Review: Chamber Music Society

Oct. 29, First Unitarian Universalist Church

Halloween arrived early, and with extra helpings of spookiness, in “Voyages fantastiques,” the finale of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia’s French-accented fall mini-series.

Harpist Sivan Magen and the Aeolus Quartet played works inspired by two of the more macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe: “Ballade fantastique” for solo harp by Henriette Renié, inspired by “The Tell-Tale Heart;” and “Conte fantastiques” for harp and string quartet by André Caplet, a more or less blow-by-blow translation-into-tone of “The Mask of the Red Death.”

Both pieces are products of the French impressionist style at its most advanced, melodically fractured, harmonically prismatic, structurally episodic and vividly evocative. That last quality is what attracts listeners who are often put off by the other three in post-romantic music – an audience that might squirm through, say, Schoenberg or Bartók, is absorbed, even mesmerized, by the moodiness and color of impressionism.

Virtuosity helps, of course, and Magen has both the technique and the intensity to draw the listener deeply into any music he plays. His performance of the Renié showpiece, a trippy danse macabre whose heart beats to the tango (which, though born a continent away and half a century after Poe, surely would have appealed to his sensibilities).

Magen and the Aeolus brought comparable fire, focus and sonic edge, plus a compelling sense of narrative, to the Caplet. James Wilson, artistic director of the Chamber Music Society, introduced the Caplet by reading an abridgement of “The Mask of the Red Death” – a lengthy but useful preface.

Flutist Mary Boodell joined Magen and the Aeolus’ violist, Gregory Luce, in Claude Debussy’s Sonata for those instruments, one of the later (1915) and most abstract of this composer’s chamber works. The threesome effectively emphasized the music’s elusiveness and ambiguity by playing up its transparency. One was as aware of the spaces between notes and instruments, by the tones and tempos that were suggested rather than heard, as by the sounds and rhythms themselves.

Boodell and cellist Wilson audibly relished the feast of tone color and exotic instrumental technique served up by Gabriela Lena Frank in “Four Pre-Incan Sketches,” a set of pieces inspired by artifacts of ancient Amerindian cultures of Peru.

The odd piece out in this program was Camille Saint-Saëns’ Fantasy, Op. 124, for violin and harp, a lengthy exercise in sugary lyricism punctuated with elaborate flourishes, largely showcasing the fiddler. Nicholas Tavani, the Aeolus’ first violinist, and Magen gave the piece what it needed expressively and technically; but it inevitably came across as a rather insipid timeout from the sonic wonders that preceded and followed it.

Review: 'Aïda'

Virginia Opera
John DeMain conducting
Oct. 21, Richmond CenterStage

Verdi’s “Aïda” is one of the grandest spectacles in opera. When Virginia Opera announced that it would open its 2011-12 season with “Aïda,” one wondered whether it could pull it off, having as it does to tailor its productions to fit the smallish stages of its theaters in Norfolk and Richmond (its Fairfax venue is a bit larger), and to work within budget constraints that have led the company to mount sparely staged shows using recycled scenic elements.

Happily, it can, and has. This compact “Aïda” has the pageantry, grandeur and exoticism that Verdi intended. Its cast of dozens is outfitted and choreographed, its choristers sing, its orchestra plays, and its dancers and supernumeraries move, to belie their numbers. Its set is minimal yet monumental.

Stage director Lillian Groag, scenic designer Erhard Rom, costume designer Martha Hally, choreographer Malcolm Burn, chorusmaster Adam Turner and John DeMain, the veteran opera conductor brought in for this production, have conjured a small miracle in this “Aïda.” Burn and his dancers from the Richmond Ballet make especially good use of, and an especially big impression in, the tight space in which they have to work. The choreographer’s distillation of the story in the dance scene of Act 2 is a high point of this production.

Mary Elizabeth Williams is an excellent Aïda, projecting the intense but largely repressed passion of the Ethiopian slave girl for Radamés, the warrior who leads Egyptian forces against her people. Gustavo Lopez Manzitti proved less expressively nuanced as Radamés in the first of two Richmond performances; his “Celeste Aïda” sounded to come more from the throat than the heart.

Jeniece Golbourne conveys the spiteful vehemence of Amneris, the Egyptian princess who is Aïda’s rival for Radamés’ love, perhaps rather too well to fit into a love triangle, but quite effectively if the women’s rivalry is seen as a battle between love and possessiveness.

