Michael Tilson Thomas prevails. If he wants orgiastic music, he'll have it, no matter what. MTT had paired the final scene from Richard Strauss' "Salome" with Mahler's Symphony No. 7 for the San Francisco Symphony's season-closing concert series that began Thursday. Then soprano Lisa Gasteen canceled, and although MTT must have considered substituting the ever-loving "Dance of the Seven Veils," he sat at the piano instead for the first half of the concert, offering a crisp performance of the Mozart Sonata in E minor, K.304, with concertmaster Alexander Barantschik. Read More

About the series: In a saloon town such as San Francisco, the bartender plays a crucial role. Confessor, friend, sounding board — the man or woman behind the plank sees to it that our needs are met with elegance, grace and often wit. They see humanity at its best and most convivial, but also offer a nod and a welcome to the lonely. But what do they see when they look at us? What are the tricks of their trade? And what lessons have they learned along the way? In this Examiner weekly feature, we talk to some of our local bartenders to find out.Redwood Room Read More

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will be flooded tonight. Yet it won’t be water filling its theater. Instead, Liss Fain Dance will be bringing together a deluge of talent — from young dancers to experienced filmmakers to long-dead painters — for the premiere of "The Flood." Read More

More than 230 films from 25 countries screen at the 2007 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, "Frameline31." The 11-day celebration of LGBT cinema and experience opens at the Castro Theatre Thursday with a presentation of "The Witnesses," directed by French auteur Andre Techine ("Wild Reeds"). Screenings run through June 24 at various venues; tickets for most programs are $7 to $10. For details, visit www.frameline.org. Read More