Mälkki’s presence on the podium ensured an overall level of unanimity and balance, with big, shapely orchestral textures and crisp but fluid rhythms.
The excitement surrounding the Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki has grown steadily on each visit she makes to Davies Symphony Hall, and now — with a meaty two-week guest stint at the helm of the San Francisco Symphony — local audiences will have a full chance to savor her musical gifts. Thursday night’s dramatically great all-Russian program offered ample evidence of why Mälkki’s star has risen so quickly.