Bloggers Night at the Symphony and Dessert at Sauce

Last night a an awesome friend invited me to Bloggers Night at the San Francisco Symphony. Kevin Smokler organized the event. James Gaffigan conducted three pieces that centered around the theme of romance.

• Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet
  
• Richard Strauss' Don Juan
  
• Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3
  

Tchaikovsky's piece starts off slow and builds up to an ecstatic and joyful melody with the flutes alternating between two notes while the violins play the main melody. It ends with a sad and mournful funeral march.

The Strauss piece has the same movement from light to dark.

During the intermission, George Kelly asked conductor, James Gaffigan, "Do you have a blog?" The conductor replied that he didn't because he really expresses himself through his music.

Rachmaninoff's 3rd moves from angst and melancholy to utter joy and transcendent bliss. 23 year old pianist, Gabriela Martinez, played with endurance and excellence a really difficult piece and her rendition floored me. While at dessert at Sauce, I mentioned that in order to get your trance fix before electronica, you probably had to listen to Rachmaninoff.

The dessert at this place is absolutely fabulous. They have a sampler plate on the menu with the phrase "trust us..." After tasting the PB&J, which is pan seared sponge cake layered with homemade strawberry preserve and frangelico peanut butter and a vanilla ice cream center, I am ready to give the creators of such a divine dessert my social security number.



Sauce
131 Gough Street (between oak st. and lily)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-1369
Dinner is from 5pm to midnight. Bar closes at 2am.