Michael Zwiebach

In honor of Mozart’s birthday (Jan. 28), this week’s playlist is all-Mozart all-the-time.

When Lynn Harrell and the Berkeley Symphony led by Music Director Joana Carneiro take on Witold Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto, they will be taking a trip to the dark side that balances, in a radical way, the vivacity of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, also on the program.

The Bay Area is so awash in great early music players, that when San Francisco Early Music Society decided to feature more local groups on their programming, it opened itself to more diversity than probably anyone but the local HIP community knew was out there.

The Calder Quartet, which formed at the Thornton School at USC and then continued training at Colburn School in Los Angeles, has been seen frequently in the Bay Area over the past few years. 

Portland-based Capella Romana is a world-class male vocal group specializing in Greek Orthodox and Slavic church music. If that’s outside your normal sphere of activity, you have a good reason to hear this group.

You won’t want to miss Hilary Hahn, who sails into San Francisco Performances with a couple of repertory warhorses and selections from her inspirational “encores” project.

No one saw it coming, but today everybody wants to write an opera, and audiences are embracing new work. San Francisco Opera’s general director has been squarely in the middle of that revival.

Last year’s performance of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion by the American Bach Soloists was predictably one of the highlights of the spring season.

Staying true to his local roots, pianist Jon Nakamatsu graces many local concert series in the Bay Area.

In 2012 SFCV reviewed 55 of the top classical CD releases of the year. Here is a lineup of highly recommended recordings that you can use as stocking stuffers, or as an end-of-year splurge for yourself.