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!
Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
March 16, 2013
Santa Rosa Symphony offers awesomeness (Penderecki), painful nostalgia (Elgar), and The Encyclopedia of Affect (Tchaikovsky).
More about Santa Rosa Symphony »Recital REVIEW
March 16, 2013
Not content with a spectacular performance of a contemporary masterwork, and other meaty fare, Marcin Dylla did actual magic tricks during his encore.
More about Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts »Chamber Music REVIEW
March 16, 2013
A celebration of Steve Reich’s minimalist and sensual brilliance wows listeners both old and new at Bing Hall.
More about Stanford Live »Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra REVIEW
March 15, 2013
Musical fireworks from Italy light up the sky in Philharmonia Baroque’s latest outing, with four brilliant soloists.
More about Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra »Dance REVIEW
March 15, 2013
In a last dance of sorts, eight dancers perform works by Trisha Brown; offering a demonstration of beauty so shocking, underlining how difficult it is to absorb that its creator is never going to make another dance.
More about Cal Performances »Recital REVIEW
March 11, 2013
Sound-and-light star in an unusual cello program in the enormous cavern that is Grace Cathedral.
More about Grace Cathedral Concerts »Opera REVIEW
March 10, 2013
A splendid performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel emphasizes composer John Adams’ achievement in The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
More »Chamber Music REVIEW
March 10, 2013
In a wildly entertaining, beautifully played program, the virtuosic early-music group Cançonièr brings to life one of the medieval period’s stranger social phenomena.
More about San Francisco Early Music Society »Festival REVIEW
March 9, 2013
The commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising proves an illuminating context for works reflecting a human response to war and the Holocaust.
More about Jewish Music Festival »Recital REVIEW
March 9, 2013
A recital by Nathan Gunn, which figured to be a choice evening, fell considerably short of expectations, mired in a murky middle ground.
More about Cal Performances »
SFCV Previews
- Wed June 5, 2013 (All day)
Recent CD Reviews
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Gardiner: Bach Cantatas
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John Wilson Orchestra: Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies
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Gordon Getty: Piano Pieces
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L’Arpeggiata Mediterraneo
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Emanuel Ax: Variations