Last Knight at the Opera

By Ken Herman | April 7, 2014 |

Following the lead of bass superstars from the great Russian Fyodor Chaliapin to the American Samuel Ramey, Italian basso Ferruccio Furlanetto counts the title role of Jules Massenet’s Don Quixote as one of his signature roles, which he reprised for San Diego Opera Saturday (March 5) to thunderous, well-deserved acclaim . . .

Read More

Beethoven and Schubert: Fire and Ice

By Ken Herman | March 30, 2014 |

Franz Schubert once claimed that the genius of Beethoven was generated by “superb coolness under the fire of creative fantasy.” In her long overdue San Diego debut, pianist Mitsuko Uchida offered probing accounts of Schubert and Beethoven that encompassed those opposite poles . . .

Read More

San Diego Opera’s Requiem?

By Ken Herman | March 24, 2014 |

From its first performance in Milan’s church of San Marco in 1874, Guiseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass catapulted its listeners from the solemn cadence of the Roman Catholic liturgy to the raw emotional drama of the opera stage. So it was entirely appropriate for San Diego Opera to present a concert performance of this Requiem on the company’s usual opera stage on March 20 . . .

Read More

Latin American Musical Tribute at UC San Diego

By Ken Herman | March 17, 2014 |

Renowned Venezuelan conductor Maria Guinand led the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus is a program of Latin American music on Saturday (March 15) at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium. With its characteristic rhythms and textures as well as its ties to indigenous music, this repertory . . .

Read More

Yo-Yo Ma Packs Copley Symphony Hall

By Ken Herman | March 14, 2014 |

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is not simply a virtuoso cellist—he is a celebrity equally at home performing concertos with major orchestras as he is appearing on television or recording sound tracks for blockbuster films. His Wednesday (March 12) recital with pianist Kathryn Stott drew an overflow crowd and offered an eclectic array of classical and popular music . . .

Read More