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!

Opera Review
May 28, 2019
Musical Magic, Flawed Production in West Bay Opera’s Falstaff
BY Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Verdi’s last opera is uneven in the venerable company’s new production.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
May 27, 2019
Violinist Vilde Frang Wrings Elgar’s Concerto Dry With S.F. Symphony
BY Steven Winn

Guest conductor Krzysztof Urbański makes the most of Grażyna Bacewicz’s 1943 Overture.

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Recital Review
May 27, 2019
Pianist Francesco Piemontesi’s Exquisite Control Builds a Cathedral of Sound
BY Ken Iisaka

The virtuoso evoked vintage keyboards of all sorts without changing instruments.

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Opera Review
May 21, 2019
Young Singers are the Stars of Ojai Youth Opera’s Nightingale & The Tower
BY Jim Farber

The world premiere suffers from an overabundance of themes, creative voices, and rain.

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Jazz Review
May 21, 2019
Lila Downs Is All Showbiz at SFJAZZ
BY Jeff Kaliss

The singer deployed her vocal gifts in a set drawn from her latest album.

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Modern Classical Review
May 21, 2019
Holly Herndon’s PROTO at the Teragram Ballroom
BY Tamzin Elliott

Shape-note singing, the sounds of an artificial-intelligence “baby,” and bone-rattling bass shake the rafters.

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Recital Review
May 21, 2019
The Piano Gets Political at Old First Concerts
BY David Bratman

Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers offer a recital of works themed around social justice, some subtle, some not so subtle.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
May 20, 2019
S.F. Symphony’s Youth Orchestra Is Ready for the World Stage
BY Janos Gereben

SFSYO’s Young Mahlerites are taking the music to the Old World — again.

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Choral Review
May 20, 2019
L.A. Master Chorale Stages Lagrime di San Pietro With Piercing Expressivity
BY Nicholas Jones

Peter Sellars’s masterful, minimalist direction provides the perfect setting for LAMC’s powerful performance.

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Modern Classical Review
May 20, 2019
Three Titans of New Music Make Sparks Fly at the Chapel
BY Giacomo Fiore

Terry Riley, Laurie Anderson, and John Zorn improvise their way to new musical horizons.

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