Reviews | San Francisco Classical Voice

A New Look in a Traditional Ring

Robert P. Commanday - August 11, 2009

There’s a lot of life left in the old Ring myth, made abundantly apparent Sunday and Monday in the opening of Seattle Opera’s current rerunning of Wagner’s tetralogy. With Stephen Wadsworth’s imaginative direction, the first two operas, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, were wholly engaging, his fresh interpretation showing how little need there is to transport the story into different times, cultures, or modern places, to try to make obvious strained metaphors of class or economic conflict or whatever.

Review

A Special Tchaikovsky Dish

Heuwell Tircuit - August 11, 2009

I’d thought I’d seen every possible CD combination, but leave it to Bridge Records to come up with an original, refreshing Tchaikovsky release. The one CD contains the composer’s two largest and most important piano works, played to the tens by virtuoso Vassily Primakov: The Seasons, Op. 37b, and the big Grand Sonata in G Major, Op. 37 (Bridge 9283).

Review

Undead Symphony

Kwami Coleman - August 11, 2009

To be a Deadhead is to be a part of a unique, dedicated, and endlessly enthusiastic bunch.

Review

Sublime Sounds Strike Cabrillo

Jeff Dunn - August 11, 2009

How do you tell a hack orchestrator from a master? One composes a new sequence of sounds, the other a sequence of new sounds. And if the sequence itself has a certain cohesive inevitability about it, you have a ground-breaking masterpiece. Two of these were served up to an enthusiastic audience Friday night at the opening of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, thanks to invitations from Music Director Marin Alsop.

Review

Around the World of Cabrillo

Benjamin Frandzel - August 11, 2009

The Cabrillo Festival’s second night brought program music of various sorts to the full house that on Saturday filled the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Music Director Marin Alsop and her high-energy orchestra provided sharp, dynamic performances of three works that drew on eclectic sources of inspiration and were generally quite accessible.

Review

Grand Ensemble Marks Merola Così

Jason Victor Serinus - August 10, 2009

The extra excitement of Merola Opera’s performance of Mozart’s Così fan tutte could be felt on both sides of the metaphorical footlights. As the house lights dimmed on Sunday at the outset of the production in Fort Mason’s intimate Cowell Theatre, you could almost hear the anticipatory questions in people’s minds: Were they about to witness one or more major stars in the making?

Review

Living Legend at Menlo

Be'eri Moalem - August 10, 2009

Whoever thinks that the California scene is too relaxed for the best kind of classical music-making (especially in August, in the suburbs of San Francisco, where the parking is plentiful, the sun shines every day, and the wine flows plentifully) should have been at the Music@Menlo concert Saturday night, at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.Silicon Valley, known for cutting-edge high-tech innovat

Review

A Full Plate of Previn

Jason Victor Serinus - August 10, 2009

To celebrate André Previn's 80th birthday, Deutsche Grammophon has released André Previn: A Celebration, a six-CD set chock full of his recordings for the DG and Decca labels. Chosen by Previn, the performances highlight his accomplishments as both a conductor and composer of classical instrumental and vocal works.

Review

Deeply Touched by Menahem Pressler

Jerry Kuderna - August 3, 2009

“We are looking for someone who will touch us deeply, in a way that we cannot forget.” These words, spoken by the pianist Menahem Pressler in a documentary about the Van Cliburn competition, came to mind while listening to his solo recital at this summer’s Music@Menlo Festival.

Review

Seriously Mendelssohn

David Bratman - August 3, 2009

A cycle of the Mendelssohn string quartets: It sounds like a reasonable programming idea, yet it isn’t done very often. Felix Mendelssohn wrote seven full quartets, plus a small assortment of individual movements, just about the right amount of music for a set of three concerts.