Reviews

Jeff Kaliss - November 22, 2010

A new CD from the Turtle Island Quartet featuring eight songs by the late rock legend Jimi Hendrix may have some applauding the cross-over effort. Others are likely to come away less than satisfied, if not outright irritated.

Georgia Rowe - November 22, 2010

It’s probably a good thing that Bryn Terfel stopped singing at the end of his recital Saturday night at Zellerbach Hall. Had he kept going, the audience would still be there, cheering for more.

Jason Victor Serinus - November 22, 2010

In an ambitious, godsend of a program from Michael Morgan’s Oakland East Bay Symphony, not even the great Santana and Narada Michael Walden could transcend the acoustics of the historic Paramount Theatre.

Georgia Rowe - November 19, 2010

It’s always a pleasure to watch a singer make her way from aspiring talent to full-fledged artist — and to witness her finding her comfort zone in a vast sea of repertoire. This week’s S.F. Symphony program, featuring soprano Elza van den Heever as soloist was a beguiling case in point.

Be'eri Moalem - November 17, 2010

The Del Sol Quartet performs an often mesmerizing always amplified program of new works that ends on an electrifying note.

Matthew Cmiel - November 15, 2010

The San Francisco Symphony last week tried to attract a younger audience, with a populist bent. While I applaud the idea, the success lay in increased ticket sales, not in delivery of a pleasing aesthetic experience.

Jason Victor Serinus - November 15, 2010

A very special recording from Jake Heggie features works that address love and loss with beauty and care, assembling one of the finest collections of American singers ever to grace a contemporary song collection.

Jason Victor Serinus - November 14, 2010

With a first-rate cast, world class conductor, and superb period instrument orchestra, the El Cerrito–based company reinvented as Berkeley West Edge Opera has taken another major step forward into the future with Xerxes.

Lisa Hirsch - November 13, 2010

The Makropulos Case, Janáček’s penultimate opera and the last production of the San Francisco Opera's fall season, is a roaring triumph in nearly all ways, starting with a stunning performance by Karita Mattila in her role debut as Marty.

Jason Victor Serinus - November 12, 2010

When a veteran soprano, lauded for her lyrico-spinto portrayals, takes over as Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at San Francisco Opera, hopes are high for a late-season triumph.