Chamber Music

Philip Glass has got a pick-up band of all stars ready for his inaugural Days and Nights Festival in Carmel Valley. The first weekend features Glass' compositions paired with works by Franz Schubert and Dmitri Shostakovich. Personally, if forced to pick one, I'd opt for Saturday night at Hidden Valley, with Glass' String Quartet No. 5 paired with Schubert's evergreen Piano Trio in B-Flat, D. 898.

If you're wondering about the increasing coverage of jazz in the virtual pages of SFCV – more on this later – it's because jazz is classical music (not just America's classical music). Think about it: long-form instrumental pieces with lots of harmonic and rhythmic complexity (some of that derived from those European dead white males); small, niche market of enthusiasts; a repertoire of bedrock, classic pieces, which musicians reinterpret over and over again; casual listeners may find it “difficult”. What am I describing, traditional classical or traditional jazz?

If you like the breath of fresh air provided by Pamela and Amy X Neuburg, then you'll want to check in to the Room at the Royce Gallery to hear Los Angeles' Robin Cox Ensemble.

Elliott Sharp brings his interest in modified instruments like "guitarbass," an instrument that was built especially for him, to Meridian Gallery

Provocative as usual, the Del Sol Quartet jumps cultures, continents, and even musical temperaments in its brilliant recital.

If your week will be made by a really fine performance of a Brandenburg Concerto, as well as music by other German luminaries like Telemann and Handel, then Cal Performances is the place to be on Friday.

Though you won't be invited on to the dance floor, if you take in the Gold Coast Players' Rhythm and Shoes concert, you'll at least hear a stylistically varied program that's all about the power of movement and dance

Spell checkers go a bit crazy when anyone writes about the Pacifica Quartet. With names like Simin Ganatra, Masumi Per Rostad, Brandon Vamos, and Sibbi Bernhardsson, there’s lots of double-checking to get the names right. Even so, they admit that people still mix up their names.

The Paris Guitar Duo, in its first San Francisco outing, performed wide-ranging music with brilliance, but with odd mannerisms.

The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra’s free family concerts are still the best experience around for families with young kids and babes in arms. There is no pressure to sit still, and there’s plenty of engaging visual and aural stimulation for all!