Review: Atlantic Chamber Ensemble

Sept. 26, Virginia Commonwealth University

The Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, a new chamber-music collective composed largely of Richmond Symphony and Virginia Commonwealth University musicians, made an impressive debut before a pretty large and very appreciative crowd at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center.

The full ensemble for this performance – violinists Susanna Klein and Ross Monroe Winter, violist Kimberly Sparr, cellist Jason McComb, double-bassist Fred Dole, oboist Shawn Welk, clarinetist Ralph Skiano, bassoonist Martin Gordon, French horn player Deborah Fialek and flutist Jenn Lawson – played the too rarely heard Nonet of Bohuslav Martinů as the program’s finale. The wind players were featured in another infrequently played piece, Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music.” Winter, Klein, Sparr and McComb took on the program’s greatest interpretive challenge in Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8.

The Shostakovich quartet, ostensibly dedicated to the victims of fascism in World War II, is in fact a wrenchingly soul-baring self-portrait of the composer, looking back on his struggle to maintain artistic integrity and sanity without falling prey to Josef Stalin and the minions of this most murderous and paranoid of Soviet dictators.

Shostakovich’s score is austere yet intensely expressive, and requires a high level of string technique with carefully timed descents into roughness. Some excellent ensembles have failed to strike those balances; many of the great quartets, wisely, have left this piece out of their repertories.

This foursome delivered a very credible and deeply moving reading, never slackening or losing emotional focus in the slow music, bringing out the profound dread of the “knocks on the door” in the second of the the three largos, and playing the allegro and allegretto movements with darkly hued animation if not the full measure of giddy desperation. A few intonational lapses could be forgiven in a performance of productive incaution.

The Barber and Martinů are much lighter and more cheerful works, each in their way fine examples of
mid-20th-century classicism, and were treated as such by these performers.

Some solo lines were over-projected in the Barber; overall, though, the composer’s assemblage of seven themes (several recurring) evoking summer atmospherics and moods received a well-balanced and finely detailed reading.

The Martinů Nonet, one of the Czech composer’s last works, conspicuously lacks the rarified, shimmering tonal devices and harmonic techniques of much of his mature music, sounding more like the French-accented neoclassical pieces he wrote in Paris in the 1920s. (In a blind listening test, the Nonet might easily be mistaken for something by Poulenc.)

The nine musicians gave the Martinů a suitably high-spirited run, with the substantial bonus of consistently refined playing.

ACE has made part of its mission a determination to talk to and otherwise interact with its audiences and involve listeners in the process of preparing and giving performances. That proved to be a work-in-progress in this debut.

A screen identifying Barber’s themes by letters A through G was unobtrusively useful, as was a printed “play-by-play” of the quintet’s movements. Spoken introductions to the concert and its selections see-sawed between the informative and gimmicky, conversational and stiff. The red stage lighting for the Shostakovich was a bit obvious, although the piece is better experienced in dimmer light. The claim that the gulags were shut down after Stalin’s death in 1953 was flat wrong: Prisoners would continue to languish and die in Soviet slave-labor camps for many more decades.

ACE is ensemble-in-residence of WCVE (88.9 FM), Richmond’s public-radio station. So, if you missed this program, you may catch some or all of it on the air.

Review: Richmond Symphony

Steven Smith conducting
Sept. 18, Richmond CenterStage

The Richmond Symphony opened its 2011-12 season – the second of Steven Smith as its music director, and the first whose programming he has overseen fully – by contrasting classical-romantic with modern-contemporary works, a practice that promises to be this conductor’s modus operandi.

The classical-romantic first half opened with a rather mellow account of Beethoven’s “Leonore” Overture No. 3, paced by the offstage trumpet calls of Rolla Durham, who has done this duty often enough to expertly balance distance with presence. The Beethoven was followed by a more ardent and propulsive performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto, with Elena Urioste as the soloist.

Urioste, who first appeared with the orchestra last year as a late substitute in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, proved a sonically focused and interpretively passionate advocate for the Brahms. Her tone may not the biggest and fattest around, but she can, and did, summon plenty of intensity when it’s called for, which it quite often is in the big first movement of this piece. The sweet but not excessively sentimental lyricism that prevailed in her reading of the concerto’s adagio was, in its way, just as impressive.

The young violinist also injected a bit of novelty into the Brahms, choosing the first-movement cadenza by Leopold Auer over the more familiar one by Joseph Joachim. (Actually, it was a judicious combination: the main body of Auer’s cadenza segued with Joachim’s smoother handover to the orchestra.)

For the second half of the program, conductor Smith chose “Dreamwaltzes” by the contemporary American composer Steven Stucky and “The Miraculous Mandarin” Suite of Bela Bartók.

