We were psyched to see our fellow French man, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, at the symphony last night. He was amazing all right, but guest conductor Semyon Bychkov stole the show, by masterfully conducting an eclectic program at Davies Symphony last night (performance will repeat tonight through Sunday): a modern piece by a living composer, an as-romantic-as-it-gets piano concerto with a prodigious Thibaudet as the soloist and a Shostakovic symphony to celebrate the composer’s 100th anniversary. All three pieces displayed his skills at the baton, and the orchestra at its best. more ›