With the unfathomable amount of classical music that is available to us, here are a few pieces that everyone needs to know. Many of them are known in part but getting to know them in …

Interestingly, my two favorite concerts, thus far in the 2024-2025 Jacobs Master Works Series at the San Diego Symphony, have been dominated by pieces from the classical period of music. Obviously, music at the symphony …

The first concert of the year at The San Diego Symphony was a miniature French festival. Overseeing the proceedings was conductor Ludovic Morlot. Previously he was the music director of The Seattle Symphony and has …

Once upon a time in the salons of Paris, one Frederic Chopin would play the piano and narrate to the audience. I had a chance to experience a modern version of this phenomenon on Tuesday, …

The start of January is a packed to the gills with classical music in San Diego. There’s chamber music, new music, and gargantuan symphonic masterpieces. Upcoming EventJacobs Masterworks: Saint-Saens, Hokmes, SmithFriday, January 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m.Jacobs …

With Christmas over and New Year's just ahead, let’s look back at the year that was 2024 for classical music in San Diego. Back on March 1, 2024, The San Diego Symphony gave a concert at …

For the first time, in many a year, I’ve had George Frideric Handel ’s Messiah as part of my Christmas season listening. At this time of year, I’m all about the mid-century crooners all singing the same …

I came across a social media post that asked if there are any operas with an all-female chorus. To be clear this doesn’t mean operas that have a chorus scene with only women. There are …

Every now and then, a truly underappreciated gem comes along. I have a friend who has bugged me about Havergal Brian’s Symphony No. 1: “Gothic”. I ended up listening to it about a dozen times in …

I am notorious, amongst my friends and family, for starting my holiday season early. As soon as Halloween is over, it’s Christmas time in my mind. My tree goes up and my Mid-Century Christmas playlist …

The struggle session returned with a vengeance at the San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 16. The previous concert weekend featured a program without any contemporary pieces to struggle through as an audience …

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 9, was the concert I didn’t know I needed. To be honest, the program looked a bit boring on the surface. It was only Mozart, Haydn, …

Back in the dark days of the pandemic, San Diego Opera conceived of a way to present Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme in a manner that would be consistent with Covid-19 social distancing rules. The performance …

There are some spooky operas out there and nothing is better for a refined and dignified Halloween. Of course, a sugar-laden celebration is also appropriate but on this night of ghosts and devils, opera can …

It was with a sense of anticipation that I arrived at the Jacobs Music Center on Friday, October 4. Not only was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 my favorite piece of music, once upon a time, …

The Poway Symphony Orchestra is entering its 21st season, which will include three concerts. All three will be performed at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. This season marks music director and conductor John …

Saturday, September 28, was a monumental evening in the artistic history of San Diego. The Jacobs Music went out on its maiden voyage. PlaceJacobs Music Center750 B Street, San DiegoThe first piece of music, Welcome Home, was …

Thanks for noticingLost Abbey finds a new wayAnderson’s apogeesAntique modernHeavenly hall undergroundMounting MadraParent-friendly playgroundThe van man canPeaceful, eaze-y feeling

After decades of limping along with concert venues based on old movie theaters and whatever the Civic Theatre is based on, San Diego now has a world-class classical music hall. For the past three years, …

The prestigious classical music publication, Gramophone, recently listed their 10 greatest Puccini singers of all time. There were a few omissions that raised my ire along with a few inclusions that made no sense whatsoever. It may …

Anton Bruckner had his 200th birthday on September 4. Though Bruckner wrote fanfares, his birthday came and went without one. Bruckner doesn’t get the love he deserves except from people such as me. I take …

We live in an age where entertainment is fading. I’m not talking about the performing arts, I’m talking about Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Superman. These enterprises are losing money faster than a crypto-bro …

On Tuesday, August 27, I other several other members of the local media gathered at The Jacobs Music Center for a tour of the refurbished house. Many burning questions were answered. I wanted to know …

On September 29, the San Diego Symphony will celebrate the grand reopening of the Jacobs Music Center with a singular event titled, A Day of Music. The event, scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., will …

In the past, the only way I have been able to deal with this time of year is to resign myself to the fact that the weather will be gross until about Halloween. This year …

As The Olympics continue with a heavy dose of track, let’s look at distance-specific pieces of classical music. We will look at sprints, middle distance, and, of course, the marathon.Almost every tenor knows the aria …

