I’m new to San Fran so I’m taking every opportunity I can to get out and meet people. In that spirit I attended Blogger Night at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on Saturday night. It was a night filled with contemporary classical music as part of their Blue Print Season.

Those who know me know that I’m all about new music. (Aside: who cares about the new Radiohead when this is about to drop.) So I was excited to hear the sounds of composers Tan Dun, Kaija Saariaho, Jay Lyon and Benjamin Britton.

The first piece by Tan Dun was a challenging listen. I couldn’t quite figure out what the heck the composer was going for here. To be fair, I find it difficult to appreciate dissonant music in a live setting. There’s too much visual distraction. A good stereo and some solitude got me into Sun Pandamonium — perhaps that’s what this Dun stuff needs too.

The second piece “Sept Papillons” by Saariaho was very effective and interesting. Jean-Michel Fonteneau managed to bring forth the sounds of butterflies from his cello. It was technically impressive and somehow pleasantly jarring.

As for the rest of the program, I honestly just didn’t get it. That’s it. I wish I had more of an explanation. It just left me cold. That said, it was a really enjoyable evening. The building is beautiful and the people were wicked cool. I love being challenged by music. I’ll be sure to make my way back.

Thanks to Cariwyl and the staff and the Conservatory for organizing the whole thing.

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