SF Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen curates SoundBox: Patterns, available April 15 on SFSymphony

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN CURATES SOUNDBOX: PATTERNS, AVAILABLE APRIL 15 ON SFSYMPHONY

Program features Steve Reich’s Clapping Music, Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, Terry Riley’s In C, and the world premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Saltat sobrius: Fantasy upon Sederunt príncipes, with performances by Salonen, pianist Elizabeth Dorman, SF Symphony musicians, and LINES Ballet dancers Adji Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen present SoundBox: Patterns, available for on-demand streaming April 15 on SFSymphony . Curated by Salonen, the program explores minimalism in music, featuring music by Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, Terry Riley, and the world premiere of Salonen’s own Saltat sobrius: Fantasy upon Sederunt príncipes. SoundBox: Patterns will be available for individual purchase or with an SFSymphony subscription via SFSymphonyPlus.org starting April 15 at 10am.

This world premiere performance of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Saltat sobrius: Fantasy upon Sederunt príncipes features Salonen conducting members of the San Francisco Symphony and is based on Pérotin’s Sederunt príncipes. The title of the work is derived from Cicero’s observation “Nemo enim fere saltat sobrius, nisi forte insanity,” which translates to “No one dances sober unless he is insane.” Salonen also joins SF Symphony musicians in performances of Steve Reich’s Clapping Music and Terry Riley’s In C, which features him playing the toy piano amidst the solar panels on the roof of Davies Symphony Hall and includes an audience participation component. In a recent conversation between the two composers about In C, Terry Riley expressed support of Salonen’s idea to create a “communal version of In C,” saying “when we recorded it in the '60s, I felt it should be everybody's piece in a way.” Riley adds that In C is reflective of the many shifts taking place in the 1960s in the fields of academics, philosophy, and art, commenting “We were looking for another alternative to this materialism that brought us into this horrible war, so the whole . . . hippie movement [and] what I was doing in music, they're all part of one thing that was the consciousness of American artists and musicians of the time.” The full recording of the Zoom conversation between Esa-Pekka Salonen and Terry Riley will be released as a companion video piece to this SoundBox episode and will be available on the SoundBox: Patterns page. Completing the program is Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, featuring SF Symphony violinist Chen Zhao, pianist Elizabeth Dorman, and LINES Ballet dancers Adji Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan performing choreography by Alonzo King. The production team for SoundBox: Patterns includes director Frank Zamacona, editor Taylor Joshua Rankin, director of lighting Luke Kritzeck, and projection designer Adam Larsen.

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About SoundBox
The San Francisco Symphony’s groundbreaking SoundBox series returns for a seventh season in 2021, in a new digital format with eclectic programs curated by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Julia Bullock, Destiny Muhammad, Claire Chase, and Nico Muhly. The new video series features performances by members of the San Francisco Symphony and guest artists, unique video projections created by Adam Larsen and Yee Eun Nam, and lighting design by Luke Kritzeck. There will be seven SoundBox programs, released once a month February through August (with the exception of June).

SoundBox was launched in 2014 as an experimental, late-night concert series for culturally curious audiences. The series is known for continuously pushing the envelope with adventurous programming, innovative design, and multimedia elements. Live SoundBox performances take place in a warehouse-like rehearsal space adjacent to Davies Symphony Hall, enhanced by a Meyer Constellation Sound System, which can alter the space’s acoustics to accommodate a variety of musical styles and ensembles, providing ultimate versatility. This season’s digital SoundBox programs continue to explore new possibilities of the concertgoing experience in the digital realm—some filmed and recorded in the same rehearsal space, utilizing the Meyer Constellation Sound System, and others on the Davies Symphony Hall stage.

About SFSymphony
Priced at $120 for the entire season (February 4–August 31, 2021), SFSymphony memberships provide exclusive access to premium original San Francisco Symphony digital content, including seven new SoundBox programs, five new CURRENTS episodes, and other special projects to be announced. Access to individual SoundBox and CURRENTS episodes can also be purchased for $15 per episode. Premium episodes range 30 to 55 minutes in duration and remain available for on-demand streaming indefinitely after purchase. SF Symphony donors who have contributed $250 or more this season and all 2020–21 Season subscribers automatically receive a complimentary membership for SFSymphony (February–August 2021). Memberships are available for sale now at sfsymphonyplus.org.

SFSymphony also features content available for all to enjoy free of charge, without requiring a log-in. Free content includes newly-recorded chamber music performances by SF Symphony musicians, as well as previously-released programs including Throughline: San Francisco Symphony—From Hall to Home; the Día de los Muertos, Deck the Hall, and 2021 Chinese New Year: Year of the Ox virtual celebrations; and the first four episodes of CURRENTS.

In addition to browser-based streaming worldwide on sfsymphonyplus.org, SFSymphony is now available via TV services including Amazon FireTV, Chromecast, and smart TVs, as well as smartphones and tablets; it can be downloaded as an app via Apple App Store, Amazon Firestick, Google Play – Android, and Google Play – TV.

CALENDAR EDITORS:     

SoundBox — Patterns: Esa-Pekka Salonen
Released April 15, 2021

Esa-Pekka Salonen curator and Music Director
Elizabeth Dorman piano
Adji Cissoko dancer
Shuaib Elhassan dancer
Alonzo King choreographer
Frank Zamacona director
Taylor Joshua Rankin editor
Luke Kritzeck lighting design
Adam Larsen projection design
Members of the San Francisco Symphony

STEVE REICH
Clapping Music

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
Saltat sobrius: Fantasy upon Sederunt príncipes [World Premiere]

ARVO PÄRT
Spiegel im Spiegel

TERRY RILEY
In C  

All SoundBox episodes launch Thursdays at 10AM PST / 1PM EST and will remain available for on-demand streaming indefinitely.