The SF Symphony journey from Schubert to Berg continued on Wednesday with an intimate exploration of some lieder and chamber music, as well as the Lulu suite. The directions for the voyage (which continues tonight, tomorrow and next week) go like, start from Schubert, take a turn at Brahms, another at Wagner, when you reach Bruckner, go straight until Mahler, make a sharp left there, when you see Schoenberg, you'll have reached Berg. Not exactly a straight line, and not an obvious connection.

This time again, MTT picked up the microphone and explained that, what Berg and Schubert shared in common was their appreciation for the importance of harmony, the "meaning of notes," and of major and minor modes. By that definition, you can connect any two composers. We should get ready for a Scarlatti to Stockhausen journey next year, we're up for that!