The Kirov, Part 2

On Sunday the Kirov Orchestra played a performance in Davies Hall, San Francisco, where the San Francisco Symphony plays. The program: Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini"; Borodin's Symphony Number 2, Mussorgsky's Prelude to " Khovanschchina" and "Pictures at an Exhibition".

"Pictures at an Exhibition" is played often, but we have never heard anything that can compare to the emotion, brilliance, and just plain beautiful sound of the Kirov. Let's face it. Pictures was written in St. Petersburg, is about an exhibit in St. Petersburg, and was first performed in St. Petersburg. This is the Kirov's home turf.

Valery Gergiev became more and more animated as he conducted it. He was really enjoying himself. When it concluded, the audience went wild. Gergiev was in great humor and gave two encores. In the second, he stopped conducting the orchestra immediately and just stood on the podium, swaying with the music.