A Great Performers evening, featuring soprano Renée Fleming and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, was a glamorous musical journey through France’s belle époque, and a spectacular vocal night to remember.
Stanford University’s new Bing Concert Hall received its first public outing with a gala opening night celebration on Friday, the first program on a crowded Stanford Live winter/spring schedule.
Debussy’s 150th birthday, celebrated fittingly by the S.F. Symphony with two great orchestral works, was lent a special luster with performances by Renée Fleming.
The San José Chamber Orchestra tribute to Lou Harrison and his and all his colleagues brought richness and depth, also evinced in the dedication that Turner and her musicians brought to the music.
The American Bach Soloists presented the Messiah to great effect; the music took advantage of the striking atmospheric advantages in San Francisco’s grandest sacred space, and met the challenge of connecting — personally — to the listener in such a large, reverberant canyon.