Arts & Culture :: Music

This 'Faust' makes the right bargains

This 'Faust' makes the right bargains

  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Oct 1, 2019

If San Francisco Opera's "Romeo and Juliette" left you with a sweet tooth for Gounod, a dessert buffet has just arrived.

Vinyl destination

Vinyl destination

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 24, 2019

One of the best things about the vinyl revival is that albums initially issued on CD only, during the mid-to-late 1990s and through the early part of the 2000s, are finally getting the chance to be heard in the beloved, "warm" classic format.

Symphonic illuminations in September

Symphonic illuminations in September

  • by Philip Campbell
  • Sep 24, 2019

September concerts in Michael Tilson Thomas' 25th and final season as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony are telling us what we may expect as he sets the seal on an historic legacy.

B best with the B-52s' Fred Schneider

B best with the B-52s' Fred Schneider

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 17, 2019

B-52s lead male vocalist Fred Schneider was kind enough to answer a few questions before the band embarked on a multi-city concert tour.

'Billy Budd's all-male travails

'Billy Budd's all-male travails

  • by Philip Campbell
  • Sep 17, 2019

"Billy Budd," Herman Melville's unfinished allegory of innocence and guilt upon a British war ship, deeply examined by composer Benjamin Britten and librettists E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, is the second offering in San Francisco Opera's fall line-up.

32 by 32: Pinnacle of piano

32 by 32: Pinnacle of piano

  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Sep 17, 2019

The 32-year-old Igor Levit, three of whose four commercial releases for Sony have included Beethoven, has just seen the release of "Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas," all 32 of them.

SFS Opens: MTT XXV

SFS Opens: MTT XXV

  • by Philip Campbell
  • Sep 10, 2019

With a booming announcer citing his achievements and the orchestra blaring the theme from "Masterpiece Theatre," San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas made his final Opening Night walk to the podium at Davies Symphony Hall last week.

SFO Opens: 'R&J' a hit

SFO Opens: 'R&J' a hit

  • by Philip Campbell
  • Sep 10, 2019

The San Francisco Opera's 97th season opened last week with a sturdy, often stirring performance of Gounod's elegant version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Out There does openings

Out There does openings

  • by Roberto Friedman
  • Sep 10, 2019

Security was unusually tight for the San Francisco Symphony season opening gala this year. We couldn't understand why we needed a "Press" wristband until we witnessed the concert's closing ovations.

Gay string quartet Well-Strung goes to the movies

Gay string quartet Well-Strung goes to the movies

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Sep 10, 2019

Well-Strung, the adorably hot gay string quartet from New York City, returns to Feinstein's at the Nikko for three shows Sept. 13-15. The group will be celebrating some of the biggest songs from the Silver Screen.

Playlist for your gay days & nights

Playlist for your gay days & nights

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 10, 2019

If you were lucky enough to attend a performance of the first national tour of the Tony-winning musical "Kinky Boots," you probably saw out actor-singer Kyle Taylor Parker filling the distinctive thigh-high red boots worn by Billy Porter on Broadway.

Fall Preview: San Francisco Opera

Fall Preview: San Francisco Opera

  • by Philip Campbell
  • Sep 3, 2019

The great gold curtain of the War Memorial Opera House rises on the San Francisco Opera's Opening Night Gala celebrating its 97th season this week.

Listen to lesbians: pop music

Listen to lesbians: pop music

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 3, 2019

It's best to get this out of the way first. Comparing Alex Lahey to fellow queer Aussie Courtney Barnett is almost unavoidable.

More Fall Arts choices

More Fall Arts choices

  • by Roberto Friedman
  • Sep 3, 2019

In this, our second week of the Fall Arts Preview, we offer surveys of what's coming up in Bay Area Theatre, Art Galleries, the San Francisco Opera, Film, and lesbian-created Pop Music this fall.