Stucky’s tone poem, dating from 1986, is a tribute-cum-extension of the symphonic waltz tradition of the Strausses (Johann and Richard) by way of modernists, notably the Ravel of “La Valse,” liberally garnished with the shimmering, rarified colorations that have become increasingly prevalent in orchestral music over the past century.

The waltz elements of the score are pretty straightforward, even traditional (including a more or less straight quotation of the farewell waltz from Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier”), generally centered in the strings but with low brass often playing unexpectedly prominent roles. The dreaminess of the piece emanates mostly from woodwinds and a large but rarely in-your-face percussion section.

Smith and the symphony delivered a nicely balanced and well-detailed performance, making a persuasive case for Stucky’s attractive score.

The conductor and musicians were audibly pumped-up for “The Miraculous Mandarin” Suite, riding its surges of sound and negotiating its subtler and more technically challenging elements with engagement and assurance. Clarinetist Ralph Skiano’s several important solos, and the shorter solo measures for violin, played by the symphony’s new concertmaster, Diana Cohen, enhanced an altogether winning reading of the piece.

The conductor introduced the Bartók suite with a
semi-apology for its “cacophonous” elements, a concession to traditionalist sensitivities that shouldn’t be necessary for a work that’s nearly a century old (it dates from 1919), and one whose techniques and effects have been mimicked for decades in the soundtracks of science-fiction and action movies and TV shows. By now, even the most conservative listeners ought to be able to tolerate, even to enjoy, music of this kind without also watching some sweaty guy running for his life.

Review: Vladimir Feltsman

Sept. 17, Virginia Commonwealth University

By Brian Plante
guest reviewer

This past weekend was something of a feast for local music lovers, with the season-openers of the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts and “La Traviata” from the new Lyric Opera Virginia packed into three days.

It was also frustrating for many patrons, as Richmond continued its unwelcome tradition of staging major musical events at the same time. (The first of two symphony concerts was also on Sept. 17; the symphony and “Traviata” repeated on the afternoon of Sept. 18.) No doubt the scheduling conflict with the symphony accounted for so many empty seats at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center, where the appearance of an artist with the international stature of pianist Vladimir Feltsman should have assured a full house.

Feltsman is not a newcomer to Richmond; he last played here in 2001. On this visit, his formidable technique, large tonal palette and artistic sensitivity were amply displayed in a program that siphoned the cream of keyboard composers. Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B flat major preceded Beethoven’s “Pathétique” Sonata, which was followed by the four Chopin ballades.

Such a program offers up several possibilities: the excitement of interpretive leaps that bring new depth or luster to familiar works; the simple pleasure of a reunion with old friends; or the temptation to separate from the crowd and put a personal stamp on the music, with the attendant risk of making it edgy, quirky or over-the-top. Feltsman left none of those stones unturned.

The partita, a creation of the so-called “happy Bach,” was very much in keeping with the standard pianistic approach to baroque keyboard music. Feltsman employed a limited dynamic range, steady tempos, and largely eschewed the pedal. What made his playing exceptional was its clarity and articulation, judicious use of a variety of touches and luminous tone. Each of the seven movements was given its own personality, and Feltsman was equally at home with the rhythmic pulse of the more folk-like dances and the almost operatic lines of the slower sections.

The “Pathétique” Sonata took a very different course. Feltsman exploited his technical prowess to unleash the nervous energy that drives the first movement, but the liberties of tempo and dynamics taken in the slow introduction foreshadowed things to come.

The melodious opening theme of the second movement seemed deliberately straightforward, almost a setup for the unexpected shift to the rubatos and rhythmic flux that permeated the middle section and carried over into the return of the original theme. As a result, the performance as a whole took on an improvisational quality and, to this listener, served almost as a metaphor of Beethoven’s growth and liberation from the constraints of classicism.

Feltsman’s temperament was completely in tune with the dramatic ebbs and flows of the Chopin ballades, which took up the last half of this program. His tonal command and romantic sensibility admirably captured both the fire and poetry that illuminate these works, and he tossed off their technical challenges with great aplomb.

Review: 'La Traviata'

Lyric Opera Virginia
Peter Mark conducting
Sept. 16, The Steward School, Richmond

Lyric Opera Virginia, organized by Peter Mark after his dismissal from Virginia Opera last year, is making its debut, in Richmond and three other locales, with Verdi’s “La Traviata,” the work that Mark conducted 36 years ago as the first production of his former company.

The veteran opera impresario and conductor thus comes full circle in inaugural repertory, but apparently not in presentation. Some who saw and heard the 1975 Norfolk “Traviata” (I didn’t) remember it as being more ambitious than polished. This show is beautifully staged, with finely made and nicely angled scenery and lavish costumes; characterfully but unaffectedly acted, thanks to stage director Michael Shell; and very well sung.

