Younis Raza – Page 26 – Repeat Performances

April 12, 2014

“Made in North America,” from the SF Bay Area Chamber Chorus

Eager chorus in tricky program The SF Bay Area Chamber Chorus (sometimes known as the BACC) gave its spring concert last Saturday, April 12, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley. Their program, “Made in North America,” spanned the a cappella music of Mexico, the United States and Canada, organized into five groupings with lively introductions by Music Director Anthony Pasqua. The arrangements included many short solos, chances for...

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April 5, 2014

Cahill, Greenberg and Alexander String Quartet at SFJazz Center

Mozart in the morning The Alexander String Quartet and musicologist Robert Greenberg regularly team up for an always-popular treat, mixing engaging lecture with fine performances. But last Saturday’s lecture/concert at the SFJazz Center had some extra pizzazz. Local legend Sarah Cahill anchored the group in two Mozart piano quartets. As a sought-after concert pianist and a long-time advocate for contemporary music (and many works have been composed for her),...

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March 9, 2014

Miró Quartet in Burlingame

Dazzle and polish at Kohl Mansion A number of inspiring quartets have stopped off in the Bay Area this season. The latest of these, the Miró Quartet, has crisscrossed the world for the past fifteen years from their home base in Austin, Texas to perform in prominent concert halls and festivals. These musicians also appreciate the lustrous sound of intimate halls and came to Burlingame’s Kohl Mansion on Sunday, March 9, for an absorbing evening of Haydn,...

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March 8, 2014

Julia Fischer joins SF Symphony in Prokofiev Violin Concerto

Russian hope and French denial with the San Francisco Symphony Dreams of hope and abstract love were on the menu at Davies Symphony Hall last Saturday, March 8, when Michael Tilson Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony in three works of disquieting originality. Famed German violinist Julia Fischer performed Prokofiev’s optimistic and difficult Violin Concerto No. 1, followed by Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, a bizarre night-sweat of projection and...

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February 26, 2014

Cal Performances brings Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax to Berkeley

They still got it. The Bay Area was treated to a tall drink of Brahms on Wednesday, February 26, when Cal Performances brought Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax to Zellerbach Hall for a mostly-Brahms concert. The famed cellist and pianist, often collaborators, conceived a “Brahms and Beyond” series of three concerts that would pair the Romantic Master with contemporary composers. For this second concert, Australian Brett Dean was chosen to represent the heirs of...

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February 23, 2014

The Calder Quartet at Hertz Hall

Riding with Death on a Sunday afternoon. At the hands of the sterling Calder Quartet last Sunday, Feb. 23, themes of death and transcendence brought a chill to...

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