HK Gruber's Frankenstein!! with SF Symphony May 10, 2006

This ?pan-demonium for chansonnier and orchestra? is not a retelling of the Frankenstein story. It is a setting of ?children?s rhymes? that are innocent in diction and sing-song in rhythm, but which paint disturbingly comic scenarios peopled by characters such as Dracula, James Bond, Superman, John Wayne, Batman, and a werewolf. The music, played by the traditional orchestra and a battery of toy instruments, ranges from the deceptively tuneful to the mildly berserk, like a Looney Tune score reimagined by Mozart. Gruber, an Austrian vocalist/composer/conductor, joins the Symphony to perform his own work. Also on the program: works that evoke memories of childhood, by Debussy (Danses sacree et profane), Ades (Living Toys) and Bizet (Jeux d'enfants). Tickets at sfsymphony.org or 415-864-6000.