SFCV RSS Feed Integration

It's not just his face and body that are hot. Vittorio Grigolo is the real thing, an Italian tenor with a beautiful voice, ringing high C,  and genuine feel for the music. This is the recital we've been waiting for.

Does the personality of a composer matter? Will knowing more about the life of a composer enhance our experience of his or her music? “You bet!” is Other Minds’ answer, as judged from its Sept. 27 combo of exhibit, discussion, and performance that brought the remarkable Dane Rudhyar (1895-1985) back to life.

Bay Area kids are getting their hands on some seriously old music, and loving it.

Three-hundred-plus years is a long time to wait for a second performance, especially if the work in question is, according to Warren Stewart, director of Magnificat Baroque, “an exceptional piece” from a time when English opera was flourishing. The good news is that the upcoming performances of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis (2nd version) vest-pocket opera should prove it was well worth the wait.

Immeasurable Light, the new CD from Chinese pipa master Wu Man, virtually wallops you over the head with its first track, Jacob Garchik’s arrangement of The Round Sun and Crescent Moon in the Sky. Part of the repertoire of the Zhang Family Band, it is as raucous as it is joyous.

Whether it's girdling the globe or picking up an Avery Fisher Career Grant at Lincoln Center, both of which she's accomplished this year, 24-year-old Joyce Yang is particular about choosing both her piano repertoire and her wardrobe. She discusses her choices with SFCV, and reveals how she applies all six of her senses to the keyboard.

Following the San Francisco Symphony’s annual fall gala on Sept. 7, the musicians packed their instruments and headed overseas with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas for a five-concert tour of Switzerland and Italy. Here's a report back from the musicians.

The Redwood Symphony celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday, opening its season with a potpourri of pleasing music at Cañada College in Redwood City. Eric Kujawsky, who founded the orchestra and has been its music director for all 25 years, conducted the occasion.

If ever there were a composer whose music justified the use of old instruments, it is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But, modern pianists and orchestras frequently approach Wolfie’s music as if they’ve got kid gloves on. This was most certainly not the case when Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra teamed with fortepianist Robert Levin Saturday to present an all-Mozart program at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church.