Jeff Dunn

A stellar return from Finnish guest conductor Susanna Mälkki, an admirable performance by Jeremy Denk, and a climactic 30 seconds of ecstasy in a seven-minute “aperitif” not heard here since the Loma Prieta earthquake.

A S.F. Symphony concert led by guest conductor Stéphane Denève and featuring force of nature violinist Isabelle Faust highlights music memorialized in ceremonies.

Various issues mar an otherwise good program, lineup, and orchestral performance at the Berkeley Symphony.

Music and film combine in a concert presented by Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, challenging the eyes and ears to find harmony between the two.

Music derived from burning lands, sounds of sea and bird, and sax riffs make for an evocative program at the Cabrillo Festival.

Composers featured at the Cabrillo festival seemed to know what joy was, and splendidly communicated it to a riotously appreciative audience.

A semi-staged production of Peter Grimes by the S.F. Symphony is the perfect way to honor Britten seven months after the centennial of his birth.

The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts) is a hit, with a libretto by Jeremy Denk, Steven Stucky’s savvy pastiches, conducting by Rovert Spano, deft orchestrations for an ensemble of 40 musicians, and singing by eight superb professionals.

Suite Thinking, no boredom, and both melodic and harmonic priority go into Guerrilla Guild’s new-music program.

From moments of tender lyricism to thrilling virtuoso expostulations, the Christian Tetzlaff-Tilson-Thomas axis held San Francisco Symphony patrons in thrall.