Nathan Stark, as the Egyptian king, and Ashraf Sewailam, as the high priest Ramphis, are suitably stentorian in voice and manner. Fikile Mvinjelwa, as Amonasro, the Ethiopian king and father of Aïda, weaves effectively between the character’s commanding and calculating roles in the drama.

DeMain, leading members of the Virginia Symphony, brings out both the passion and grandeur of Verdi’s orchestration and consistently complements the singers and dancers. Conducting opera is a special kind of work, especially in this show, and this man clearly has mastered the art.

The final performance of the production, at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage, is sold out.

Review: Richmond Symphony

Steven Smith conducting
Oct. 15, Richmond Center Stage

It’s doubtful that any cellist could be rated one of the greats without mastering, or at least making a strong impression in playing, Dvořák’s Concerto in B minor. Yet this most familiar of cello concertos isn’t a conventional solo instrument-with-orchestra showpiece – it’s really more of a symphony for cello and orchestra. For much of the work the cello is closely integrated with the orchestra and its soloists (most noticeably, clarinet and violin); and in most of the concerto’s exposed solo passages, Dvořák wants the lyricism of the human voice, not ear-dazzling virtuosity.

The ideal soloist for this piece is one who has the technique of a star instrumentalist but is more conversant with orchestration than the typical soloist, and one who is inclined to play with, rather than in front of, orchestral musicians. Carter Brey, the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, proved to be that ideal soloist in the first of two weekend performances of the Dvořák with the Richmond Symphony.

Both audibly and visibly, Brey was deeply engaged with the orchestra’s performance as well as his own. His understanding of the cello’s role in the piece, leading here, supportive or collaborative there, was consistently on the mark. When called upon to make his instrument sing, it sang, expressively but without a trace of self-indulgence. From start to finish, his was a performance that said, “Listen to Dvořák’s creation,” not, “Listen to me play beautifully.” And the result was music-making of unaffected beauty and genuine nobility.

Conductor Steven Smith and the symphony’s musicians performed at Brey’s high level of technique, expression and concentration. They brought the same qualities to performances of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 and “Fratres,” a 1977 work for strings and percussion by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.

The Shostakovich Ninth is a tricky piece, surprisingly cheerful for this composer and the year of its writing (1945). Shostakovich often laced good humor with sarcasm and parody, and does so in this symphony, but with more subtlety than usual. His more somber writing is similarly understated – the tonal-emotional atmosphere is more partly cloudy than overcast. Smith’s interpretation was suitably calibrated, curbing the music’s bumptious enthusiasm (more effectively in the last movement than in the first) and giving the darker inner movements appropriate shades of gray.

The symphony’s strings, who played superbly throughout the program, brought a fine balance of rich tone and austere expression to the Pärt, quite effectively evoking the tone of monastic chant that this piece calls for. Smith just as effectively contoured the performance from deep quiet to high intensity and back.

The program repeats at 3 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $18-$73. Details: (800) 514-3849 (Etix.com); http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Review: Paley Festival

Oct. 14, First English Lutheran Church

Opening night of Alexander Paley’s 14th annual Richmond festival was highlighted by a singular performance of Schubert’s last piano sonata, the B flat major, D. 960, in which the pianist filtered Schubertian style and lyricism through Russian passion and volatility.

Paley took substantial liberties with Schubert’s tempos – the sonata’s great andante, for example, slowed to a near-largo pace at times – and played the work’s stormier and faster passages with extraordinary vehemence. Eccentric or willful the performance may have been; but it was also compelling and palpably heartfelt.

The pianist and violinist Akemi Takayama treated Beethoven’s Sonata in G major, Op. 30, to a similarly fiery reading. Takayama favored a sweetly soulful sound, but proved ready to ratchet up to match Paley’s level of nervy intensity. The result was not the tidiest of performances, but tidiness is rarely what one wants in Beethoven.

Paley and his wife and piano partner, Pei-Wen Chen, are surveying the four-hands works of Mozart in this edition of the festival. They started with the Sonata in C major, K. 521, a substantial work with an especially soulful slow movement, and the Theme and Variations in G major, a decorous set of variations on a theme that might have been a comic-opera aria.

The Blüthner piano that Paley uses for these festival performances is a German-made instrument whose bright tone and clarity ought to be ideally suited to the composers represented in this program. On this occasion, however, the piano’s treble register was almost painfully bright at high volume, while its bass sounded recessed and often muddy. The imbalance was bothersome in the Mozart sonata, and even more so in the important bass lines of the first movement of the Schubert.

