Previews

Despite the name, there’s nothing old school about Old First Concerts.

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian composer who lived through tumultuous historical events.

There isn't much of a scare factor in the Redwood Symphony's annual Halloween concert. It's a family-friendly event that features a “tour of the orchestra,” with all the instruments demonstrated.

There are a lot of composer anniversaries out there, and the lesser ones tend to be ignored. In 2009, the 50th anniversary of Ernest Bloch's death took a back seat to other commemorations, and the UC Berkeley Symphony is doing its part to take up the slack.

Music lovers always sit up and take notice when L’Histoire du Soldat (The soldier’s tale) comes to town. Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 one-act, which incorporates music, dance, and spoken text in a wry fable about a Russian solider who makes a deal with the devil, occupies a unique niche in the composer’s career.

For its inaugural concert of the year, the Oakland East Bay Symphony will take us to a “Night at the Opera” on Friday, November 13. OEBS Music Director Michael Morgan has selected a large group of the most promising young singers in the Bay Area. With such a big cast, there is often the danger that each individual member will not receive his or her full due.

Not since winter 1997, when pianist Sarah Cahill organized a three-day piano marathon of works by Henry Cowell (1897-1965) and those he influenced, have Bay Area music lovers had an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the oeuvre of one of America’s most brilliant musical mavericks. Now, thanks to Charles Amirkhanian’s Other Minds, we can enjoy two different concerts on Nov.