Susan's City Scene

THE YEAR OF THE BOAR: THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT LIGHTS UP DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL SATURDAY, FEB 16. The San Francisco Symphony welcomes the Year of the Boar with its annual Chinese New Year Concert and Banquet on Feb. 16 at Davies Symphony Hall. Conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads a program of traditional folk music and works by Asian composers, featuring Chen Gang and He Zhan-Hao’s The Butterfly Lovers Concerto performed by acclaimed violinist Angelo Xiang Yu. The concerto, composed in 1959 by Shanghai Conservatory of Music students Chen Gang and He Zhan-hao, faced censorship during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, finally gaining popularity in late 1970s. Composed using all western instruments and intertwining tonal harmonies with Chinese melodies, the concerto is considered the embodiment of a China in transition, and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Other works on the program include Huan-zhi Li’s Spring Festival Overture, An-lun Huang’s Saibei Dance, and arrangements of the traditional tunes Jasmine Flower and The Moon Over Spring River. Members of the Red Chamber ensemble join the San Francisco Symphony in performances of The Moon Over Spring River and Mao Yuan’s Dance of the Yao People. The concert will be accompanied by video projections by video designer Adam Larsen, creating an immersive experience for the audience. A free pre-concert Festival Reception is open to all ticket holders beginning at 4 p.m. in the Davies Symphony Hall lobbies. Entertainment and activities include lion dancing, Chinese calligraphy, “lucky” red envelopes, complimentary sweet and savory bites, wine and tea bars, musical performances by Melody of China, and a special appearance by LiLou the Pig — San Francisco’s very own and first-ever therapy pig. Tickets for the Chinese New Year Concert and the pre-concert festival reception are available at sfsymphony.org, by phone at (415) 864-6000, and at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street in San Francisco.

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