Reviews

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Review

Pacing the Centuries

David Bratman - April 7, 2009

Many string quartet concerts are programmed as miniature histories of the medium. Few, though, can have had a chronological spread so wide as the St. Lawrence String Quartet’s Stanford Lively Arts concert at Dinkelspiel Auditorium on Sunday.

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Review

Approaching Perfection in Pergolesi and Handel

Jason Victor Serinus - April 6, 2009
There are moments when a musical performance is so carefully conceived or so sublimely delivered that all you can do is surrender to the beauty of it and express gratitude for being alive.
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Review

Ekta Eclectic

Jeff Dunn - April 6, 2009
Ekta means "unity" in several South Asian languages, or, as more spiritually defined in composer Brent Heisinger's album by that name, "oneness." "Eclecta," however, might have been a better title for the wide mixture of styles and influences reflected in Heisinger's music on this CD.
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Review

Into the Abyss, Via Violin

Jeff Dunn - April 6, 2009

"We're part of a bigger thing," declared British composer Thomas Adès in a surprise visit to the stage of Davies Symphony Hall on Friday night. His 2005 violin concerto Concentric Paths, painstakingly and passionately interpreted by soloist Leila Josefowicz and San Francisco Symphony Associate Conductor James Gaffigan, proved just that.

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Review

In Light of Reason

Joseph Sargent - April 6, 2009

An unmistakable allure surrounds concerts that bring long-neglected music into the new light of day. Aside from the sheer novelty of presenting repertory otherwise seldom available in concert or on recordings, these efforts can prove highly memorable for the listener, who comes away with a distinct feeling of having experienced something special.

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Review

Can You Can-Can?

Janos Gereben - April 3, 2009
Yes, they can: The Conservatory kids can, though somewhat cautiously, and certainly staying away from the climactic splits, while still conveying the buoyant spirit of the dissolute French, avec plaisir.
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Review

Sounds of Conviction

Jerry Kuderna - March 31, 2009
Formerly known as “A Bright New Trio,” pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo, and cellist Sharon Robinson have been together now for over three decades — and it shows, not only in their technical mastery as individual instrumentalists, but also in the subtle ways that great chamber ensembles mature.
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Review

Musical Marathon

Be'eri Moalem - March 30, 2009
What are music stands and electric guitars doing on the same stage? Purple lights along with sheet music? T-shirts and blue jeans plus violins and violas? A better question might be: Why should this still come as a surprise? For the Switchboard Music Festival continues to combine various distinct musical genres, amassing them into a day of performances.
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Review

Voices Lifted, in Stereo

Chelsea Nicole Spangler - March 30, 2009

The Tallis Scholars drew an audience large enough to pack the sanctuary of First Congregational Church in Berkeley on Saturday night, reinforcing their reputation as (in the words of a New York Times critic) "the rock stars of Renaissance choral music."

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Review

Eyes on the Prize

Georgia Rowe - March 30, 2009

Have you seen La favorita lately? If you live in the Bay Area, the answer is probably no. Even in the best of times, Donizetti's 1840 melodrama has never ranked among the composer's greatest hits, and these days, with opera companies forced to bank on box office certainties, new productions are woefully few and far between.