Reviews

The Song Remains the Same

Michelle Dulak Thomson - October 21, 2008
Some "regional orchestras" settle down to the comfort levels of their audiences and their all too often exhausted players. During Jeffrey Kahane's tenure as music director, the Santa Rosa Symphony distinguished itself repeatedly as the one stop on the "Freeway Philharmonic" circuit where players and audience alike were encouraged, or rather commanded, to stretch their ears.
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Review

Triumph in Sonata Form

Jerry Kuderna - October 21, 2008

András Schiff continued his traversal of the 32 Beethoven sonatas Sunday with a program that included two of the high points of the composer's middle period. At one end was the Sonata Op. 57, the "Appassionata" (1805), the work that surely marks the peak of the "heroic" Beethoven's piano output. At the other end was the less heroic and more vulnerable work, Sonata Op. 81a ("Les Adieux"), dating from 1810.

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Review

Vocally Compelling

Kathryn Miller - October 21, 2008
Mozart’s Idomeneo tells a tale of love, sacrifice, shipwreck, and war. Add to that a gorgeous score, stunning costumes, and good singing, and you should have all of the ingredients of a successful opera. The opening night of San Francisco Opera’s production, on Wednesday, however, was less than satisfying.

Power of Synergy

Jessica Balik - October 21, 2008
The performance I attended Saturday night began with a single performer, dressed in a white tunic, dancing on the stage while waving a flag. Immediately I grew nervous. I knew the performance was supposed to convey spiritual ascension, or even transcendence.
Review

Subtly Superb

David Bratman - October 21, 2008

Economic crisis. Unedifying political campaigns. Fires, droughts, and earthquakes. What better to do with your anxieties on the night of the third presidential debate than spend the evening with Dmitri Shostakovich, whose problems were greater than yours? Wednesday's encounter with Shostakovich at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, under the auspices of Stanford Lively Arts, was hosted by the talented musicians of the Emerson String Quartet.

Family Ties

Kaneez Munjee - October 21, 2008
The San Francisco Bach Choir began its 73rd season last weekend with a concert titled “Before Bach: A Family Portrait,” paying homage to Johann Sebastian’s musical predecessors. As the program notes explained, Sebastian himself was interested in his genealogy, and in 1735 drew up a family tree dating back to the 1500s, which is the most reliable document we have today on the entire Bach family.

Soldiering On

Jules Langert - October 21, 2008
This year, Composers Inc. marks its 25th anniversary as an active, vital musical presence in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the years, its loyal, supportive audiences have been grateful for the broadly eclectic programming and consistently high level of performances they have heard. Although a listener might not always agree with their choice of music, Composers Inc.

New Views of Bach

Joseph Sargent - October 21, 2008
If you're one of those Bach devotees who can quote Brandenburg Concerto themes or name all the movements of an orchestral suite, Philharmonia Baroque's new twist on several orchestral classics might be just up your alley.
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Review

Playing Politics

Jonathan Wilkes - October 21, 2008
Since I'm reviewing a concert with an overt (and laudable) political theme — BluePrint's Saturday evening concert at the San Francisco Conservatory, titled "The Urgency of Now ..." — I think it appropriate to ask a decidedly political but often ignored question: Why make a distinction between students and professionals in a concert program? For example, the most memorable moments of Andrew Imbrie'
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Review

Something For Everybody

Jaime Robles - October 21, 2008
Sunday's gray skies and icy wind marked the planet's tilt toward winter but, inside San Francisco's Temple Emanu-El, the Bay Area's first "Chamber Music Day—Live + Free" created an oasis of warmth as 16 local chamber groups performed for those who were brave — and wise — enough to venture out in the cold. The day was bountiful in sound, and the audience was treated to a diverse and expansive serie