Back under the stars at The Shell for the season opener.

I was making some tentative travel plans for November when it occurred to me that the biggest cultural event that I can remember was occurring in November. I am, of course, referring to the opening of the renovated Jacobs Music Center at Copley Symphony Hall to the tune of $130 million.

I opened the San Diego Symphony app on my phone and went to the calendar. There was the Tchaikovsky Spectacular on September 1. Ok, ok. There was the preview of the symphony’s Carnegie Hall concert on October 7, at The Shell. Right, right. That concert is also part of the California Festival.

Then there’s a few Star Wars, a dead brand by the way, concerts in October, and then I saw what I was looking for. November 4, “Season Opening Under the Stars”. Wait. What’s this “under the stars” rigamarole? 

The season opener is at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Okay. Fine. I scrolled a bit further expecting to see the grand opening concert with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”. Nope. Friday, November 10, Lorin Maazel’s arrangement of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, The Ring without Words at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

I fired off a few texts at this point. The Mahler has been pushed to at least next season by delays in the renovation process. Later in November, we get Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and then the hall opens on Saturday, January 13 with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Richard Strauss’ Aus Italien. The concert will be conducted by Tianyi Lu.

I suppose it is what it is but I can’t help but feel disappointed for The San Diego Symphony. That is not the opening that was planned.

There are concerts on January 19, 20, and 21 but music director Rafael Payare is not conducting those either. They’re great concerts though. It’s hard to beat Jean Sibelius’ Concerto for Violin and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

Maestro Payre will make his renovated Jacobs Music Center and Copley Symphony Hall debut on Friday, January 26. He will be conducting Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. That is a happy consolation because, out of all the concerts planned this year, that is the concert I am most focused on. I want to experience Payare’s Bruckner.

Wagner’s Ring without Words gets an indoor reprise with Payare conducting on February 24 and 25. That’s also a nice consolation.

It has been said that life is what happens while you’re making other plans. Looking at the life of the symphony, I would say that holds true. However, my travel plans for November are good to go, for now.