symphony Reviews
May 13, 2008
Hard Nut? Consider It Cracked
Leif Ove Andsnes dazzles in Brahms' Second Piano Concerto, abetted by the San Francisco Symphony.
May 6, 2008
Near-Reckless Brilliance
Violinist Vadim Gluzman saves the day at the San Francisco Symphony, on an all-Russian program.
The Strings Have It
Playing with its usual brilliance, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London courts being lackluster in its interpretations.
Dulled Impact
Despite electronics, full orchestra, and two choruses, one glorious baritone dwarfs the rest.
April 29, 2008
Dynamically Constrained
With Bernard Labadie at the helm, the San Francisco Symphony serves up an all-Haydn program with a martial air.
Music to Evoke Hope
The Sacramento Philharmonic presents a concert of unity, with performers from the Middle East and Africa.
April 15, 2008
Sonic Tattoos
Christopher O’Riley solos in an impressive Bartók Third Piano Concerto, and the Santa Rosa Symphony shines.
Of Doleful Countenance
Charles Dutoit leads the San Francisco Symphony in two works inspired by Don Quixote.
April 8, 2008
Balletic Fluidity and Expression
Laura Jackson shows grace and intelligence in her Berkeley Symphony conducting debut.
The Many Moods of Mahler
The all-volunteer Redwood Symphony powers up for Mahler's massive Third Symphony.
April 1, 2008
Youth vs. Experience
Pianist Yuja Wang joins the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in two concerts that are at times thrilling and disappointing.
Uneven Temperaments
Conductor Alan Gilbert turns in a lackluster performance with the San Francisco Symphony.
More of These Tones, Friends
Symphony Silicon Valley delivers a solid performance of Beethoven’s Ninth.
March 25, 2008
Unexaggerated Brilliance
Gustavo Dudamel exceeds the expectations of a starry-eyed S.F. Symphony audience.
March 18, 2008
First Impressions of Figueroa
The second conductor-candidate makes his appearance with the Berkeley Symphony.
Persia With Oomph
Oakland East Bay Symphony's program combines Iranian music with Strauss and Rachmaninov.
March 11, 2008
As We Really Like It
Gil Shaham displays magnificent style in William Schuman's Violin Concerto, with the San Francisco Symphony.
March 4, 2008
Striking Contrasts
Michael Tilson Thomas leads the San Francisco Symphony through two works of his own, as well as two profoundly different symphonies by Sibelius and Shostakovich.
February 26, 2008
All Mozart, All Marvelous
Herbert Blomstedt leads the San Francisco Symphony in three masterpieces in different forms, with Jonathan Biss a superb addition on the piano.
Can-Do Candidate
Hugh Wolff takes charge of the Berkeley Symphony as the first of six candidates auditioning for the music director position.
February 19, 2008
Completing the Incomplete
The Russian National Orchestra performs a new version that finishes Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony.
February 12, 2008
Triple Threat
The San Francisco Symphony tackles Ligeti, Bartók, and Shostakovich under visiting conductor Ingo Metzmacher.
February 5, 2008
Graced by a Lotus
Momo Kodama joins the Berkeley Symphony in Toshio Hosokawa’s piano concerto, with Kent Nagano at the helm.
Warhorses at a Trot
Vladimir Ashkenazy and the San Francisco Symphony plod through compositions of place.
January 29, 2008
Highs From the Low Country
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra makes waves with two stormy French symphonies.
Not Enough of a Good Thing
The Santa Rosa Symphony plays standards, along with a tantalizing homage to Debussy by George Tsontakis.
Memory Lapse
Myung-Whun Chung conducts the San Francisco Symphony in Messiaen and Mahler without a score, but still fails to connect with the players.
January 22, 2008
The Ill-Tempered Harpsichord
The San Francisco Symphony performs Bach, a jaw-dropping Schubert symphony, and a clangorous Xenakis keyboard work.
Opposite Attractions
The Marin Symphony and Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman excel in a program of Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
January 15, 2008
Halves and Have-Nots
Barber's Andromache's Farewell and Beethoven's Fourth rescue the San Francisco Symphony's concert with Deborah Voigt.
December 11, 2007
Brilliant, Blazing Berlioz
The camera rolls for the San Francisco Symphony's daring Berlioz program.
