MUSIC REVIEWS
Excitement at the San Diego Symphony: Conrad Tao’s Electrifying Account of the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto and a Premiere by Javier Álvarez
Friends who know me well will quickly attest that they have never heard me exclaim, “I am dying to hear another performance of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto!” However, after hearing pianist Conrad Tao’s spectacular performance of this popular work with the San Diego Symphony, Friday, November 2, I have been completely converted.
Read MoreVisiting Taiwan Philharmonic Brings Asian and Western Music to San Diego
Under the direction of its Music Director Shao-Chia Lü, the Taiwan Philharmonic played a concert at the Jacobs Music Center Wednesday (October 31) midway through its tour of the North American west coast.
Read MoreThe San Diego Master Chorale’s Majestic Brahms’ Requiem
Under the direction of John K. Russell, the San Diego Master Chorale’s fine performances of Johannes Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” concluded with the October 28, 2018, concert at the First Presbyterian Church of San Diego in downtown San Diego.
Read MoreLei Liang’s Opera ‘Inheritance’ Premieres in La Jolla
San Diego composer Lei Liang has turned the eccentric heiress Sarah Winchester and her strange obsessions into a one-act chamber opera, titled “Inheritance,” which received its premiere last week in the Experimental Theatre at UC San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Music Center.
Read MoreMariinsky Orchestra Combines with the San Diego Symphony in Triumphant Seventh Symphony by Shostakovich
Wednesday’s concert at the Jacobs Music Center paired St. Petersburg’s noted Mariinsky Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony under the baton of Valery Gergiev performing Dmitri Shostakovich’s demanding Seventh Symphony, “Lenningrad.” Gergiev and his astute musicians brought unusual illumination to this vast Shostakovich score, and the combined artistry of these orchestras elevated the Seventh Symphony to unexpected heights.
Read MoreSD Opera’s ‘Figaro’ Delights in 2018-19 Season Opener
Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, one of the most popular operas in the standard repertoire, seems like a natural to open San Diego Opera’s 2018-19 season. And, with a well-directed and sung production it proved to be an excellent start to what looks to be a strong season…
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