Previews

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Krystian Zimerman

Catherine Getches - March 31, 2009

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman is known for his technical polish, recently seen

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Beautiful Tooth

Jeff Dunn - March 31, 2009

Live performances of the vast catalog of symphonic music by Russian composer Nicolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) occu

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Music from Eastern Europe, especially if it’s also from the earlier part of the 20th century, has a reputation for being rugged and rough-hewn, full of exotic sounds and hypnotic motifs over catchy rhythms. Sometimes that reputation is deserved.

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Bittersweet

Stephanie Friedman - March 30, 2009

The word “operetta” sounds like what it is: opera lite. The story may be tragic but the treatment will be light, if you can imagine that. You are not invited to dwell long in tragedy; neither are you permitted to escape from the sadness — not altogether.

It Takes Three

Lisa Petrie - March 30, 2009

While visiting artists often draw the crowds, many fine musicians live in the Bay Area and perform here on occasion.

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Call and Response

Be'eri Moalem - March 30, 2009

The Cypress Quartet is rethinking the traditional concept of concerts, in which the musicians play a piece typically written some 150 years ago, the audience listens and then claps their hands, the performers bow, and everyone goes home. The Cypress is turning that experience into a two-week project that involves the entire community.

Alfonso Alberti:The Music of Niccolò Castiglioni

Michael Zwiebach - March 24, 2009

A rare opportunity to hear one of the 20th century’s underplayed composers. Though Niccolò Castiglioni (1932-1996) isn’t often mentioned in histories of 20th-century music, his music seems more contemporary than many composers who are.

Magnificat: Scarlatti Serenata

Michael Zwiebach - March 24, 2009

In the old days, when classical music was reserved for upper-crust audiences, a lot of music got one or two performances and then was put away in a library and forgotten. That’s why a group like Magnificat, Warren Stewart’s 17th-century music band, is so much fun to see. Often their performance of a piece is the only chance you’ll get to experience it live.

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A Century’s Worth of Piano

Heuwell Tircuit - March 24, 2009

One of the best-planned and at the same time oddest-looking piano recitals I’ve ever encountered is coming up two Sundays hence, in San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre. There, the distinguished French pianist Pascal Rogé will play a survey of basic French piano music from 1830 (Chopin’s Op. 10 Étude No. 1) to 1929 (Poulenc’s First Nocturne).