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.
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BooM BooM Baroque

Michael Zwiebach - October 28, 2009
Nicholas McGegan

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

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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.

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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.

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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.
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Review

San Frantastic Symphony

Jeff Dunn - July 21, 2009
“What have you been smoking?” you say. But I saw the following with my own eyes at last Saturday’s San Francisco Symphony concert:
  • A sold-out Davies Symphony Hall where I could find only four people over 50 who were not employees or ushers. Almost everyone was under 35.
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Summer and the Symphony Finale

Michael Zwiebach - July 14, 2009
Bugs on Broadway
If you're a classic cartoon buff, don't miss Bugs on Broadway, part of the San Francisco Symphony's Summer and the Symphony series.
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San Francisco Symphony Puts Pop Into July

Brian Gleeson - June 24, 2009
In Boston, during the mid-1960s, it was commonly accepted that there were three people in town who would never in their lives need to pay for a drink at one of that city’s taverns: Carl Yastrzemski, the slugging left fielder for the Red Sox; Bill Russell, the center for the Celtics’ perennial championship teams; and Arthur Fiedler, the indefatigable conductor of the Boston Pops.

Peninsula Symphony Pops

Michael Zwiebach - June 23, 2009
Nothing says summer like an outdoor pops concert, especially if its free. The Peninsula Symphony scores big on all three counts, as they present a free concert on the steps of the Redwood City Courthouse Square. Besides great music from three Bs (Berlioz, Bizet, and Bernstein), the fun includes a raffle. Let the kids stay up late, bring a picnic, and enjoy.
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Music for a Fantasy Video Game

Jessica Balik - June 22, 2009
Anyone who has ever played a video game likely knows that, just as the contours of its control pad can become imprinted on the hand, so too can the game’s musical themes leave lasting impressions on the memory.