A Terrible San Francisco Symphony Concert

Many are familiar with Serge Prokofiev’s strikingly descriptive music for Serge Eisentstein’s film Alexander Nevsky. He also wrote equally expansive music, with vocal soloists and chorus, for another Eisenstein film extravaganza, Ivan the Terrible (1944). Vladimir Jurowski, who has been described as affecting his London Symphony patrons with “open-mouthed engagement,” will be making his debut appearance here. The all-Russian program also includes Alexander Scriabin’s first orchestral work, Reverie, and the ever-favorite second piano concerto of Rachmaninov with soloist Khatia Buniatishvili, who impressed San Francisco Chronicle reviewer Joshua Kosman with her “dynamic and imaginative” artistry at her debut here in January.