Jonathan Rhodes Lee

A new disc of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis stands as a worthy addition to the library of Baroque opera aficionados.

Young singers in American Bach Soloists’ summer academy come up against the limits of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, with varying success.

With all the Bay Area choral groups around (more than 300 and counting), you may be forgiven if you've missed a few, here and there. But Schola Cantorum is worth going out of your way to hear, even if it does spend most of its time hiding its light under bushels.

Gabriele Cassone came to all his instruments — the modern trumpet, the natural trumpet, and the keyed trumpet — almost by accident. But what a series of happy accidents they proved to be; showcased in a concert this weekend by Philharmonia Baroque.

La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc), has been hailed as one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of the silent era. Efforts to wed music to this film’s haunting images have spawned several hybrid creations. Bay Area residents will have an opportunity to experience a hybrid of celluloid images and live music on Dec. 2.

In the hands of Philharmonia Baroque, expert interpreters and a seasoned period-instrument orchestra, it becomes apparent why 18th-century audiences were hungry for orchestral repertoire by the bucket load.

Harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen, heard Sunday with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Berkeley, is an interpretive genius. And, it was little surprise that pairing one of America’s great period orchestras with a harpsichordist of such dramatic flair would produce impressive results.

The city of Utrecht, Netherlands, is gearing up for a huge celebration in 2013 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht. The city and province of Utrecht is investing in a party that will rival the pan-European celebrations that followed the actual Treaty’s signing. One of the first anticipatory fruits of all this excitement is the Netherlands Bach Society’s recording of music written by Handel and William Croft.

Bay Area kids are getting their hands on some seriously old music, and loving it.

If ever there were a composer whose music justified the use of old instruments, it is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But, modern pianists and orchestras frequently approach Wolfie’s music as if they’ve got kid gloves on. This was most certainly not the case when Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra teamed with fortepianist Robert Levin Saturday to present an all-Mozart program at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church.