The Paley Festival continues with performances at 8 p.m. Oct. 15 and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at First English Lutheran Church, Stuart Circle (Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street), Richmond. Admission is by donation. Details: (804) 355-9185; http://www.paleyfestival.info/

Seth Williamson (1949-2011)

Seth Williamson, the voice of classical music, on the air and in print, in Roanoke and Southwest Virginia, has died at 62 from complications following surgery.

An obituary and appreciation of the longtime WVTF announcer and reviewer and columnist for The Roanoke Times by Matt Chittum:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/299454

Chamber Music Society 2011-12

The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, presenter of the chamber-music series directed by cellist James Wilson, will launch a three-part 2011-12 season with “French Fall,” four events this month featuring the Israeli harpist Sivan Magen and the Aeolus Quartet.

A “Parisian Gala,” whose program includes Debussy’s Quartet in G minor and the “Meditation” from Massenet’s “Thaïs,” will be staged at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Ellen Glasgow House, Main and Adams streets. The event will feature music in the parlors of the historic downtown Richmond home and a buffet dinner following after the performance. Tickets are $75.

Magen will conduct a free workshop with the American Youth Harp Ensemble at 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at Grace Baptist Church, 4200 Dover Road in Windsor Farms, and the Aeolus Quartet will perform in a free casual concert at noon Oct. 29 in the Gellman Room of the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets.

“Voyages fantastiques,” in which Magen, the Aeolus, Wilson and flutist Mary Boodell will play works by Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Gabriela Lena Frank, will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at First Unitarian Univeralist Church, 1000 Blanton Ave. at the Carillon. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors, $5 for students.

Later festival events include two “Winter Baroque” concerts, Jan. 6 and 8 at First Unitarian, and a free lecture-recital on Jan. 7 in the Gellman Room. These will feature baroque violinists Christina Day Martinson and Fiona Hughes in the “Mystery” sonatas of Heinrich Biber and music by Vivaldi, Geminiani, Corelli, Locatelli and others. Ticket prices will be announced later.

The festival’s spring series, “Water Music: Chamber Music for the River City,” will feature concerts on May 18, 19 and 21 at First Unitarian and a free program on May 19 in the Gellman Room. Featured works include a suite from Handel’s “Water Music,” Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, Smetana’s “The Moldau,” Menedelssohn’s “Hebrides” Overture, George Crumb’s “Voice of the Whale” and works by Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Szymanowski, Carl Reinecke and Richard Strauss. Subscription and single-ticket prices will be announced later.

For more information, call (804) 519-2098 or visit http://www.cmscva.org/

Symphony's 'Come and Play'

The Richmond Symphony’s “Come and Play,” a chance for community musicians of all ages to rehearse and perform members of the orchestra, will be held on Nov. 6 at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center, Broad and Harrison streets.

Erin R. Freeman, the symphony’s associate conductor, will rehearse the musicians from 2:30 to 5 p.m., and a free public performance will begin at 6 p.m.

The deadline to register is Oct. 7. Registration fees are $5 for students 22 and younger, $10 for adults.

Instrumental parts will be available to all performers.

For more information, call (804) 788-4717 or visit http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

October 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.

SCOUTING REPORT

* In and around Richmond: Erin R. Freeman and the Richmond Symphony open the orchestra’s 2011-12 Pops series in live accompaniment to the classic film “Casablanca,” on Oct. 1 at Richmond CenterStage; Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, joins the Richmond Symphony and its music director, Steven Smith, in Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, on a Masterworks program also featuring works by Shostakovich and Arvo Pärt, Oct. 15-16 at Richmond CenterStage; the orchestra’s new concertmaster, Diana Cohen, is featured soloist in a Metro Collection program of Mozart, Prokofiev, Sibelius and Revueltas, Oct. 23 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland; and Freeman and the symphony open the LolliPops family series with actors from Classical Kids Live in “Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage” on Oct. 29, at Richmond CenterStage. . . . Pianist Christopher O’Riley and cellist Matt Haimovitz present “Shuffle.Play.Listen,” a program of Bach, Gabrieli, Chopin, Stravinsky, Piazzolla and Radiohead, Oct. 3 at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . The new-music sextet eighth blackbird opens its eighth year in residence at UR with “Sounds of a New Century,” Oct. 5 at the Modlin Center. . . . The Brooklyn Rider Quartet, another pacemaker in contemporary chamber music, performs on Oct. 8 in a Rennolds Chamber Concerts program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . The Alexander Paley Music Festival returns for its 14th season, featuring Paley and his wife and performing partner, Pei-Wen Chen, playing the four-hands works of Mozart, Oct. 14-16 at First English Lutheran Church. . . . The piano duo of Paul Hanson and Joanne Kong play rarely heard works of Franz Liszt in a program marking the bicentennial of the composer’s birth, Oct. 17 at UR’s Modlin Center. . . . John DeMain conducts Virginia Opera in its season-opening production, the company’s first performance of Verdi’s “Aïda,” featuring members of the Richmond Ballet, Oct. 21 and 23 at Richmond CenterStage (with earlier dates in Norfolk and Fairfax). . . . The Richmond Philharmonic opens its new season, with pianist Michael Sheppard featured in Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, Oct. 23 at VCU’s Singleton Center. . . . The Oberon Quartet, joined by violist Kimberly Sparr and cellist Ryan Lannan, play works by Mozart, Brahms and Peter Schickele, Oct. 25 at the St. Christopher’s Upper School Chapel.