December 4, 2007
November 27, 2007
Mr. Personality
Leonard Slatkin and the San Francisco Symphony give a near-flawless performance to make Elgar proud.
The Russians Are Stunning
Over two nights of moving performances, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic combines European delights with stirring music from its homeland.
November 20, 2007
Ives Steals the Show
The American composer is the star of San Francisco Symphony's recent Mendelssohn-marketed concert.
November 13, 2007
The View From Brazil
Guest conductor Roberto Minczuk leads the San Francisco Symphony in a spirited grab-bag program.
Sweet Joy of Youth
The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra aims high with challenging 20th-century repertoire.
November 6, 2007
Capturing the Flag
Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel wildly exceed their reputations.
Letter From Los Angeles
Esa-Pekka Salonen and the L.A. Philharmonic investigate the music of Sibelius, one of the 20th century’s most singular symphonists.
A Conductor With Dramatic Flair
James Gaffigan's direction of the San Francisco Symphony shows that he's got the head and heart for opera.
October 30, 2007
A New Face Scales the Alps
Philippe Jordan and the San Francisco Symphony climb Strauss' monumental "Alpine" Symphony.
October 23, 2007
The Lesser Side of Greatness
The San Francisco Symphony and Chorus under Kurt Masur are splendid, but the music is uninspired.
October 16, 2007
Savoring Saint-Saëns
Pianist Ingrid Fliter and organist Jonathan Dimmock join the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Roberto Abbado.
Smiling Through Wayfaring Planets
Santa Rosa Symphony displays absolute control under conductor Bruno Ferrandis.
October 2, 2007
Mixed Mahler
The San Francisco Symphony, along with soloists Thomas Hampson and Stuart Skelton, produces an uneven Das Lied von der Erde.
Variations on This Land
Symphony Silicon Valley imaginatively works out infinite variations on a Woody Guthrie classic.
September 25, 2007
Mother Russia Visits Vallejo
The Vallejo Symphony celebrates 25 seasons under Maestro David Ramadanoff.
September 4, 2007
June 12, 2007
Multilayered Mahler
S.F. Symphony brings electricity and authority to Mahler's Seventh.
Intrepid Community Orchestra
The ambitious all-volunteer Redwood Symphony courageously tackles 20th-century repertoire.
May 29, 2007
The Philadelphia Sound: Still Superb
Rumors notwithstanding, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach are in perfect rapport on stage.
May 22, 2007
An American Masterwork
Oakland East Bay Symphony's American Masterwork Series starts off on a high note with Porgy and Bess.
May 15, 2007
Bigger Is Not Bolder
S.F. Symphony heads off on tour with Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra.
Nagano Rings Down the Curtain
Rousing Berkeley Symphony season ender marks the beginning of the end of Kent Nagano's full-time tenure as music director.
May 1, 2007
A Symphonic Epiphany
Charles Dutoit and an expanded chorus breathe fresh life into The Damnation of Faust.
The Essence of Strauss
At the Marin Symphony season ender, soprano Rebecca Strauss and orchestra sparkle in Strauss.
Revolution in Santa Rosa
George Thomson, Robert Winters, and the Santa Rosa Symphony put on a performance that blends education and music.
April 24, 2007
Musicians Loose in the Asylum
Mind games and mania at the Berkeley Symphony: Singers Marnie Breckenridge, Nikki Einfeld, and Paul Flight smile anyway.
Balancing Act
At the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Axel Strauss and Andrew Norman shine (just the right amount) in Michael Morgan's interpretation of slippery compositions.
April 17, 2007
Brave Program Given the Hard Sell
Take some daring programming by MTT, add in the S.F. Symphony Chorus and the world's leading clarinetist, Richard Stoltzman ... and turn on the mike?
April 10, 2007
Stravinsky Played to the Rafters
MTT's Stravinsky-Plus-One minifestival begins.
April 3, 2007
Welcome Guests
Look who's coming to dinner: Osmo Vänskä visits Davies Hall, brings along Emmanuel Ax, and serves up Sibelius to savor.
March 27, 2007
Beautifully Unsatisfying
At the Oakland East Bay Symphony, determined concertmaster Dawn Harms and Todd Palmer (weilding five clarinets) aren't enough to fill in the blanks.
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