Highly regarded singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane came to Lara Downes’ The Artist Sessions at Yoshi’s, bringing hip, sardonic humor and introspective lyrics with him.
With Dolores Claiborne the S.F. Opera overcame seemingly impossible odds, beautifully marrying music with a difficult drama; and in the title role, Patrica Racette triumphing over an unimaginable challenge.
The first volume of chamber pieces for strings from Saariaho offers a fine, if occasionally jarring, survey of nearly a quarter century of the composer's work.
The San Francisco Dance Film Festival offered fine examples of live performance on film and video, in a showcase in which the shorts intrigued the most.
The San Francisco Symphony's subscription series opening the 2013-2014 season is well balanced: something new and interesting, something old and well-worn, something rare and tremulous.