Classical Music Reviews

Every week, our professional critics attend concerts throughout the Bay Area to let you know what went well...and occasionally what didn't. Let their insights enrich your musical experiences, and feel free to share your own views!

Jazz Review
February 16, 2019
A Sense of Wonder With Art Lande and Friends
BY Andrew Gilbert

The influential jazz pianist inspires with his adventurous, playful spirit at the California Jazz Conservatory.

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Dance Review
February 15, 2019
From Neoclassical Pomp to Hip-Hop in Funky Sneakers, S.F. Ballet’s “Kaleidoscope” Runs the Gamut
BY Janice Berman

The Bay Area premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s Appassionata is a bouquet for lovers.

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Recital Review
February 12, 2019
Vyacheslav Gryaznov Wrestles Rachmaninoff
BY Ken Iisaka

Even in his smaller-scale piano works, the composer looms large.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
February 12, 2019
Cut Circle and Love in the 15th Century
BY Niels Swinkels

The eight vocalists of Cut Circle team up with the San Francisco Early Music Society for an afternoon of Franco-Flemish music.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 12, 2019
Santa Rosa Symphony Delivers a Frayed Valentine
BY Charles Shere

Sara Davis Buechner stands out in Clara Wieck Schumann’s piano concerto.

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Recital Review
February 12, 2019
Marino Formenti Takes Liberties to Find Freedom
BY Tamzin Elliott

The pianist pushes the boundaries of performance norms in a concert dedicated to his own death.

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Jazz Review
February 12, 2019
Leyla McCalla: Cool Under Pressure
BY Andrew Gilbert

The singer and versatile multi-instrumentalist leads her crackerjack band through timeless selections from her pan-Caribbean songbook.

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Opera Review
February 12, 2019
Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion Is an Opera in Waiting
BY Jim Farber

The composer’s newest synthesis of East and West needs a visual component and some cutting.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 12, 2019
Redwood Symphony Celebrates Stravinsky in Style
BY David Bratman

Dr. K and company shine light on the recently rediscovered Funeral Song.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 11, 2019
A World Premiere and Gil Shaham at the S.F. Symphony
BY Rebecca Wishnia

The violinist gracefully masters Prokofiev’s challenging Violin Concerto No. 1.

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