In my world, John Adams is not a former president, but a brilliant composer alive and well and living in northern California. Lucky for us, our hometown orchestra consistently champions his works, performing them with the crackling, virtuosic intensity they deserve. Tonight through Monday, the band presents Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony—a gem that explores the personal remorse of physicists who developed nuclear weapons, the horrors that struck Japan in 1945, and the lingering anxiety of atomic warfare in our present age. This evening's program also includes a Rachmaninoff piano concerto, as well as Death and Transfiguration from Richard Strauss.

by Brian Horay