San Francisco Symphony – Runnicles & Piemontesi

CAMA 2026/2027 INTERNATIONAL SERIES — The Granada Theatre
SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2027, 7:30 PM
San Francisco Symphony
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Francesco Piemontesi, piano
Program:
– LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
(c. 36 minutes)
– RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872–1958)
Symphony No. 5 in D Major
(c. 40 minutes)
The San Francisco Symphony brings to Santa Barbara a distinctive combination: West Coast brilliance, international stature, and a recording legacy matched by few American orchestras. With a history that reaches back to 1911, the Symphony has been recognized with multiple GRAMMY Awards—testimony to an ensemble that pairs burnished sound with fearless interpretive ambition.
Over the course of a career spanning more than four decades, Scottish conductor Sir Donald Runnicles has built his reputation on enduring relationships with several of the world’s most significant opera companies and orchestras, including the San Francisco Opera (1992–2008) and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he has served since 2009. His deep experience in the great dramatic repertoire brings a particular intensity to symphonic performance: long lines that feel inevitable, climaxes that arrive with theatrical impact, and an ear for orchestral balance that makes every inner voice speak.
Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi completes the trio with artistry defined by nuance and clarity. A prizewinner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a Borletti‑Buitoni Trust Fellow, and a former BBC New Generation Artist, Piemontesi is admired for touch, color, and the kind of musical intelligence that makes virtuosity feel like thought.