Reviews

The Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä returns to the S.F. Symphony with violinist Hilary Hahn, and the results with the orchestra are, once again, exemplary.

Famed male vocal ensemble Chanticleer remains in top form under an interim music director, if not recorded in its full splendor on this new CD.

L.A. Philharmonic’s triumphant, in-your-face Don Giovanni blazes with excitement and intimacy, leaving our critic dazzled, even by architect Frank Gehry’s design elements.

The Oakland East Bay Symphony certainly can play, but can it swing? Its season-ending program, of new works and tried-and-true ones, was a mixed bag.

Beethoven gets a full-dress treatment, on Robert Levin’s fortepiano and Steven Isserlis’ gut-strings cello, in a pair of recitals.

Handel’s little-known opera Atalanta receives a delightful outing in Philharmonia Baroque’s new release, sung by a stellar cast — in perhaps the sole recording in print.

The N.Y. Philharmonic arrived bearing gifts over the weekend as part of the S.F. Symphony’s American Orchestra Series, and the rewards were manifold.

New Century Chamber Orchestra premieres a concerto reflective of commedia dell’arte, with some of its japes and jabs turned into lively sound.

A robust celebration of San Francisco's early musical days is, to use an old phrase, a hoot and a half.

Youthful pianist Orion Weiss plays the racing stripes off Gershwin classic vehicles, with the Buffalo Philharmonic along for the ride.