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!

Chamber Music Review
March 26, 2019
The Arditti Quartet Champions the Maximalist Microtonality of Ivan Wyschnegradsky
BY Rebecca Wishnia

The acclaimed ensemble is transcendent in the composer’s rarely heard quartets.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 26, 2019
James Newton Howard’s Cello Concerto Showcases LACO’s Hollywood Connection
BY Jim Farber

Mozart sets the stage, with Jeffrey Kahane returning to the podium — and the piano.

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Opera Review
March 25, 2019
Portland Opera’s Trans-Affirming As One Triumphs
BY Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Laura Kaminsky’s opera tells a big story with just two voices and bare-bones staging.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 22, 2019
Christian Tetzlaff Headlines, and S.F. Symphony Oboist James Button Shares the Limelight
BY Jessica Balik

The violin virtuoso is masterful in Mozart’s third concerto, but Button sparkles throughout the concert.

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Modern Classical Review
March 19, 2019
Hot Air Festival Lofts Dozens of New Music Performances
BY Michael Zwiebach

From new student pieces to a Gérard Grisey masterpiece, it was an afternoon of possibilities.

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Choral Review
March 19, 2019
L.A. Master Chorale Offers Two Requiems of Solace and Doubt
BY Richard S. Ginell

Jenny Wong conducts works that grapple with the aftermath of death in different ways.

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Recital Review
March 19, 2019
Guitarist Kyuhee Park Impresses in Her San Francisco Debut
BY Scott Cmiel

The Korean virtuoso’s musicality is on display in Latin-American masterworks.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 19, 2019
American Classics Sparkle Under Kahane’s Baton
BY Steve Osborn

The former Santa Rosa Symphony music director returns with a lineup of Gershwin, Barber, and Copland.

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Jazz Review
March 19, 2019
(M)iyamoto Is Black Enough Sizzles With Percussive Energy
BY Tamzin Elliott

The poetry-percussion-cello ensemble celebrates black cultures in its eponymous program at The Wallis.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 19, 2019
Sibelius Is the Star in Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Concert With the Philharmonia Orchestra
BY Rebecca Wishnia

Cellist Truls Mørk deftly handles Salonen’s thorny concerto.

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