Live Review: The Oakland East Bay Symphony's Season Opener Stolen By a French Accordion Player at the Paramount

You wouldn't expect an accordion player from France to nearly steal the thunder of the Oakland East Bay Symphony's season-opening concert on Nov. 7, but he did. The venerable Oakland institution began its 26th season performing Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, and the West Coast premiere of "Brothers in Arts: 70 Years of Liberty," a work for jazz quintet and orchestra composed by Chris Brubeck and Guillaume Saint-James. In a night of spectacular moments, Didier Ithur...