Comfortable on the podium, commanding yet avuncular, Semyon Bychkov led substantial performances of two Richard Strauss works and Robert Schumann’s Second symphony Wednesday night at Davies Symphony Hall.
Jon Mendle has already made a name for himself in guitarist circles. His first solo recording makes an exhilarating sweep through the music of J.S. Bach’s friends and sons.
Merce Cunningham requested that his dance company disband after his death. On their final appearance at Stanford Lively Arts, the troupe performs his last work beautifully.
The ravishing Beijing-born classical guitarist plays the Spanish classics, tosses off some Bach and Chopin, and swings with works by Brazilian composers.
With Xerxes the S.F. Opera could not have assembled a finer cast, nor chosen a more consistently delightful production for one of Handel’s masterpieces.