Manon Strauss Evrard, the soprano who starred in Mark-led Virginia Opera productions of “The Tales of Hoffmann” and “Lucia di Lammermoor,” leads this launching of Lyric Opera Virginia as Violetta, the tragic heroine of “Traviata.” The role is one of the prime tests of an Italianate soprano’s vocal and emotional spectrum, and Evrard shines on most every point of that spectrum. She also has the ideal look of a Violetta, from the elegantly seductive to the fatally fragile.

She is well-matched, physically and vocally, with the young tenor Cody Austin, who portrays Alfredo Germont, whose love inspires Violetta to abandon the life of a Parisian courtesan. Austin’s clear, robust and (usually) reliably pitched voice is as much an attraction of this show as Evrard’s – a pretty high standard to meet.

The third principal character of “Traviata,” Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father, intent on severing the liason of his son and Violetta, is one of the trickiest of Verdi’s major roles – a heavy with a heart. Many baritones make an awkward transition from fatherly disapproval to sympathy for Violetta’s plight. Zachary Nelson’s shift from wooden sternness to soulful empathy is not the smoothest that one might imagine; but, then, Verdi is not especially helpful on that score. As a voice and presence, though, Nelson is a most convincing Giorgio.

Among the supporting cast, standouts are Andrew Seigla, as Gaston, the life of the Act 1 party scene, and Emily Duncan-Brown, as Annina, Violetta’s maid.

Mark’s conducting of the production’s 34-member pit orchestra is consistently sensitive to Verdi’s dramatic and lyrical requirements, especially the orchestration’s potent undertone of pathos.

The theater of Richmond’s Steward School is the smallest of the four venues at which this company is staging “Traviata,” and on this opening night the volume level of voices, especially en masse, was high, crossing the line to overwhelming for those seated close to the stage. Downshifting of decibels will be needed in this space.

The production repeats at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Cramer Arts Center of The Steward School, Gayton and Ryandale roads. Tickets: $20-$85. Additional performances will be staged at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater on Sept. 20 and the Ferguson Arts Center of Christopher Newport University in Newport News on Sept. 23 and 25. Details: (757) 446-6666; http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Staunton: a new string mecca

The Heifetz International Music Institute, Daniel Heifetz’s career-development program for teenage and young-adult string players, is moving its summer program to Mary Baldwin College in Staunton.

With the program’s arrival, Staunton gets the substantial bonus of thrice-weekly concerts by the institute’s students and faculty in July and August 2012, the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Holly Prestidge reports:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/flair/2011/sep/13/tdmet02-heifetz-international-music-institute-movi-ar-1304623/

Paley Festival set for October

The Richmond festival staged by pianist Alexander Paley is moving this year to later dates, Oct. 14-16, while continuing at its longtime venue, First English Lutheran Church on Stuart Circle (Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street) in the Fan District.

This 14th season of the Paley Music Festival, titled “Fourteen Hands,” will be highlighted by performances of all of Mozart’s works for piano four-hands, played by Paley and wife, Pei-Wen Chen, and the U.S. premieres of two pieces by Joao Guilherme Ripper, a noted Brazilian composer who also serves as director of the Cecília Meireles Concert Hall in Rio de Janeiro.

Performers, in addition to Paley and Chen, are clarinetist Charles West, violinists Akemi Takayama and Kathy Judd, violist Daphne Gerling and cellist Clyde Thomas Shaw.

Admission is free, with donations accepted.

For more information, call First English Lutheran Church at (804) 355-9185 or visit http://www.paleyfestival.info/

This year’s Paley Festival dates and programs:

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.) – Mozart: Sonata in C major, K. 521, for piano four-hands; Mozart: Theme and Variations in G major, K. 501, for piano four-hands; Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 30; Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960.

Oct. 15 (8 p.m.) – Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 381/123a, for piano four-hands; Mozart: Sonata in B flat major, K. 358/186c, for piano four-hands; Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105; Prokofiev: “Overture on Hebrew Themes,” Op. 34, for clarinet, piano and string quartet; Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15.

Oct. 16 (3:30 p.m.) – Mozart: Sonata in G major (unfinished), K. 357, for piano four-hands; Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 497, for piano four-hands; Ripper: “Kinderszenen” for clarinet, cello and piano; Ripper: Trio for clarinet, viola and piano; Dvořák: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”).

New chiefs at Virginia Opera

Russell P. Allen, who served as the administrative chief of Virginia Opera from 1994 to 2000, will return to the company as its chief executive officer, succeeding Paul A. “Gus” Stuhlreyer III in the post as of Sept. 19.

