On a warm July evening, the music of the San Francisco Symphony permeated Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater, continuing an annual tradition that started in 2019.
With modern programming and packed crowds, the orchestra’s “Summer with the Symphony” concerts at Frost spread top-quality, unique classical music through a partnership with Stanford Live. Combining the virtuosity of soloists from across the world and the vigor of the Symphony, the series presents an opportunity for locals to listen to the orchestra without having to take the longer trip to San Francisco.
“Frost Amphitheater is beautiful, and performing at Frost gives us the opportunity to reach audiences in the South Bay,” Gregory Hix, the Symphony’s artistic administrator.
Hix added that outdoor evening concerts in the summer can be chilly in San Francisco, so it’s “wonderful to hold an outdoor concert in a warmer venue” in Palo Alto.
This year’s “Summer with the Symphony” kicked off with a performance of “Spanish Favorites” on July 13. Featuring conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas and vocalist Nikola Printz, “Spanish Favorites” was an exciting performance that stood apart from other concerts with its boundless enthusiasm and catchy tunes. The show included selections from Isaac Albéniz’s “Suite Española,” Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” and Manuel de Falla’s “The Three-Cornered Hat.”
“With guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas on board, we knew that we were going to feature Joaquín Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez,’ one of the most well-known guitar concertos,” Hix wrote. “The rest of the program was built around that concerto, and all three pieces just happened to be Spanish.”
“Our musicians and staff put so much work and care into all our concerts, and working with talented artists like Carlos Miguel Prieto and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas ma[de] the process even more enjoyable and special.”
The programming of the Spanish concert was not only enjoyable, but also innovative. The concert started off with selections from Albéniz’s “Suite Española,” composed for the piano, but opted for an orchestral performance of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos’ arrangement of the work.
The orchestra performed four out of the eight pieces in the suite, with each representing a different region of Spain: Castilla, Granada, Sevilla and Aragón. Each piece also was based on its own Spanish dance style, so the orchestra placed strong emphasis on evoking the rhythms of dance during their performance. Throughout the suite, the musicians maintained a steady and upbeat rhythm, except for “Granada,” which was more melodic and lyrical.
The suite was followed by “Concierto de Aranjuez,” played gracefully and powerfully by Sáinz-Villegas on guitar. The youthful rhythms of the first movement contrasted with the sorrowful, deep melodies of the second movement. The Symphony did a remarkable job in bringing to life the pain the composer Rodrigo felt after his wife’s miscarriage, which occurred before he wrote the second movement. Sáinz-Villegas nobly picked up the mood in the third movement, bringing the listener along for a ride of ups and downs.
The concert had no shortage of surprises. After “Concierto de Aranjuez,” Sáinz-Villegas came back on stage and performed “Gran Jota de Concerto” by Francisco Tárrega for his encore, showing off his virtuosic abilities on the guitar with eye-catching techniques, at times knocking his knuckles on the instrument and at times putting two strings together to create a snare drum-like sound.
Finally, mezzo-soprano Printz entered the stage for de Falla’s “The Three-Cornered Hat” soundtrack, originally composed for the successful 1919 ballet which boasted Pablo Picasso as the costume designer. Although the lack of solo roles limited Printz’s time in the spotlight as a vocalist, their use of sudden entrances and their projecting voice made the most of the moment. The cheerful music of “The Three-Cornered Hat” finished “Spanish Favorites” with the same rhythmical energy with which it began, while the dark, calm night sky brought home a sense of closure to the concert.
The Symphony’s summer festival at Stanford came to a close on July 20 with a performance of “The Movie Music of John Williams.” Although this year’s concert series is over, Stanford’s classical music enthusiasts have more to look forward to next summer. Stanford Live and the the Symphony’s vibrant partnership gives new energy not only to orchestral music in the Bay Area, but also to classical music as a whole.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.