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In the late '50s, musician and scholar Gunther Schuller attempted to formally integrate jazz and classical music under a concept he dubbed Third Stream. It was a turbulent but persistent confluence, which will be in evidence in an upcoming San José Chamber Orchestra concert.

On Monday night, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players used French Composer Philippe Hurel’s words — "his own space of freedom" — for the theme of a program featuring four pieces that variously relate to the idea of finding free space.

The San Francisco Bach Choir is holding a Thanksgiving celebration, of sorts, at its next performances, on May 15 and 16. The program, “Celebrating American Heroes,” is more than just an acknowledgment of the famous heroes and events in American history.

Berkeley-born Gabriela Lena Frank is on a roll, with her compositions being performed widely, even as she serves the Berkeley Symphony as its creative advisor. Her upcoming first violin concerto, Hailli Lírico, is drawn from poem-prayers uttered by Inca kings.

Isaac Albéniz, the Spanish Catalan pianist and composer is well-known for his 12 “impressions” of Iberia, considered the greatest of Spanish piano works. Pianist Robert Schwartz will perform this magnus opus May 7 to honor the anniversary of the composer's birth 150 years ago.

Baritone Matthias Goerne, one of the few truly great lieder singers of our age, has now released four volumes of Harmonia Mundi’s ongoing Matthias Goerne Schubert Edition.

Alan Rich, America’s most outspoken classical music critic, died in his sleep Friday in his home in West Los Angeles at the age of 85. For his entire career, he was as full-out in his enthusiasms and advocacies as he was unsparing and sharp in his assessments, always making a deep impression.

Stephen Hough wears a lot of hats — here, the "pianist's pianist" and blogger talks about his upcoming performance and tribute to Alfred Cortot and Paris, how he starts the day, nearly becoming a priest, and everything from hats to pudding.

As every classical music lover knows by now, this is a big anniversary year for Chopin and Schumann. Still, somehow we are never quite prepared to fully comprehend their vast achievements as composers for the piano. Emanuel Ax’s recital at Davies Symphony Hall Sunday showed how difficult it is to reconcile these two giants of the Romantic period.