Allen has managed a number of arts organizations, including Atlanta Opera, the Phoenix Symphony and the ballet companies of Orlando and Washington. He also has served as an independent arts consultant and with programs of the National Endowment for the Arts and OPERA America.

“When Russell last served as our chief executive, we reached unprecedented heights in subscription and ticket sales and contributed revenues,” Alan D. Albert, president of the Virginia Opera board, said in a prepared statement, adding that under Allen’s leadership the company “seek[s] to repeat those successes.”

Virginia Opera also announced that John Kennelly, the company’s producing director since 2000, will become its interim artistic director. Kennelly has held production management posts with Michigan Opera Theatre, Central City Opera in Colorado, Pennsylvania Opera Theatre of Philadelphia and other entities.

Robin Thompson, named artistic advisor of Virginia Opera last year after the dismissal of longtime artistic chief Peter Mark, will continue in that post as the company runs an international search for an artistic director and music director.

Albert said the search will be conducted over the next year, with appointments expected to be made in time for the 2013-14 season.

Stuhlreyer will maintain an affiliation with Virginia Opera as a consultant on its endowment-fund campaign, Teresa Annas reports in The Virginian-Pilot:

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/virginia-opera-hires-new-chief-executive

'Concepts, not just concerts'

Eleven musicians from the Richmond area have launched a new chamber-music cooperative, the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble. ACE will give its first concert on Sept. 26 at Virginia Commonwealth University. The group has also been tapped as ensemble-in-residence at WCVE (88.9 FM), Richmond’s public-radio station.

Members of the ensemble are violinists Susanna Klein and Ross Monroe Winter, violist Kimberly Sparr, cellist Jason McComb, double-bassist Fred Dole, flutist Ann Choomack, oboist Shawn Welk, bassoonist Martin Gordon, clarinetist Ralph Skiano, French horn player Deb Fialek and pianist Maria Yefimova.

“Members of ACE don’t plan on presenting the old ‘been-there-done-that’ format of chamber music concerts,” according to a news release announcing the formation of the group. Its programs will include audience participation and “talk-backs,” and will feature untraditional mixtures of music in “atypical venues” – “presenting concepts, not just concerts.”

“The idea of a chamber music co-op affords us the opportunity to create art outside of the typical format,” says Klein, who heads the string program of the VCU music department. “[W]e are all leaders and we all take ownership for our product. It’s more of an umbrella, allowing us to change and adapt freely to what we want to play, rather than having to fit into a model.”

“Richmond is rich in music and culture, but this is one niche we find lacking here,” violinist Winter says. “The face of classical music is changing so rapidly and we are happy to ride on the front of the wave.

A less formal, more interactive “approach to chamber music as an experience for musicians and audiences alike makes ACE the exact kind of ensemble with which I have longed to partner,” says WCVE’s Bobbie Barajas. The group’s musicianship and the radio station’s “ability to share the experience with our listeners means new and great things for chamber music and broadcasting in Central Virginia.”

Among their collaborative plans are “Behind the Scenes: a backstage pass,” a series of “webisodes,” or productions on the Internet, “documenting the efforts that go into preparing the concerts: planning, meeting, rehearsal, etc., right up to the finished product.”

Winter and Skiano will join Barajas between 2 and 3 p.m. Sept. 8 on a broadcast to formally announce the ACE-WCVE partnership and discuss the ensemble and its plans.

ACE’s inaugural concert will feature three works written within seven years of the mid-20th century: Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 (1960), Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music” for winds (1953) and the Nonet of Bohuslav Martinů (1959). Flutist Jen Lawson will be a guest performer in this program.

For more information on the group, visit its website: http://www.acensemble.org/

The Atlantic Chamber Ensemble performs at 8 p.m. Sept. 26 in Vlahcevic Concert Hall of VCU’s Singleton Arts Center, Park Avenue at Harrison Street. Tickets: $5. Details: (804) 828-6776; http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/calendar/detailEvent.asp?ID=52212

2011-12 season overview

Time once again to post an overview of the coming classical-music season in Richmond and environs. Some groups and presenters have yet to announce their offerings; when they do, I’ll add their events to an already lengthy list.

There are some conflicting dates (notably between the Richmond Symphony and the Rennolds Chamber Concerts at Virginia Commonwealth University), and clusterings of events on weekends, which have become the norm in the performing arts, here and elsewhere.

Only dates, locations and artists are listed here. Programming and ticket details can be found in the monthly calendars, in season announcements previously posted, and on the websites of organizations and presenters at the end of this list.

