Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Michael Tilson Thomas, a conductor, composer, and educator who headed the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, was honoured by Metallica, as per Blabbermouth. According to a statement from his publicist, Constance Shuman, Thomas passed away at his San Francisco home on April 22, over five years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour that medical professionals subsequently determined was glioblastoma multiforme. He was eighty-one. Four years after Thomas was appointed music director of the San Francisco Symphony, Metallica first collaborated with the orchestra on the live CD “S&M” in 1999. At the September 6 and September 8, 2019 “S&M² concerts in front of 18,000 spectators at San Francisco’s Chase Center, Thomas, as conductor, joined Metallica to commemorate 20 years since the band and the Symphony recorded “S&M.”
The “S&M²” concerts were historic in a number of ways: The band and Symphony were reunited for the first time since the 1999 concerts recorded on the Grammy “S&M” album, they marked the grand opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center, and they included the first-ever symphonic performances of songs composed and released after those initial “S&M” performances. Thomas and Edwin Outwater oversaw the performance, while renowned musical arranger Bruce Coughlin added new orchestral charts to the original “S&M” songs.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. A towering figure in classical music, many of you became familiar with the man known as MTT when he worked with us as a major driving force in the development and live performances of the S&M2 shows in San Francisco in September of 2019.
MTT was more than a conductor; an accomplished pianist and composer, he served as the San Francisco Symphony’s musical director for 25 years. During his time with the orchestra, he brought innovation, experimentation, and community engagement to San Francisco. He fostered contemporary music by forming relationships with living composers and creating fresh accounts of standard repertory. Throughout his career, he earned 12 Grammy Awards.
We cherished our time with MTT and learned so much working with him to prepare the S&M2 performances; it was a very high honor to have him on the podium for our shows. He will be sorely missed.
