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!

CD Review
March 27, 2020
Ted Hearne’s Place Sings About Housing Insecurity
BY Richard S. Ginell

A new CD offers a glimpse of the composer’s much-postponed multimedia collaboration with poet Saul Williams on issues of gentrification.

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CD Review
March 27, 2020
Soothing Music for Troubled Times
BY Victoria Looseleaf

A new disc from the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge offers restorative music by Arvo Pärt, Pēteris Vasks, and James MacMillan.

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CD Review
March 24, 2020
SF Symphony Illuminates Charles Ives
BY Michael Zwiebach

The orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas lends a helping hand to anyone who’s ever been perplexed by Ives’s symphonies.

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CD Review
March 24, 2020
Going to Church With Kurt Elling
BY Jeff Kaliss

The jazz singer’s lyrics on Secrets Are the Best Stories reveal his roots in divinity school.

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New Music Review
March 10, 2020
The Living Earth Show Revisits Echoes
BY Michael Zwiebach

The “spoken-word chamber opera” created with Kronos Quartet and Youth Speaks lays out a vision of San Francisco through poetry and personal narrative.

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Dance Review
March 10, 2020
Beyond the Shore, and Even More
BY Janice Berman

The Joffrey Ballet offers a sea of delights at Cal Performances.

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Recital Review
March 9, 2020
Chamber Music Silicon Valley Webcasts a Charming Cabaret Show
BY David Bratman

The online-only recital features spirited renditions of modern American songs.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 9, 2020
The Ageless Herbie Hancock Launches LA Phil’s Power to the People! Festival
BY Richard S. Ginell

Jazz takes center stage with the LA Phil and the octogenarian keyboard wizard.

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Chamber Music Review
March 7, 2020
West-Eastern Divan Ensemble Opens Lines of Communication at Bing
BY David Bratman

Violinist Michael Barenboim leads a spirited string octet dedicated to building unity through musical conversation.

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New Music Review
March 7, 2020
Dai Fujikura’s Understated Extravagances
BY Brin Solomon

The International Contemporary Ensemble beautifully animates the composer’s delicate, nature-inspired works.

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