Sept. 5 (Rockett’s Landing) – Richmond Symphony.
Sept. 11 (Henricus Historical Park) – Richmond Symphony 9/11 memorial concert.
Sept. 13-15 (UR Modlin Center) – “Rappahannock County.”
Sept. 16/18 (Steward School) – Lyric Opera Virginia: “La Traviata.”
Sept. 17 (VCU Singleton Center) – Vladimir Feltsman (piano).
Sept. 17-18 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Elena Urioste (violin).
Sept. 18 (VCU Singleton Center) – Tim Olbrych (guitar) & Judy Olbrych (soprano).
Sept. 19 (River Road Presbyterian Church) – Larry Schipull (organ).
Sept. 25 (Randolph-Macon College) – Richmond Symphony/Erin R. Freeman/Richmond Symphony Chamber Chorus.
Sept. 26 (VCU Singleton Center) – Atlantic Chamber Ensemble.
Sept. 27 (VCU Singleton Center) – Russell Wilson (piano).
Sept. 29 (VCU Singleton Center) – Ayman Fanous (guitar & bouzouki), Matt Maneri (violin & viola) & Lori Freedman (clarinet & bass clarinet).
Oct. 1 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Pops/Erin R. Freeman (“Casablanca”).
Oct. 1 (VCU Singleton Center) – Quux Collective.
Oct. 1 (VCU Singleton Center) – Tabatha Easley (flute).
Oct. 3 (UR Modlin Center) – Christopher O’Riley (piano)/Matt Haimovitz (cello).
Oct. 5 (UR Modlin Center) – eighth blackbird.
Oct. 8 (VCU Singleton Center) – Brooklyn Rider Quartet.
Oct. 9 (VCU Singleton Center) – Sonia Vlahcevic (piano).
Oct. 14-16 (First English Lutheran Church) – Alexander Paley Music Festival.
Oct. 15-16 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Carter Brey (cello).
Oct. 17 (UR Modlin Center) – UR Music Department Liszt Bicentennial Gala.
Oct. 21/23 (Richmond CenterStage) – Virginia Opera: “Aïda.”
Oct. 23 (Randolph-Macon College) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Robert Johnson (French horn).
Oct. 23 (VCU Singleton Center) – Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian/Michael Sheppard (piano).
Oct. 25 (St. Christopher's School) – Oberon Quartet/Kimberly Sparr (viola)/Ryan Lannan (cello).
Oct. 29 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony LolliPops/Erin R. Freeman (“Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage”).
Nov. 1 (St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church) – Nathan Laube (organ).
Nov. 4 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony, Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra & Youth Concert Orchestra (“Side by Side” concert).
Nov. 4-5 (UR Modlin Center) – Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival.
Nov. 5 (VCU Singleton Center) – Fry Street Quartet/Robert McDonald (piano).
Nov. 6 (VCU Siegel Center) – Richmond Symphony & community musicians (“Come and Play” concert). 
Nov. 12-13 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Anton Nel (piano)/Richmond Symphony Chorus.
Nov. 13 (Bon Air Presbyterian Church) – Marjorie Wharton (soprano) & Russell Wilson (piano).
Nov. 14 (UR Modlin Center) – Takács Quartet.
Nov. 19-20 (VCU Singleton Center) – VCU Opera: scenes from operas.
Nov. 19 (River Road Church, Baptist), Nov. 20 (Holy Comforter Episcopal Church) – James River Singers.
Nov. 25/27 (Richmond CenterStage) – Virginia Opera: “Hansel and Gretel.”
Dec. 3-4 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Pops/Erin R. Freeman/Richmond Symphony Chorus (“Let It Snow!”).
Dec. 4 (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel) – UR Christmas Candlelight Service.
Dec. 5 (James Center Atrium) – Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian (“Home for the Holidays”).
Dec. 9 (VCU Singleton Center) – VCU Music Department Holiday Gala.
Dec. 10 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Erin R. Freeman/soloists TBA/Richmond Symphony Chorus (“Messiah”).
Dec. 11 (Bon Air Presbyterian Church) – “Messiah” sing-along.
Dec. 14 (UR Modlin Center) – Stile Antico vocal ensemble.
Jan. 14-15 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Jason Vieaux (guitar).
Jan. 18 (UR Modlin Center) – Garrick Ohlsson (piano).
Jan. 20/22 (Landmark Theater) – Lyric Opera Virginia: “The King and I.”
Jan. 21 (VCU Singleton Center) – Ensemble Appassionata/Daniel Myssyk/Richard Raymond (piano).
Jan. 21 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Pops/Erin R. Freeman/Patti Austin (vocalist).
Jan. 28 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra program (50th anniversary concert).
Jan. 29 (Randolph-Macon College) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Mary Boodell (flute)/Shawn Welk (oboe)/Rolla Durham (trumpet).
Jan. 29 (VCU Singleton Center) – Richmond Guitar Quartet.
Jan. 30 (UR Modlin Center) – Lisa Terry (viola da gamba)/Joanne Kong (harpsichord).
Feb. 4-5 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Danail Rachev/Katherine Chi (piano).
Feb. 5 (UR Modlin Center) – Richard Becker (piano).
Feb. 15 (UR Modlin Center) – Shanghai Quartet/Stephen Prutsman (piano-composer).
Feb. 17/19 (Richmond CenterStage) – Virginia Opera: “Orphée.”
Feb. 21 (St. Catherine's School) – Oberon Quartet/Shawn Welk (oboe).
Feb. 25-26 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Richmond Symphony Chorus.
March 3 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony LolliPops/Erin R. Freeman/Sara Valentine & Michael Boudewyns (actors) (“Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”).
March 11 (Bon Air Presbyterian Church) – Richmond Symphony Youth Camerata Strings.
March 11 (VCU Singleton Center) – Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian/Molly Sharp (viola).
March 14 (UR Modlin Center) – eighth blackbird.
March 16 (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel) – Boyd Jones (organ).
March 22 (UR Modlin Center) – Leslie Tung (fortepiano).
March 25 (UR Modlin Center) – Richard Becker & Doris Wylee-Becker (pianos).
March 30-April 1 (Richmond CenterStage) – Virginia Opera: “The Mikado.”
April 14 (VCU Singleton Center) – Trio Solisti.
April 14-15 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith/Brendon Elliott (violin).
April 15 (Bon Air Presbyterian Church) – Steve Henley (organ).
April 17 (Richmond CenterStage) – Australian Chamber Orchestra/Dawn Upshaw (soprano).
April 21 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony LolliPops/Erin R. Freeman/Grey Seal Puppets (“Emperor’s New Clothes”).
April 21 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra.
April 22 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Youth Concert Orchestra, Camerata Strings & String Sinfonietta.
April 27-28 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony Pops/Steven Smith/Richmond Ballet (“Wild Wild West”).
May 5 (VCU Singleton Center) – Emerson String Quartet.
May 6 (Randolph-Macon College) – Richmond Symphony/Erin R. Freeman/narrator & actors TBA (“The Soldier’s Tale”).
May 6 (VCU Singleton Center) – Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian/Mary Bowden (trumpet).
May 12-13 (Richmond CenterStage) – Richmond Symphony/Steven Smith.
May 19/20 (Steward School) – Lyric Opera Virginia: “Carmen” (abridged).
June 2 (Pocahontas State Park) – Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program.

