Cal Performances

While the trio included plenty of flourishes, Mehldau’s unassuming, almost humble approach to performing grounded his set.

Butler’s original themes of hope and community in a dangerous world are translated into fiery melodies and assured anthems.

“13 Tongues” eluded definition like a trout squirming from a fisherman’s hands and returning to sea.

Apparent in their flawless delivery of the night’s program, Vengerov and Osetinskaya’s chemistry was unmatched.

With breathing room denied before the piano’s first flaring note, Trifonov instantaneously enveloped the theater in liquid vigor.

On March 4, radiant melodies converged in Zellerbach Hall as the Cal Performances program gleamed through eras both baroque and classical, injecting the auditorium with vivid, sapid sound.

On March 5, audience members filed into Zellerbach Hall to watch a company whose reputation is synonymous with excellence. Presented by Cal Performances, the Joffrey Ballet showcased a riveting program that spanned genre, mood and style.

With overwhelming complexities, Williams and Hearne managed to capture the pain and confusion coupled with racial dynamics in America. The instrumentation is chaotic, almost biting at times, with a layered libretto that begs for interpretation.

Beginning Feb. 1, Cal Performances will require attendees to be fully vaccinated to the maximum extent to which they are eligible.

Through Sneed's musicality and showmanship, members of the hall were transported back and forth in era, or held in the present as a 25-minute rendition of a fluttery “Joy to the World” flew by in a joyous blur.