recital Reviews
May 13, 2008
The Rachmaninov Challenge
Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa gives a strong recital, but she isnt’ a match for Rachmaninov’s music.
Pedal to the Metal
The young Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz explores Chopin's "strange" Preludes in his local debut.
Doubled Reimaginings
Finnish pianist/composer Magnus Lindberg teams up with cellist Anssi Karttunen in a program of new music and reworkings.
May 6, 2008
April 29, 2008
Inner Demons Unleashed
Young Chloe Pang fearlessly tackles Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto in her S.F. Conservatory recital.
April 22, 2008
April 15, 2008
Setting Beethoven in Time
András Schiff continues his demanding traversal of Beethoven's piano sonatas.
April 8, 2008
Don’t Cry for Her Argentina
Daniela Mack displays extraordinary vocal prowess and restraint in her Schwabacher Debut Recital.
April 1, 2008
Stylish Work on Eight Strings
Guitarist Paul Galbraith reassesses his relationship to the instrument, and the repertoire itself.
March 25, 2008
Liszt the Admirer
Pianist Louis Lortie tears up the keyboard with the composer's tributes to Wagner.
March 18, 2008
Music to My Ears
Baritone Eugene Brancoveanu hews closely to the composers' intent in a glorious recital.
Versatility of a Master Guitarist
Manuel Barrueco journeys from Bach to Albéniz, by way of Piazzolla.
March 4, 2008
Restorative Pianism
Pianist Yundi Li displays dash and style in his recital, but takes some liberties.
February 26, 2008
Dazzling but Aloof
Joshua Bell's wizardry on the violin is sometimes too subtle to fully appreciate.
February 12, 2008
Controlled Pyrotechnics
The young pianist Yuja Wang tosses off Scriabin, Liszt, Bartók, and others in her Bay Area recital debut.
February 5, 2008
Wild Ride on Horn and Hide
Virtuoso trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and percussionist Colin Currie cut a blazing path through contemporary European music.
January 29, 2008
Messiaen, Heaven Sent
Pianist Christopher Taylor's soaring triumph in Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus.
Cool and Bloodless
Singing Schubert songs, tenor Ian Bostridge reflects on their texts instead of probing their musical and emotional depths.
January 22, 2008
Rare Finds in Deft Hands
Violinist Gil Shaham sizzles in a recital featuring rare works filled with sunshine and yearning.
Clarity, but Little Fire
Calm, cool performances mark the recital of pianist Aleck Karis and cellist Charles Curtis, with the warmer clarinetist Anthony Burr.
January 15, 2008
High Artistry
Countertenor David Daniels displays a glowing voice and ardent phrasing across a range of songs and arias.
Racing Bach
Organist Anthony Newman puts the pedal to the metal and leaves interpretive nuance in the dust.
December 18, 2007
Ferocious Lyricism
Violinist Axel Strauss, accompanied by Paul Hersh, delivers an evening of Brahmsian bliss.
Beethoven Plus Four
Pianist William Wellborn restyles his announced "all-Beethoven" program to embrace Scarlatti, Liszt, Mozart, and Chopin.
December 11, 2007
Sonatas to Touch the Heart
Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg joins pianist Anne-Marie McDermott to play with breathtaking artistry.
November 20, 2007
A Showcase of Borrowed Treasures
Flutist Emmanuel Pahud and pianist Eric Le Sage explore an exhilarating range of Romantic music.
October 30, 2007
Beguiling Debussy
Pianist Mark-André Hamelin inhabits the French composer's exquisite world of miniatures.
In Moroney’s Hands
Davitt Moroney demonstrates his mastery of Byrd with unremitting energy and an inspiring technique.
October 23, 2007
A Beautiful Mind
Violinist Hilary Hahn tosses off a range of daunting pieces with awe-inspiring ease and efficiency.
A Refined Precision
András Schiff visits Davies Hall in the second installment of his traversal of the entire collection of Beethoven sonatas.
October 2, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 18, 2007
Naturally Exceptional
Axel Strauss and Miles Graber's Crowden School recital demonstrates the Bay Area's many musical blessings.
May 22, 2007
“Can They Hear Me?”
Ukranian tenor Vladimir Kuzmenko gives a (powerful) U.S. recital debut.
May 8, 2007
Dedicated to a Russian Master
A recital by Steven Isserlis turns out much more than a timely tribute to Mistlav Rostropovich.
May 1, 2007
A Flair for Drama
British baritone Christopher Maltman is a vocal charmer.
The Art Song Meets Musical Theater
An afternoon of songs by Jake Heggie and Ricky Ian Gordon were in the able hands of a gifted medley of singers.
Lyrical Local Debut
Pianist Nicolai Demidenko breaks into the Bay Area with a soul-stirring recital.
April 24, 2007
Tracing Lineages, Charting Futures
In his Bay Area debut, pianist Mario Formenti bends time and reportoire in three recitals.
Modern Italian Sprezzatura
Is an unaccompanied performance of violin music poor programming? Violinist Graeme Jennings lets the audience to find out.
Free but Frazzled
The Great Performers Series at S.F. Symphony pairs Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Anne Marie McDermott in an awkward musical dance.
High Expectations
Soprano Melody Moore warms up to the glowing performance audiences are accustomed to.
April 17, 2007
A Singing Actress Takes the Stage
Laura Aikin charges through Richard Strauss and Ned Rorem at the Legion of Honor.
April 3, 2007
Glamour Goes Only So Far
Age and beauty? Maesha Bruggergosman has both, and a promising career ahead of her.
A Master of Intimate Works
A solo recital by Richard Goode at Davies Hall proves he's a master of yet another repertoire.
Singing Across the Channel
Basically British program is basically brilliant with Meroloni's Matthew O'Neill, Elza van den Heever, Eugene Brancoveanu, and pianist John Parr.
March 27, 2007
The Unbearable Lightness of Music
There's more than meets the eye and ears in Martin Fröst's showpiece-filled San Francisco Performances debut.
Review Archives by Year
Review Archives by Category
- CD (4)
- chamber music (45)
- chamber orchestra (12)
- choral music (39)
- contemporary music (38)
- dance (8)
- early music (30)
- festival (35)
- musical theater (2)
- opera (49)
- recital (62)
- symphony (65)
- world music (1)
- youth music (3)
For reviews older than March 27, 2007, please refer to the Archives.