Bychkov opened with Last Round, a two movement piece by Osvaldo Golijov, a 45yo Argentinian composer who now lives in Massachussetts, the first time this piece was played in San Francisco. The piece is an entertaining homage to the tango master Astor Piazzolla: the first movement a tango. To Golijov, it is a boxing fight, since it features two quartet on each side of the conductor exchanging simple yet punchy melodic lines on a tango beat, with the occasional support of the rest of the string-only orchestra (a crowd cheering the fighters, we assume) and a referee role for the double bass of Larry Epstein. As in a traditional tango orchestra, the musicians were standing up, proving to us that music will keep you trim and fit. Larry and his bass were sitting on a stool, a fitting role reversal since he could stand up for a deserved salute at the end. More than a boxing fight, the piece evoked a sonic tennis match, with the sound regularly alternating between starboard and port. The pings and pongs thus exchanged were compact little melodic motifs, variation upon a simple theme, with an ever evolving orchestration and always shifting textures.

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