Younis Raza

March 10, 2015

“Middlemarch in Spring” at Z Space

Rediscovering an English enchantment Having trespassed on the shores of musicology whilst eschewing any regard for the Great Works of Literature, I really thought I could skim Middlemarch the night before the premiere of Allen Shearer’s Middlemarch in Spring, an opera based on that 19th century edifice of English fiction. After wading through the first several pages of a “pocket” book that clocked in at 1,026 pages, I...

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Categories: opera

Cypress Quartet at Berkeley Chamber Performances

When charm and wit ruled the world Sitting in the ornate glory of the Julia Morgan-designed Berkeley City Club, what could possibly add to the charm of an earlier era? Most likely the sumptuous sounds of the Cypress Quartet performing Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 51. Joanne de Phillips, President of Berkeley Chamber Performances, welcomed them to the stage of the lovely second-floor theater, where...

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Categories: music

March 1, 2015

John Luther Adams, Ye-Eun Choi with the SF Symphony

When it’s hip to be square. My cousin was going to join me for a concert at the San Francisco Symphony, but being a young techie, he was still waiting to land at the airport at curtain time. I thought about that as I looked in line for someone to use my other ticket. As this was a Sunday matinee, with rush tickets available for the young and elderly, most patrons were young or had blue-rinsed hair or a hearing aid. Where were all the young techies? Working hard...

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Categories: music

February 22, 2015

Horszowski Trio at Kohl Mansion

Of dotted notes and civilized despair… Last Sunday the Horszowski Trio made their first appearance at Kohl Mansion, and judging by the response, they would be warmly welcomed back. These three musicians have a long and slightly tangled history, and two of them have already appeared at Kohl Mansion with other top groups. ...

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Categories: music