MUSIC REVIEWS
Bach Collegium San Diego Brings Distler’s Mystical ‘Totentanz’ to San Diego
A late medieval meditation on life’s fragility, called the Dance of Death, stimulated the imagination of painters more than musicians. It was such a gloriously macabre 15th-century painting in Lübeck, Germany, by Bernt Notke—Death summoning folks from every station and walk of life—that inspired Hugo Distler’s 1934 choral work Totentanz (Dance of Death). Ruben Valenzuela’s…
Read MoreJoyce Yang Debuts with the San Diego Symphony in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto
Joyce Yang, the much-heralded Korean concert pianist, joined the San Diego Symphony this weekend in a performance of Segei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. Having graced the roster of La Jolla SummerFest in several recent seasons, she is a known quantity here, and the Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall was filled with fans of both…
Read MoreSan Diego Opera’s Searing ‘Soldier Songs’ Brings Military Reality to Stage
San Diego Opera’s stirring production of composer David T. Little’s “Soldier Songs” at the Balboa Theatre honored Veterans Day with an honest, in-your-face confrontation of what war does to the soldier . . .
Read MorePianist Sarah Cahill’s Irresistible Contemporary Program
In Sarah Cahill’s solo recital for Fresh Sound on Friday (Nov. 4), the San Francisco virtuosa performed a range of alluring contemporary piano music from Terry Riley to Frederic Rzewski to Sam Adams . . .
Read MoreSan Diego Master Chorale Sings Kirchner’s ‘Songs of Ascent’
Among the numerous choirs that make up the San Diego choral landscape, the San Diego Master Chorale has always had a leading role because of its 100-voice size and its longstanding performing relationship with the San Diego Symphony. But in the last decade, the vitality of several newer choral groups—some specializing in early music or…
Read MoreSparkling, Over-the-top ‘Cinderella’ Opens San Diego Opera Season
San Diego Opera’s musically astute, slightly manic production of Rossini’s “Cinderella” easily won over the opening night Civic Theatre audience . . .
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