Classical Music Reviews

Every week, our professional critics attend concerts throughout the Bay Area to let you know what went well...and occasionally what didn't. Let their insights enrich your musical experiences, and feel free to share your own views!

Opera REVIEW
West Edge Opera West Edge Opera's Wonderful <em>Bonjour M. Gauguin</em>
April 6, 2013
West Edge Opera
West Edge Opera's Wonderful Bonjour M. Gauguin
BY Jason Victor Serinus

Colorful exoticism and vivid stage values make West Edge Opera’s new opera about painter Paul Gauguin a marvel for all the senses.

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Chamber Music REVIEW
Old First Concerts Jewish Music & Poetry Project Premieres
April 5, 2013
Old First Concerts
Jewish Music & Poetry Project Premieres
BY Jason Victor Serinus

The six-year-old Jewish Music & Poetry Project performed an evening of music to Jewish women’s poetry or by Jewish composers in Old First Church.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
New Century Chamber Orchestra NCCO Scores With Punchy Program
April 3, 2013
New Century Chamber Orchestra
NCCO Scores With Punchy Program
BY Jeff Dunn

Pugilistic and heartrending compositions battle it out at NCCO’s recital. Between rounds, Anne Marie McDermott’s graceful pianism provides welcome Mozart-relief.

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Choral REVIEW
Stanford Live Voices That Transcend
April 3, 2013
Stanford Live
Voices That Transcend
BY Maggee VanSpeybroeck

A venerable British choir sings sublimely, but puzzles its audience at Stanford by program and presentation decisions.

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Chamber Music REVIEW
San Francisco Performances Schumann's Influence With Unity and Passion
March 29, 2013
San Francisco Performances
Schumann's Influence With Unity and Passion
BY David Bratman

The San Francisco Performances presentation of Jonathan Biss showcases Schumann and the strength of the Elias String Quartet.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
Berkeley Symphony Listening at the Berkeley Symphony &#151; Ideally
March 28, 2013
Berkeley Symphony
Listening at the Berkeley Symphony — Ideally
BY Jeff Dunn

A Berkeley Symphony program of “Idealists” Steven Stucky and Anton Bruckner offers different perspectives on nature.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
Cal Performances Australian Chamber Orchestra Pulsates Inspiration
March 23, 2013
Cal Performances
Australian Chamber Orchestra Pulsates Inspiration
BY Steven Winn

The Australian Chamber Orchestra, superb and often startling performs in what anything but an ordinary night of music-making.

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Choral REVIEW
Cal Performances Splendid Sonic Structures: Tallis Scholars
March 23, 2013
Cal Performances
Splendid Sonic Structures: Tallis Scholars
BY Niels Swinkels

Perhaps the world’s preeminent ensemble for Renaissance vocal music, the Tallis Scholars deliver eloquence to die for.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
Marin Baroque Seeking Balance: Marin Baroque
March 23, 2013
Marin Baroque
Seeking Balance: Marin Baroque
BY Thomas Busse

In performing Bach, Buxtehude, and Telemann, newcomer Marin Baroque faces uphill battles of insufficient vocal musicianship.

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Choral REVIEW
Chalice Consort Chalice Consort: Good Friday, Indeed
March 22, 2013
Chalice Consort
Chalice Consort: Good Friday, Indeed
BY Anna Carol Dudley

Chalice Consort performed Friday in San Francisco with its new Director, Ragnar Bohlin, in a program of Roman Catholic Tenebrae Responsories by composer Tomás Luis de Victoria.

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