Georgia Rowe

Like all great children’s books, The Little Prince has always had something to say to adults.

Like all great children’s books, The Little Prince has always had something to say to adults.

Musical links, not literary ones, generally form the basis of orchestral programs, but last week at Davies Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Symphony took a novel approach.

Kate Royal is on the move. The soprano, who comes to Cal Performances April 13 as part of her first U.S. recital tour, is getting a serious taste of life on the road. Our first attempt at a phone interview hits a glitch — due to a scheduling change.

Transfer of power is never easy, but the Berkeley Symphony has made the process one of the most interesting and edifying developments of this year’s music season. Soon after Kent Nagano declared his intention to step down as music director at the end of his 30th season in 2009, the organization announced that it would hold two years of on-podium auditions to determine his successor.

If Pauline Viardot hadn’t actually lived, some opera composer might have invented her. The life of the 19th-century French singer-composer is the stuff of drama, and nearly a century after her death, she remains one of the more intriguing figures of European musical history. If you’ve been to a vocal recital in the last few decades, chances are you’ve heard Viardot’s work as a composer.