LINKS
Richmond CenterStage: http://www.richmondcenterstage.com/
Richmond Symphony: http://www.richmondsymphony.com/
Virginia Opera: http://www.vaopera.org/
Lyric Opera Virginia: http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/
UR Modlin Center: http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/
VCU Music Department: http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html
Alexander Paley Music Festival: http://www.paleyfestival.info/
Richmond chapter, American Guild of Organists: http://www.richmondago.org/
James River Singers: http://www.jamesriversingers.org/
Bon Air Presbyterian Church: http://www.bonairpc.org/

September calendar

Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, group and other discounts may be offered.

* In and around Richmond: The Richmond Symphony’s new season begins with outdoor concerts on Sept. 5 at Rockett’s Landing and Sept. 11 at Henricus Historical Park; a Masterworks program featuring violinist Elena Urioste in Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Steven Smith conducting Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin” Suite, Sept. 17-18 at Richmond CenterStage; and the first of the season’s Metro Collection series, in which Erin R. Freeman conducts the orchestra and Richmond Symphony Chamber Chorus in Bach, Mendelssohn and more, Sept. 25 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. . . . The University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center opens its classical season with “Rappahannock County,” a Civil War-themed operatic song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon and Mark Campbell, Sept. 13-15 in UR’s Jepson Theatre.
. . . Lyric Opera Virginia, the new company led by Peter Mark, launches its first season with Verdi’s “La Traviata,” staged Sept. 16 and 18 at Richmond’s Steward School, and other dates at venues in Virginia Beach, Newport News and Charlottesville. . . . Pianist Vladimir Feltsman plays Bach, Beethoven and Chopin on Sept. 17 in the opening program of this season’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts at Virginia Commonwealth University. . . . Organist Larry Schipull launches the Repertoire Recital Series of the Richmond chapter of the American Guild of Organists with a program on Sept. 19 at River Road Presbyterian Church. . . . The Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, a new group of Virginia-based string, wind and keyboard artists, makes its debut in a program of Shostakovich, Barber and Martinů on Sept. 26 at VCU.


