Coverage of the 2011 Centennial Opening Night Gala of the San Francisco Symphony. The event was overseen by the San Francisco Symphony's current Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas, and featured performances by musicians including violinist Itzhak Perlman.

Because he's long been stereotyped by the rousing neo-romantic adventure scores for the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park franchises, it's easy to forget that composer John Williams is hardly idiomatically challenged. When Steven Spielberg gratifyingly used the clout of his enormous commercial success to produce and direct this brave Holocaust drama, his longtime musical collaborator used the opportunity to display both the depth and maturity of his musical gifts and training, producing a score with sad, evocative melodies frequently carried by the violin of the great Itzhak Perlman. Rich with ethnic nuance and showcasing the composer's masterful orchestral/choral subtlety, Williams's emotionally compelling score for Schindler's List also won the Academy Award for Best Dramatic Score. --Jerry McCulley

Coverage of the 2011 Centennial Opening Night Gala of the San Francisco Symphony. The event was overseen by the San Francisco Symphony's current Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas, and featured performances by musicians including violinist Itzhak Perlman.