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Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich with the San Francisco Symphony
“The violinist had an attentive conductor in Afkham, who was making his Symphony debut. Elegant himself, in white tie and tails, the Spanish National Orchestra’s chief conductor and artistic director led a keen and balanced reading of the score. The woodwinds did some choice work in a pensive middle movement.
[…]
The orchestra was firing on all cylinders until the very end, with an animated Afkham in command. Played without pause, the concluding three movements felt like a complex and eventful second act. Strident and even self-mocking phrases gave way to a mellow woodwind choir. The horns and brasses sounded alarms as a snare drum clattered. In a performance that ran over an hour, it was hard to take in all the drama.”