cluster-boisterous second movement, “Stampede,” alone is worth the price of admission. No one I know has written anything like it. You’ll also hear peaceful contemplations and joyful, gamelanlike melodies in the last two movements of this major composition — that is, if Cahill lets the piano live after beating it up in the first two. A new work by Lei Lang and the Fifth Symphony of Sibelius share the program.
Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, (510) 841-2800.