A special evening of all-American songs sung by tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, gave strong indication that something special was afoot, the cycle of 10 songs riveted attention with its deeply evocative beauty and wealth of tonal inventiveness.
At the Marin Symphony, Zuill Bailey cannily controls his sound in the Dvořák Cello Concerto; and a Persian-style work by Behzad Ranjbaran gets its first outing.
Brahms’ rich choral works rise again, in a fine program by Paul Flight’s California Bach Society; a little Fauré follows, across the street, sung by the UC Alumni Chorus.
After all these years, Garrick Ohlsson continues to wow, he's a pianist whose career you can be willing to bet on, a technically superior artist with the hands to create transporting sounds.
As any chef will tell you, the best recipes are simple ones. Here’s a Bay Area recipe that seems to work every time: Bring forth the San Francisco Symphony and engage Peter Oundjian as guest conductor. Mix and serve.
