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!

Recording Review
July 31, 2020
Carlisle Floyd Takes on Tangled Issues of Sex and Identity in Prince of Players
BY Jeff Kaliss

The Florentine Opera gives the nonagenarian composer’s latest a serious makeover on a new recording.

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Recording Review
July 27, 2020
Three Continents — A Concerto With a Twist
BY Ben Kutner

Jan Vogler records a single cello concerto written by three composers.

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Recording Review
July 24, 2020
Max Richter’s Voices Aspires to Musical Activism
BY Tysen Dauer

Combining lovely melody with excerpts from a classic human-rights proclamation yields comforting sounds, but the composer wants it to be more than that.

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Recording Review
July 21, 2020
George Crumb Resumes Composing Experimental Piano Preludes
BY Richard S. Ginell

A delightful new CD highlights recent keyboard works inspired by early modernist paintings.

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Recording Review
July 20, 2020
A Lad’s Love and More From Brian Giebler
BY Jason Victor Serinus

English songs of longing and loss find a perfect voice in the gifted tenor on this new disc.

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Chamber Music Review
July 14, 2020
Honk if You Love Mozart!
BY Jim Farber

San Diego’s Mainly Mozart brings live classical music back with a pair of free drive-in concerts.

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Recording Review
July 13, 2020
David Lang’s love fail Shines in a Fresh Recording
BY Steven Winn

The Lorelei Ensemble sings Lang’s updated setting of the Tristan and Isolde story with elegance and conviction.

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Recording Review
July 13, 2020
Let Yourself Think With Jacob Cooper’s Terrain
BY Tamzin Elliott

The composer melds voices, cello, and electronics in works based on texts from three poets.

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Streaming Review
July 13, 2020
Premieres of Early Shostakovich Solo Piano Works Stream Around the World
BY Richard S. Ginell

Three young Russian piano stars perform recently discovered pieces in a joint recital.

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New Music Review
July 7, 2020
Towards Unity and Justice: A Conversation Between Queer and Trans Artists
BY Tamzin Elliott

C4NM and Transgender Cultural District host a forum on finding equity in the arts for all.

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