Reviews

A Finnish paean to nature and the Earth itself is sung for the first time on the West Coast.

The Palace of the Legion of Honor does almost everything possible to sabotage a duo performing medieval love songs.

A guest conductor from Italy elicits a new level of poise and discipline from a much-loved Baroque ensemble.

Thursday's German Requiem offered yet another grand performance from the S.F. Symphony, an unforgettable one by Ragnar Bohlin's brilliant SFS Chorus, and yet something refreshingly different from other approaches. 

A classical guitarist circles the globe in his program, which he played with complete mastery and ravishing color.

Pianist Alexander Melnikov enchants listeners with his playing of the entire set of Shostakovich Preludes and Fugures.

A performer and scholar plays and talks about J.S. Bach’s French Suites, performing them on a triplet of harpsichords variously tuned. The result: hearing them better than ever.

The free Festival of New American Music, in Sacramento, presents a variety of welcome works that bode well for the future.

In its 20th season, Magnificat brings an ancient biblical oratorio to life in a manner the composer would have recognized.

The Santa Rosa Symphony performs David Carlson’s new song cycle, whose text was impassioned but mostly unintelligible.