Seattle Symphony Opening Night!

Opening Night Concert & Gala

Saturday, September 19

7PM

Overture to Wonderful Town - Leonard Bernstein

Piano Concerto, Op. 30 - Samuel Barber

Allegro Molto

Kevin Ahfat, Piano

Winner, Seattle Symphony Piano Competition

Suite from Appalachian Spring - Aaron Copland

-Intermission-

Danse Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila - Camille Saint-Saëns

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "Egyptian" - Camille Saint-Saëns

Allegro animato

Andante

Molto allegro

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano

After several long months, it is now time to usher in the 2015-2016 season of the Seattle Symphony, with a good number of guests dressed to the nines for the gala preceding the concert. The concert itself was the typical Seattle Symphony affair, with the orchestra being a little rough around the edges. I was very impressed with Kevin's performance as he mastered the Barber concerto and had great stage presence. Since I couldn't see his hands, I could only watch his face and feet, and you could really tell that he was having fun with the peace (though maybe a little too much, as his mouth rarely stayed closed during his performance. Thibaudet was even more impressive, with pinpoint technique to go along with a flowing melody. We were also treated to an encore of Saint-Saën's Carnaval des Animaux featuring our two soloists. The "Pianists" was nice and lighthearted, especially intentionally playing the scales out of time, and the performance concluded with the "Finale" movement. So far a great start to the season!