Classical Music & Opera

San Francisco Opera’s creative team for the world-premiere "Two Women" includes, from left, Nicola Luisotti, Marco Tutino, Francesca Zambello and David Gockley. - Courtesy Scott Wall/San Francisco Opera

‘Two Women’ goes from novel and film to opera

San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti sounds like a proud midwife,…

 

San Francisco Opera’s production of Berlioz’s massive "Les Troyens" begins with a wonderful scene featuring the chorus. Courtesy Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

S.F. Opera’s ‘Les Troyens’ dazzles

"What joy!" were the first words the chorus sang when the curtain…

 

COURTESY SCOTT WALL/SAN FRANCISCO OPERASan Francisco Opera’s creative team for the world-premiere "Two Women" includes

‘Two Women’ goes from novel and film to opera

San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti sounds like a proud midwife,…

 

COURTESY CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERASan Francisco Opera’s production of Berlioz’s massive "Les Troyens" begins with a wonderful scene featuring the chorus.

S.F. Opera's 'Les Troyens' dazzles

"What joy!" were the first words the chorus sang when the curtain…

COURTESY CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERASan Francisco Opera’s production of Berlioz’s massive "Les Troyens" begins with a wonderful scene featuring the chorus.
COURTESY STEFAN COHENSan Francisco Symphony Chorus Director Ragnar Bohlin calls Beethoven’s “Missa solumis” “deeply gratifying.”

S.F. Symphony big on Beethoven

Beethoven is everywhere, all the time, but the San Francisco Symphony festival…

COURTESY STEFAN COHENSan Francisco Symphony Chorus Director Ragnar Bohlin calls Beethoven’s “Missa solumis” “deeply gratifying.”
COURTESY LYNNE FRIEDOakland-based Blind Tiger Society is among many dance troupes appearing in SAFEhouse Arts' eighth summer performance series from July 8-12 at ODC Theater in The City

Performing arts aplenty

Dance, opera, symphonic, choral and jazz music are blooming in a season…

COURTESY LYNNE FRIEDOakland-based Blind Tiger Society is among many dance troupes appearing in SAFEhouse Arts' eighth summer performance series from July 8-12 at ODC Theater in The City
COURTESY BILL COOPER/ROYAL OPERACassandra and the Trojan Horse strike a dramatic scene in the Covent Garden production of "Les Troyens

Supersized 'Trojans' lands on reinforced War Memorial stage

Opera director Francesca Zambello has seen the five-hour-long "Les Troyens" (“The Trojans”)…

COURTESY BILL COOPER/ROYAL OPERACassandra and the Trojan Horse strike a dramatic scene in the Covent Garden production of "Les Troyens
COURTESY PHOTOOpera Parallèle artists call their new production of “Heart of Darkness

Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness' gets operatic treatment

British composer Tarik O'Regan is excited and thrilled about his operatic version…

COURTESY PHOTOOpera Parallèle artists call their new production of “Heart of Darkness
COURTESY PHOTOThe Berkeley Symphony program this week includes choruses from John Adams’ controversial 1991 opera “The Death of Klinghoffer” as well as Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor.

John Adams stands by 'Klinghoffer'

John Adams, America’s most prominent composer since Aaron Copland, was called upon…

COURTESY PHOTOThe Berkeley Symphony program this week includes choruses from John Adams’ controversial 1991 opera “The Death of Klinghoffer” as well as Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor.
COURTESY CHRIS CHRISTODOULOUSir John Eliot Gardiner leads a concert performance of Monteverdi’s "L'Orfeo” at Davies Symphony Hall.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner finds new experiences with ancient opera

Illustrious English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner has been presenting the music…

COURTESY CHRIS CHRISTODOULOUSir John Eliot Gardiner leads a concert performance of Monteverdi’s "L'Orfeo” at Davies Symphony Hall.
COURTESY HONG WEISa Chen makes her debut with the San Francisco Symphony this week.

Pianist Sa Chen brings her artistry to the U.S.

A musical revolution to the tune of 150 million students is happening…

COURTESY HONG WEISa Chen makes her debut with the San Francisco Symphony this week.
COURTESY JASMIN VAN TFrom left

'Middlemarch' goes to the opera

Creators of the first opera ever based on George Eliot’s 1874 classic…

COURTESY JASMIN VAN TFrom left
COURTESY CHRIS LEEViolinist Glenn Dicterow makes his first San Francisco appearance since his retirement from the New York Philharmonic in New Century Chamber Orchestra concerts this week.

N.Y. Phil's Glenn Dicterow plays with New Century

Although he occupied one of the most prestigious positions in the classical…

COURTESY CHRIS LEEViolinist Glenn Dicterow makes his first San Francisco appearance since his retirement from the New York Philharmonic in New Century Chamber Orchestra concerts this week.
COURTESY ART STREIBERSan Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas announced the 2015-16 season

S.F. Symphony’s 104th season showcases Schumann, Sibelius

San Francisco Symphony’s 104th season announced today promises more than 200 concerts…

COURTESY ART STREIBERSan Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas announced the 2015-16 season
COURTESY EMILY APPELComposer Jake Heggie’s new orchestration of “Camille Claudel: Into the Fire” gets its world premiere at Berkeley Symphony this week.

Jake Heggie brings full orchestra to ‘Camille Claudel’

For San Francisco’s Jake Heggie, as it was for French sculptor Camille…

COURTESY EMILY APPELComposer Jake Heggie’s new orchestration of “Camille Claudel: Into the Fire” gets its world premiere at Berkeley Symphony this week.
COURTESY STEVE DIBARTOLOMEOFrom left

New life for ‘Dead Man’ in S.F.

Composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally, creators of the opera “Dead…

COURTESY STEVE DIBARTOLOMEOFrom left
COURTESY OTAK JUMPOsmin (Kevin Thompson

West Bay Opera’s 'Abduction' sparkles

Osmin, the bad guy in Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio," is a…

COURTESY OTAK JUMPOsmin (Kevin Thompson
COURTESY PAT KIRKSoprano Christie Conover is excellent in Opera San Jose’s satisfying world-premiere “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”

Opera San Jose debuts classy 'Where Angels Fear to Tread'

Twentieth-century fiction continues to provide fertile source material for contemporary opera: “Where…

COURTESY PAT KIRKSoprano Christie Conover is excellent in Opera San Jose’s satisfying world-premiere “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”
COURTESY JEAN-FRANCOIS LECLERCQViolinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Khatia Buniatishvili play a concert featuring works by Franck

Renaud Capuçon and Khatia Buniatishvili play beautiful Romantic music

From the start, violinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Khatia Buniatishvili have had…

COURTESY JEAN-FRANCOIS LECLERCQViolinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Khatia Buniatishvili play a concert featuring works by Franck
COURTESY PHOTOCellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley play Beethoven on period instruments at the S.F. Conservatory or Music.

Duo plays Beethoven as Beethoven would have wished

Rarely does an encounter with the past forever change a musician’s relationship…

COURTESY PHOTOCellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley play Beethoven on period instruments at the S.F. Conservatory or Music.