Features

Music News: December 15, 2009

Janos Gereben - December 15, 2009

Debussy by Chance

After a "Wozzeck event" at the S.F.

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News From SFCV

SFCV Staff - December 14, 2009
A few weeks ago, we mailed out our annual donor solicitation letter to those of you on our mailing list. Many of you have already responded generously — and for this, we thank you! Your gift will be acknowledged within the coming week(s).

Music News: December 8, 2009

Janos Gereben - December 8, 2009

$14 Million Bailout From L.A.

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Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

Lisa Petrie - December 8, 2009
Music plays a huge role for Christians celebrating Christmas, both in the church liturgy and in the more secular practices of the season. The experience for Jews during Hanukkah is slightly different. Because Hanukkah is not a high holy day, its musical magic lies in the songs sung in homes, along with the resulting traditions and communities created.

Music News: December 1, 2009

Janos Gereben - December 1, 2009

Those First Steps to Classical Music

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A Gift of Song For the Holidays

Jason Victor Serinus - November 30, 2009
Given the large number of fine recordings released in the past year, a first-time visitor to Planet Earth would hardly suspect that the record industry is in the doldrums. Nor will the music lovers on your holiday gift list think anything is amiss, if you present them with one or more of the sonic goodies in the guide that follows.
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West to East: The Migration of American New Music

Brett Campbell - November 24, 2009

New York, New York, a hell of a town: arts capital of the world and epicenter of American postclassical music since at least the days of George Gershwin. Think of the composers who lived and worked there from the 1940s on — Cage, Cowell, Thomson, Copland, Bernstein, Rorem, all the way down to younger generations like Bang on a Can, Nico Muhly, and the New Amsterdam composers. It’s almost easier to compile a list of major composers who aren’t from the Big Apple.

Music News: November 24, 2009

Janos Gereben - November 24, 2009

Weekend Riches From the Berlin Philharmonic

Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic were happily ensconced in and around Davies Symphony Hall Thursday through Saturday, showering the city with four grand events in just three days.
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Seeing Passion in Everyday Life

Georgia Rowe - November 24, 2009
For nearly 300 years, Bach’s Passions — oratorios retelling the story of Christ on the cross — have set the standard for musical depictions of suffering and redemption. Yet when David Lang set out to create a new work along similar lines, his first impulse was to leave Christian iconography behind.

Music News: November 17, 2009

Janos Gereben - November 17, 2009

(Contractual) Longevity of Conductors

Upon hearing news of Simon Rattle's contract as principal conductor being extended by the self-governing Berlin Philharmonic through 2018, I put together a quick — and obviously incomplete — survey of music directors' tenure.