Of the Gilbert & Sullivan "big three," which include "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Mikado," "The Pirates of Penzance" or "The Slave of Duty" arguably remains the most popular.

Nonesuch has just released the first recording of "Doctor Atomic," composer John Adams' opera about the Manhattan Project, which had its world premiere from San Francisco Opera in 2005.

Carole Cook, still quite active in cabaret, is one of more than a dozen performers who will be taking to the stage of the Herbst Theatre on Sun., Aug. 19 for "Help Is on the Way 24," the latest fundraising variety show for Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation.

When revolutionary 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky teamed with co-librettists W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman to write "The Rake's Progress" in 1951, he was finally moving past his "neoclassic" period.

For all we've written about two great gay keyboard artists, pianist Stephen Hough and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset, the fact is that we've skated over their recorded output.

For Bay Area opera-lovers or anyone curious about the state of the art, August is full of promise. Whether your taste runs to the traditional or contemporary cutting-edge, local companies are offering an exciting variety of musical events.

At 81, Philip Glass may never escape the label of minimalist composer.

Like the members of The Beatles who sought spiritual enlightenment via Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Pete Townshend of The Who trod a similar path through his interactions with Meher Baba.

Melissa Etheridge will rock the Bay Area this month with two outdoor evening concerts on the weekend of July 21 and 22.

"Summer with the Symphony" concerts, the all-purpose two-month fix for staycationing Bay Area music-lovers, continues at Davies Symphony Hall through Aug. 3.

There isn't much joy to be found on Current Joys' debut visual album "A Different Age" (Danger Collective).

In the good old summertime, San Francisco music-lovers can always rely on the Merola Opera program to uphold a celebrated tradition, selecting, training and showcasing young singers.

A deeply felt, finely balanced account of being Leonard Bernstein's oldest daughter captures the madness of life in the orbit of one of the last century's most influential, larger-than-life musicians with equal parts candor and compassion.

It's 23 years and counting as Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas wrapped another memorable season with the San Francisco Symphony last week in concerts devoted entirely to Gustav Mahler's glorious Symphony No. 3.