Steven Winnis a San Francisco-based writer and critic and frequent interviewer for City Arts & Lectures. His work has appeared in Gramophone, Musical America, Opera, Symphony, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In a joint presentation of a program seas apart, the New Century Chamber Orchestra and Chanticleer set out to explore the rich musical era between the two world wars.
The 5-year-old Hot Air Music Festival’s burgeoning abundance was evident in all the music on tap; old and young alike experiencing the unrivaled charge of new music heard live.
The American Bach Soloists, conducted with excellence by Jeffrey Thomas program works that demonstrate Bach's mastery of "parody" — making things old new again.
At the S.F. Symphony program staples are elevated — especially a concussive, ravishing, startling and altogether convincing Rachmaninov Rhapsody when performed by Daniil Trifonov.
Again showing its unity of purpose and overall grace, the American Bach Soloists perform a concert of rejoice and celebration, while praising seven of its longtime members.
In the first of two Cal Performances recitals, pianist Emmanuel Ax, with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, gave a wide-ranging account of Brahms’ lieder, accompanied by two world premiere works.
The Gold Rush, whose score Charlie Chaplin composed and recorded, was one of the drawing cards of the S.F. Film Festival, with music played by the S.F. Chamber Orchestra.
The S.F. Conservatory of Music’s New Music Ensemble served up a tantalizing program of nibbles from Kirke Mechem’s 1980 opera Tartuffe, with enough music and artistry to convey a tantalizing sense of the whole.
It was altogether fitting that the San Francisco Symphony had all those climate conditions to simulate in Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony this week.
