San Francisco Symphony To Give U.S. Premiere Of John Adams's and Peter Sellars's New One-Act Opera "A Flowering Tree" Based Upon Old Hindu Folk Tale

... "The San Francisco Symphony’s long tradition of affirming the importance and necessity of orchestral commissions continues during 2006-07 with three major SFS-commissioned works, including two world premieres. In Michael Tilson Thomas’s eleven seasons as Music Director, the SFS has commissioned and premiered 20 works by some of the world’s most respected contemporary composers. During the 2006-07 season, as part of its 10-year commissioning project with Bay Area composer John Adams, the SFS will perform the U.S. premiere of his new one-act opera A Flowering Tree, with Adams conducting the Orchestra. A Flowering Tree is John Adams’s first major work since his landmark opera Doctor Atomic. One of America’s most admired and respected composers, John Adams has produced works, both operatic and symphonic, that stand out among all contemporary classical music for the depth of their expression, the brilliance of their sound, and the profoundly humanist nature of their themes....

His latest work, A Flowering Tree, is a co-commission of the SFS, Lincoln Center [New York City], the Barbican Centre [London], and the Berlin Philharmonic. Written as an opera and directed by Peter Sellars, the world premiere will be performed by the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela November 14, 2006 in Vienna [Austria]. The story of A Flowering Tree is based on a 2,000-year-old South Indian folk tale about young people and their initiation into life, and the slow, sometimes painful growth of the psyche and the soul. It is a story of love and trust, and finding ecological balance and awareness in our everyday lives, eliciting a message of hope and reconciliation. These performances [March 1-3, 2007] will be led by Mr. Adams and feature soprano Hyunah Yu and tenor Russell Thomas, both making their SFS debuts, and the SFS Chorus.

In November, Michael Tilson Thomas leads the Orchestra and guest pianist Marc-André Hamelin in the world premiere of Kevin Volans’s Piano Concerto. South African composer Kevin Volans, a pianist by training, has studied composition, music theatre, and electronic music in Johannesburg and Cologne. His musical compositions have been influenced by the music of the U.S. as well as his native Africa....

In January, MTT and the SFS perform the SFS-commissioned world premiere of British composer Robin Holloway’s Fourth Concerto for Orchestra. A composer whose works are championed by Tilson Thomas, Holloway’s Fourth Concerto for Orchestra will be his third SFS commission."...

..."The season features nineteen San Francisco Symphony premieres, thirteen works from living composers, six works by American composers, and works by composers new to the SFS, including Kevin Volans, Osvaldo Golijov, Victoria-Borisova-Ollas, Victor Kissine, Charles Koechlin, and Kalevi Aho." ...

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Religious Tolerance (Inspired by the Hindu/Muslim Riots in Gujarat, India)
Patachitra Story Scroll
Montu Chitrakar - West Bengal, India
Late 20th cent.
Water-based paint on paper
(7' 2" h. x 14" w. )

Image credit: (c) Montu Chitrakar via Indigo Art Gallery With thanks.
www.indigoarts.com/ gallery_montuscroll3.html