Not Since George Szell's Cleveland Orchestra

So says the San Francisco Classical Voice critic of what sounds like an exciting concert by the San Francisco Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas programmed the rarely heard Lelio by Berlioz, a work that calls for enormous forces, three male singers, even an actor-narrator (here dropped). It was originally written as a kind of sequel to the Symphonie Fantastique. If that isn't enough to make me wish I had been there, there's this:

"The San Francisco Symphony is in wonderful shape these days, but what was so extraordinary was the level of unanimity of phrasing and dynamics. Everyone sounded in perfect sync with all their colleagues. The only other time I have heard an orchestra with that form of cohesion was from George Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra in its heyday."

High praise indeed. The concert also included the Fantastique, which was recorded for eventual broadcast and/or DVD release. Unfortunately, it does not sound as though Lelio was similarly memorialized--a great loss, if true.