With solo performances and the sounds of violin and cello in the spotlight, the San Francisco Symphony presented a program celebrating the Lunar New Year and Year of the Tiger. Conductor Yue Bao and the orchestra did a very nice job in this simple, short, and delightful program.
Korean-born musician Bomsori played on a 1771 violin, a few songs from The Butterfly Lovers Concerto evoking the sounds of Asia. Assistant Principal Cello Amos Yang presented Eternal Vow from Crouching Tiger Concerto, full of deep emotions and vibrant within the depth of feelings.
And with just a few songs, the orchestra and performers delighted the audience and honored Asian traditions, mixing past and present.
Highlighted in the program (February 5, 2022,) was a series of reflections on the importance of stoping Asia hate, and perhaps even more important it is to realize that the more we get to know our cultural backgrounds, the greater commonality we find thus eradicating or at least minimizing the thoughts and feelings that show up as violence against members of certain communities.
The combination of orchestra music with the words of local leaders and people with influence such as writer Amy Tan made the program more interesting, real, and in accord with current times.
After the program, people in attendance received a whistle to remember to protect one another, and a red envelope with a chocolate coin inside, for good luck.
The San Francisco Symphony has been celebrating Lunar New Year for more than 20 years.
-Lupita Franco Peimbert
Lupitanews.com 