Reviews

A premier string quartet again takes top honors with works by Janáček, Debussy, and Britten.

The Musica Pacifica ensemble gets down, and delightful, with dance and folk tunes drawn from the British Isles.

A gritty contemporary setting backs up bright singing in West Bay Opera’s version of a Mozart classic.

Engaging and heartfelt performances of Baroque classics distinguish this revelatory recital by the young Australian/Sri Lankan soprano.

In a program highlighting Yuri Possokhov’s gifted choreography, the San Francisco Ballet has a dance with Dante.

Its former music director leads the S.F. Symphony in a novel overture, a grand organ symphony, and a little-known Rachmaninov concerto.

A superprolific Armenian-American composer said that ideas “persecute him,” causing him to write every day. This CD offers a range of his works, with their high-quality tunes and, in one work, effective drama.

A concert by the CSO under the baton of Riccardo Muti offered two thrilling evenings in one: a great orchestra, led by a superb conductor, presenting two fascinating new works, and textbook (but vibrant) readings of evergreen classics.

The San Francisco Ballet presented a varying program — ranging from Mark Morris' Beaux and wayne McGregor's Chroma to Christopher Wheeldon's Number Nine — that seemed oddly fitting for the day it fell on, Valentines Day.

Steeped in jazz, esteemed pianist Kirill Gerstein tackles classical works, and the result is a draw.