Orchestra

Bring On That Gospel Joy

Jeff Kaliss - December 6, 2010

Terrance Kelly and his Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir showcase their infectious spirit at the Oakland East Bay Symphony's holiday celebration, “Let Us Break Bread Together.”

Artist Spotlight

Yefim Bronfman: The “Complete Pianist”

Lisa Petrie - November 23, 2010

SFCV catches up with pianist Yefim Bronfman, loved by audiences as one of the more virtuosic and commanding soloists on the concert hall stage. Emanuel Ax calls him a “complete pianist,” and Esa-Pekka Salonen says, he “can play better than most other people on the planet.”

Review

Amazed by a Quiet Parade of Americana

Georgia Rowe - September 24, 2010

The advance ads might have convinced you that the main event on this week’s San Francisco Symphony program was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. To be sure, Michael Tilson Thomas and the orchestra performed the work as planned, conferring considerable eloquence and brio on Tchaikovsky’s monumental masterpiece. But the program’s greatest rewards came in a trio of American works by Aaron Copland and Lou Harrison. It may be some time before audiences hear any of these works played in the Bay Area again — or hear them played this well.

Review

Brahms, in Style

Michelle Dulak Thomson - February 16, 2010

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra hasn't been just a Baroque orchestra for a very long time; Haydn, Mozart, and the early Romantics are bread and butter to its seasons now. Still ... Brahms? From a self-described Baroque orchestra?

Music Center at Sonoma State Still A-Greening

Robert P. Commanday - February 16, 2010

While California and its constituent parts sit in a blue mood, Sonoma County on Friday night was celebrating the future and its hopes. At least, 350 of its movers and shakers were doing that, the donors who had raised much of the $96 million toward building the Green Music Center on the Rohnert Park campus of Sonoma State University.

Preview

BooM BooM Baroque

Michael Zwiebach - October 28, 2009

Who says the great masters don't get out anymore?

Preview

Philharmonia Baroque Opens With “Apotheosis of the Dance”

Joseph Sargent - August 24, 2009

An aura of glamour seems to surround the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra these days. Its 2009-2010 season, auspiciously titled the “Season of Stars,” is tailor-made for the glitterati, with a lineup of celebrity guest artists that is exceptional even for this ensemble, including Susan Graham, Viktoria Mullova, and Jordi Savall.

Review

San Francisco Symphony’s Magnificent Mahler

Steven Winn - August 24, 2009

With the exultant opening exclamation of “Veni, creator spiritus,” the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus recapture the torrential excitement they unleashed in their November 2008 performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 at Davies Symphony Hall. In one sense, that shouldn’t surprise.

Preview

Leading With Mahler

Heuwell Tircuit - August 17, 2009

Opening the San Francisco Symphony season with Mahler is a safe bet, especially with Michael Tilson Thomas’ passionate advocacy sure to be in force. Thus, his opening series — running September 16, 17, 19, and 20 — offers an all-Mahler program; and indeed, all September’s three weeks feature Mahler’s music.