Sept. 4 (8 p.m.)
West Lawn U.S. Capitol, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Reineke conducting
Mercedes Ellington, vocalist
Chuck Brown and His Band
“Labor Day Capitol Concert”
free
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Rockett’s Landing, 5000 Old Osborne Turnpike, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
conductor TBA
program TBA
free
(rain date: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6)
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Sept. 9 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 11 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia
Lyric Opera Virginia
Peter Mark conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Manon Strauss Evrard (Violetta)
Cody Austin (Alfredo)
Zachary Nelson (Germont)
Michael Shell, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$20-$85
(757) 446-6666
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Sept. 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vocal Arts DC:
Eric Owens, bass-baritone
Craig Rutenberg, piano
works by Wolf, Schumann, Schubert, Debussy, Duparc, Ravel, Wagner
$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Sept. 10 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 12 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 18 (2 p.m.)
Sept. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 24 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Plácido Domingo/Israel Gursky conducting
Puccini: “Tosca”
Patricia Racette/Natalia Ushakova (Tosca)
Frank Poretta/Gwyn Hughes Jones (Cavaradossi)
Alan Held/Scott Henricks (Scarpia)
David Kneuss, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$300
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Sept. 11 (5 p.m.)
Henricus Historical Park, 251 Henricus Park Road, Chester
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
commemorative concert for 9/11
works by Beethoven Dvořák, Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein
(rain date: 6 p.m. Sept. 12)
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Sept. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Town Point Park, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony
conductor TBA
“America the Beautiful: 9/11 Memorial Concert”
program TBA
free
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org/

Sept. 11 (3 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Annette zu Castell, Stephen Copes, Jonathan Gandelsman, Jesse Mills, Sharon Roffman & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, David Quiggle & Melissa Reardon, violas
Raphael Bell, Edward Aaron, Raman Ramakrishnan & James Wilson, cellos
Sooyun Kim, flute
Emma Schied, oboe & English horn
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Reiko Aizawa & Alasdair Beatson, pianos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 20, No. 2
David Boots: “Gumboots” for clarinet and string quartet
Bruch: String Octet in B flat major, Op. posth.
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 11 (3:30 p.m.)
First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St., Charlottesville
Oratorio Society of Virginia
Michael Slon conducting
“A Service of Remembrance”
Mozart: Requiem
soloists TBA
Free
(434) 295-4385
http://www.oratoriosociety.org/

Sept. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Jepson Theatre, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Ricky Ian Gordon & Mark Campbell: “Rappahannock County”
cast TBA
Kevin Newbury, stage director
in English
$45
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/

Sept. 15 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Annette zu Castell, Stephen Copes, Jonathan Gandelsman, Jesse Mills, Sharon Roffman & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, David Quiggle & Melissa Reardon, violas
Raphael Bell, Edward Aaron, Raman Ramakrishnan & James Wilson, cellos
Sooyun Kim, flute
Emma Schied, oboe & English horn
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Reiko Aizawa & Alasdair Beatson, pianos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Weber: “Grand Duo concertant” for clarinet and piano, Op. 48
Peteris Vasks: Piano Trio (“Episodi di Canto perpetuo”)
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 16 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Jesus Silva Guitar Scholarship Concert:
performers TBA
program TBA
Free
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 16 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 18 (2:30 p.m.)
Cramer Arts Center, The Steward School, Gayton and Ryandale roads, Richmond
Lyric Opera Virginia
Peter Mark conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Manon Strauss Evrard (Violetta)
Cody Austin (Alfredo)
Zachary Nelson (Germont)
Michael Shell, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$20-$85
(757) 446-6666
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Sept. 16 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Sept. 17 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 201 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Sept. 18 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Franz Schmidt: Intermezzo from “Notre Dame”
Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
Philippe Bianconi, piano
$20-$67
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org/

Sept. 17 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 18 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Beethoven: “Leonore” Overture No. 3
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Elena Urioste, violin
Steven Stucky: “Dreamwaltzes”
Bartók: “The Miraculous Mandarin” Suite
$18-$73
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Sept. 17 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Vladimir Feltsman, piano
Bach: Partita No. 1 in B flat major, BWV 825
Beethoven: Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 (“Pathétique”)
Chopin: four ballades
$32
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 17 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
William Boughton conducting
John Corigliano: “Three Hallucinations”
Chausson: “Poème”
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo capriccioso
Karina Cancellakis, violin
Berlioz: “Symphonie fantastique”
$25-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://www.fairfaxsymphony.org/

