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 Orchestra/Orchestra Review
December 10, 2019
Leila Josefowicz and the LA Phil Honor Oliver Knussen’s Legacy
BY Jim Farber

With Susanna Mälkki on the podium, the orchestra and soloist make the most of the late composer’s short, intricate works.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
December 10, 2019
Symphony Silicon Valley Revivifies Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto
BY David Bratman

Pianist Nareh Arghamanyan discovers deep music in a work once dismissed as “Soviet kitsch.”

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Dance Review
December 10, 2019
Matthew Bourne’s Edgy Swan Lake Is Stunning
BY Victoria Looseleaf

This radical retelling of the classic ballet takes birdwatching to delirious new heights.

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Recital Review
December 9, 2019
Radiant Sibling Duo Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason Assert Their Star-Power
BY Cristina Schreil

The cello-piano pair are equal partners in a concert slate that showcases the strengths of each artist.

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Jazz Review
December 9, 2019
Bill Frisell and Julian Lage Trade Licks at UCLA
BY Richard S. Ginell

Two of the hottest guitarists on the scene team up for a joyful, free-flowing exchange of six-string ideas.

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Opera Review
December 8, 2019
Adler Fellows Shine a Bright Light on Opera’s Future
BY Steven Winn

Ashley Dixon and Christian Pursell stand out on a stage bursting with talent.

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Recital Review
December 8, 2019
Elaborate Staging Enlivens Hanns Eisler’s Dark Hollywood Songbook at Bing
BY Tysen Dauer

Stark, modernist music for voice and piano explores bleak episodes in 20th-century history.

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Chamber Music Review
December 6, 2019
Dawn Upshaw and the Brentano Quartet Suspend Time at Herbst
BY Steven Winn

Soprano and quartet are transcendent in Schoenberg’s Quartet No. 2.

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Dance Review
December 3, 2019
Bay Area Artists Celebrate a Century of Flamenco
BY Andrew Gilbert

A packed evening at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater highlights old masters and young dancers alike.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
December 2, 2019
Road-Weary LA Phil Takes on Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky
BY Jim Farber

Soloist Seong-Jin Cho is a team player in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

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