With Comic-Con devouring downtown San Diego, let’s take a look at four underappreciated or forgotten motion picture orchestral soundtracks. The requirements are that the movie be Comic-Con-ish in nature.Star Trek: The Motion Picture starts our list. …

German Cultural Minister Claudia Roth has kicked a hornet’s nest by suggesting that The Bayreuth Festival, “should become more diverse, more colorful, and more youthful overall.” She suggested that other composers besides Richard Wagner should …

With Mainly Mozart in the rearview mirror, all serious lovers of classical music now turn their eyes to The La Jolla Music Society and their SummerFest 2024. The LJMS presents concerts throughout the year but …

The wildly entertaining final concert of The 2024 Mainly Mozart Festival, held on Thursday, June 27, sealed the deal for this being a festival to remember. During the performance of Mozart’s Prague Symphony, Marine Corps F35s …

The Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra is mowing down masterpieces left and right as the festival tumbles toward its conclusion on Saturday, June 29. Mozart, Beethoven, Maurice Faure, Camille Saint Saens, Richard Strauss, Benjamin Britten, and Pytor …

Thursday, June 20, saw the awakening of happy feelings upon arriving at The San Diego Mainly Mozart Festival. The concert was held at The Epstein Family Amphitheatre on the campus of UC San Diego. The …

I’ve spent the better part of a week listening to recordings with Robert Shaw conducting choral masterpieces. While Shaw has not retained his classical music household name, his recordings are definitely definitive when it comes …

With 2024 reaching the gloomy month of June although June gloom started in March this year, there is one blinding ray of sunshine on the grey horizon. The brilliance of the august San Diego Mainly …

I was unable to attend the final concert in the 2023-2024 Jacobs Masterworks Series on Saturday, May 25. I have obligations on Saturdays until 6:00 pm and the concert started at 6:30 pm. The Padres …

Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto was an instant classic from the moment that lyrical first phrase was first intoned on March 13, 1845, by Ferdinand David. On Saturday, May 18, 23-year-old violinist Daniel Lozakovich performed the Mendelssohn with …

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-2025 season to be held at the newly renovated and renamed Jacobs Music Center. The space was formerly known as Copley Symphony Hall. Dean P. Dwyer, President and …

Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday, May 7, at 8:00 pm, at The Civic Theatre. San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare conducted.Before the concert, San Diego Symphony …

I saw Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Sunday, April 28, at the Civic Theatre. It was the fifth production of Butterfly that I have seen at San Diego Opera. My first experience came in 1993. …

While opera remains the most acquired of the classical music tastes, opera overtures are pretty easy to digest. Some opera overtures are known to many who don’t consider themselves to be classical music fans at …

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Friday, April 7, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was fantastic. The program was conducted by Otto Tausk who is the music director of the Vancouver Symphony …

A long time ago, I tried to watch the 2022 movie Tár starring Cate Blanchett. The digital copy that the theater had wasn’t working and so I didn’t see it. I meant to see it …

I have often considered myself to be a most awful philistine when it comes to musical taste. That is to say, I have a general misunderstanding of music. I know what I like but I …

Maurizio Pollini, one of the greatest pianists of our time, died on March 23, 2024. Born on January 5, 1942, in Milan, Italy, Pollini's musical talent was evident from a young age. He began studying …

Island civilizationWithin the Coronado Ferry Landing, you will find Coronado Tasting Room. Purveyors of Craft Spirits, Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars, Spices and Gourmet Foods. Every other Wednesday evening, Michael Gonzales (aka Gonzo) and …

The San Diego Symphony concert on Saturday, March 16, started with a rather famous piece of music entitled Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky. You may have heard it once or twice within the …

The opening of The Jacobs Music Center at Copley Symphony Hall will not be happening this spring. The hall was initially scheduled to open in November of 2023 and then in March of 2024. Delays …

I’ve been making a concerted effort to expand my experience of classical music. In my attempts, I’ve come across some stinkers, such as the opera Der Trompeter von Säckingen by Viktor Nessler. I came across it while …

The San Diego Symphony concert on Sunday, February 25, featured two pieces of music for which I have great affinity, one for which I have great respect, and one for which I had no knowledge …

I recently wrote about my favorite concertos and there weren’t any surprises in my selections. There wasn’t a claim that George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F amongst the greatest of concertos. I didn’t claim that Erich Korngold’s Violin …