Sept. 18 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Series:
Tim Olbrych, classical guitar
Judy Olbrych, soprano
program TBA
$15
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 18 (3 p.m.)
Old Call Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Annette zu Castell, Stephen Copes, Jonathan Gandelsman, Jesse Mills, Sharon Roffman & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, David Quiggle & Melissa Reardon, violas
Raphael Bell, Edward Aaron, Raman Ramakrishnan & James Wilson, cellos
Sooyun Kim, flute
Emma Schied, oboe & English horn
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Reiko Aizawa & Alasdair Beatson, pianos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Mozart: String Duo in G major, K. 423
Shostakovich: Piano Quintet
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 18 (7 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Jeffrey Siegel, piano
“Keyboard Conversations: a Beethoven Bonanza”
$19-$38
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar/month/2011/9/

Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
River Road Presbyterian Church, 8960 River Road, Richmond
American Guild of Organists:
Larry Schipull, organ
J.S. Bach: Concerto in D minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 596
Vincent Persichetti: Organ Sonata, Op. 86
Sweelinck: "Five Variations on Psalm 140"
Alain: "Second Fantasie"
Alain: "Deux Danses à Agni Yavishta"
Liszt: "Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H"
donation requested
(804) 740-7083
http://www.richmondago.org/

Sept. 19 (7 p.m.)
Old Call Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Roberta Alexander, soprano
master class
free
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Lyric Opera Virginia
Peter Mark conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Manon Strauss Evrard (Violetta)
Cody Austin (Alfredo)
Zachary Nelson (Germont)
Michael Shell, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$20-$85
(757) 446-6666
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Sept. 22 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Annette zu Castell, Stephen Copes, Jonathan Gandelsman, Jesse Mills, Sharon Roffman & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, David Quiggle & Melissa Reardon, violas
Raphael Bell, Edward Aaron, Raman Ramakrishnan & James Wilson, cellos
Sooyun Kim, flute
Emma Schied, oboe & English horn
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Reiko Aizawa & Alasdair Beatson, pianos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Joan Tower: “Island Prelude” for oboe and string quartet
Chausson: “Chanson perpetuelle”
Satie-Abrahamsen: “Trois gymnopédies”
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
songs by Barber, Ives, Bernstein, André Previn
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Wind Ensemble
UR Jazz Ensemble
UR Symphony Orchestra
UR Women’s Chorale & Schola Cantorum
Family Weekend Concert
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/

Sept. 23 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 25 (2:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Lyric Opera Virginia
Peter Mark conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Manon Strauss Evrard (Violetta)
Cody Austin (Alfredo)
Zachary Nelson (Germont)
Michael Shell, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$20-$85
(757) 446-6666
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Sept. 25 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Erin R. Freeman conducting
Aaron Jay Kernis: “Musica Celestis”
J.S. Bach: Mass in F major
Richmond Symphony Chamber Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”)
$20
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Sept. 25 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Annette zu Castell, Stephen Copes, Jonathan Gandelsman, Jesse Mills, Sharon Roffman & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, David Quiggle & Melissa Reardon, violas
Raphael Bell, Edward Aaron, Raman Ramakrishnan & James Wilson, cellos
Sooyun Kim, flute
Emma Schied, oboe & English horn
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Reiko Aizawa & Alasdair Beatson, pianos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Telemann: Trio Sonata in in F minor
Elliott Carter: Sonata for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord
Copland: Movement for string quartet
Mozart: Adagio in C major for English horn and strings, K. 580a
J.S. Bach: Cantata 202, “Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten”
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
http://www.cvillechambermusic.org/

Sept. 25 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
season-opening ball concert
Dvořák: “Carnival” Overture
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Joshua Bell, violin
Copland: “Old American Songs”
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Ravel: “Boléro”
$20-$125
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Atlantic Chamber Ensemble
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8
Barber: “Summer Music”
Martinů: Nonet
$5
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 27 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Russell Wilson, piano
Brahms: Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1
J.S. Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor
Albeniz: “El Albaicin”
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 4
$5
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 28 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Terry Austin directing
Copland: “Fanfare for the Common Man”
Philip Sparke: “Sunrise at Angel’s Gate”
Michael Burritt: Duo concertante
Charles West, clarinet
Peter Martin, percussion
$5
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 29 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Ayman Fanous, guitar & bouzouki
Matt Maneri, violin & viola
Lori Freedman, clarinet & bass clarinet
improvisational and other works TBA
$15
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 29 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 30 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Orff: “Carmina Burana”
Laura Claycomb, soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Hugh Russell, baritone
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Robert Shafer directing
Children’s Chorus of Washington
Joan Gregoryk directing
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Sept. 30 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra
Kate Tamarkin conducting
Dvořák: “Carnival” Overture
Brahms: Double Concerto
David Colwell, violin
Adam Carter, cello
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
$10-$38
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/concertsevents/index.html