Reviews

An Ayre of Magic

Anna Carol Dudley - March 4, 2008
Dawn Upshaw flew in with eighth blackbird to sing a concert Saturday night in Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. The eighth blackbird sextet and six equally remarkable players formed the Orquesta Los Pelegrinos, which joined Upshaw in a stunning performance of Osvaldo Golijov's Ayre. The 11 songs comprising Ayre (air/song) form a rich stew of languages and musical styles.
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Review

An Oratorio Lit From Within

Edward Ortiz - March 4, 2008
There is something both intimate and grand about Edward Elgar’s not-oft-performed oratorio The Dream of Gerontius. Perhaps, it’s the challenge of reconciling those dissimilarities that makes this work, written in 1899-1900, a rarity.
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Review

Restorative Pianism

Jerry Kuderna - March 4, 2008

Yundi Li presented a recital of tried and true audience favorites at Herbst Theatre on Sunday, under the auspices of San Francisco Performances. Some of them he has played here before. I went to the theater hoping to gain some insight into the artistic imagination of this acclaimed young artist. I left dazzled, puzzled, and wishing for more substance along with the pyrotechnics that these days seem to be the measure of all things pianistic.

Aiming for the Stars

Jason Victor Serinus - March 4, 2008
In programming an American Bach Choir concert with the ambitious title "Vocal Visionaries," conductor Jeffrey Thomas set his sights high. Not only did he choose choral music that, in his opinion, displays the transcendent, visionary gifts of its composers, but he also strove to transport his audience with radiant vocalism.
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Review

Sweet Reveries on a Sunny Day

Rebekah Ahrendt - March 4, 2008
What a perfect day. On Saturday I had the pleasure of listening to the Miró Quartet at the Florence Gould Theater of San Francisco's Legion of Honor. All my regrets about missing part of a beautifully sunny afternoon were dispelled by the performance of this first-rate ensemble.

Earth, Wind, and Fire

Thomas Busse - March 4, 2008
Monday night’s concert at the odd sanctuary of San Francisco’s St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church by the chorus Volti, under the direction of Bob Geary, offered an intriguing evening of new choral works. The first half of the concert was largely given over to a performance from conductor Geary’s Piedmont Children's Choirs.
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Review

Controlled Flights of Vocal Fancy

Jonathan Rhodes Lee - March 4, 2008

Mention the California Bach Society, and you might get a similar reaction to the one I received when mentioning its latest concert to a colleague: “Ah, yes — you’ll enjoy their program. They're a good amateur group." My friend clearly meant her description as a compliment, but the word amateur carries such invective in our modern parlance that it seems misplaced for this group.

All Mozart, All Marvelous

Heuwell Tircuit - February 26, 2008
Performing Mozart is easy, but also terribly difficult because the transparency of his compositions offers nowhere to hide. It’s like being naked on stage. A nigh-flawless performance is a rare occurrence, but when all the elements are in place, as they were Friday night for the San Francisco Symphony's all-Mozart concert under conductor Herbert Blomstedt, the results are awe-inspiring.
Review

Dazzling but Aloof

Michelle Dulak Thomson - February 26, 2008
Even Cal Performances' starrier guests don't routinely sell out Zellerbach Hall. But more than two decades into his high-profile career, Joshua Bell's name still deservedly wields an uncommon pull, and it was to a capacity audience that he and pianist Jeremy Denk played on Sunday afternoon.

Can-Do Candidate

Jeff Dunn - February 26, 2008
The guest conductors’ parade began last Thursday.