The San Diego Symphony

The Masterworks Season for the San Diego Symphony has concluded, so let’s take a brief look at the high-water marks.

While the Mahler Symphony No. 6 concert had some technical issues this was more than just a concert. A Mahler symphony is a self-contained event and the grandeur of the music made this a peak in the season before a single note was played.

Yolanda Kondonassis performing the Ginastera Harp Concerto was a rarity that paid off. There is always a risk in playing music that isn’t as well known but the performance by Kondonassis and conductor David Danzmayr made this concert one to remember.

A side note about David Danzmayr. Based on the concert he conducted, he is, in my opinion, a frontrunner for the position of music director when maestro Ling steps down. I have no idea if he is a candidate or not, but I’m throwing it out there.

The inclusion of Beyond the Score was a nice surprise. The topic was Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and the presentation was masterful from the perspective of audience development. There are more versions of Beyond the Score scheduled for next season.

If I had to pick one single piece of music as the pinnacle of the season I would have to go with John Adams and his Harmonielehre. The performance turned in by the orchestra and maestro Edo de Waart was riveting and revealing. The music itself is riveting and revealing, but the ability of the musicians to express it was the olympus moment for 2015-'16.

Edo de Waart would be another frontrunner for the music director position, but again, I’m outside the loop regarding new music directors. I’m so far outside the loop I can’t even see it from here.