VINTAGE RUSSIAN MUSIC AT THE S.F. SYMPHONY
An enigmatic all-Russian program is winding down the S.F. Symphony season, raising provocative questions while posing as provocative protest pieces. All but a Tchaikovsky selection were written under the strict thought control of the Soviet Union in the 20th century. But, as musicians well knew, when neither literature, news media nor stage works permitted deviation from the party line, music was one viable dissent possibility if threaded skillfully. None fit this elusive mold more than the “Fairytale Poem” composed for…