As the San Francisco Symphony returns to action after a brief off-week, they get to work with one of those superb but unheralded conductors who seem more inexplicable in these days of well-oiled publicity machines. But Peter Oundjian is a member of the self-effacing Canadian nation, which may help to explain it. Nevertheless, he connects brilliantly with orchestra players, who mostly adore working with him. That's because he was the first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet for 14 years, a position that calls for spirited, intimate rapport with other the musicians.
He has brought that sharp intelligence, informed opinion, and collegial spirit to his conducting, so the chance to hear him lead the Symphony, and pianist Jonathan Biss, in three large works is a no-brainer. Oundjian and Biss share Beethoven's “Emperor” Concerto, and the orchestra traverses Christopher Rouse's blazing The Infernal Machine and Johannes Brahms' cathedral-like Third Symphony.