* Notables elsewhere: Russian pianist Vassily Primakov opens the Tuesday Evening Concerts series with a program of Schubert, Schumann and Chopin, Oct. 4 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
. . . Gidon Kremer joins the National Symphony in the Sibelius Violin Concerto, Oct. 6, 8 and 9 at Washington’s Kennedy Center. . . . Valery Gergiev conducts the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in an all-Tchaikovsky program with pianist Daniil Trifonov, Oct. 8 at George Mason University in Fairfax. . . . Violinist Hilary Hahn plays Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and more, Oct. 19 at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater. . . . Pianist Louis Lortie plays Liszt’s “Années de Pèlerinage: Deuxième Année and Troisième Année,” Oct. 19 at the Library of Congress in Washington. . . . The Tokyo String Quartet plays Mozart, Szymanowski and Dvořák, Oct. 26 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Pianist András Schiff joins Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in a program of Bartók and Schubert, Oct. 26 at the Kennedy Center.
. . . Violinist Gil Shaham plays Schubert, Bach and Franck, Oct. 30 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC.


Oct. 1 (5 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Quux Collective
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Oct. 1 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Tabatha Easley, flute
Tracy Cowden, piano
works by Joseph Schwantner, Lukas Foss, Paul Schoenfield, others
free
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Oct. 1 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony Pops
Erin R. Freeman conducting
“A Symphonic Night at the Movies: ‘Casablanca’ ”
$18-$76
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Oct. 1 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 7 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 9 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
John DeMain conducting
Verdi: “Aïda”
Mary Elizabeth Williams (Aïda)
Jeniece Golbourne (Amneris)
Gustavo Manzitti (Radames)
Fikile Mvinjelwa (Amonasro)
Ashraf Sewailam (Ramphis)
Nathan Stark (King of Egypt)
Kaileen Miller (High Priestess)
Richmond Ballet members
Malcom Burn, choreographer
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$114
(866) 673-7282
http://www.vaopera.org/

Oct. 1 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Till Fellner, piano
Haydn: Sonata No. 60 in C major
Armstrong: “Half of One, Six Dozen of Another”
Schumann: “Kinderszenen”
Liszt: “Années de pèlerinage: deuxieme année: Italie”
$40
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
http://www.wpas.org/

Oct. 1 (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/

Oct. 2 (2:30 p.m.)
Museum of Contemporary Art, 2200 Parks Ave., Virginia Beach
Lyric Opera Virginia:
Peter Mark, conductor & coach
Joseph Walsh, piano
singers TBA
master class: “From the Conductor’s Perspective”
$27
(757) 446-6666
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/

Oct. 2 (3:30 p.m.)
Monticello High School, 1400 Independence Way, 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

Oct. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Christopher O’Riley, piano
Matt Haimovitz, cello
“Shuffle.Play.Listen”
works by Bach, Gabrieli, Chopin, Stravinsky, Piazzolla, Radiohead
$36
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/

Oct. 3 (8 p.m.)
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre, Orange Avenue at Williamson Road
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Bernstein: “Candide” Overture
Jeff Midkiff: Mandolin Concerto
Jeff Midkiff, mandolin
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)
$21-$49
(540) 343-9127
http://www.rso.com/

Oct. 4 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concert Series:
Vassily Primakov, piano
Schubert: 14 waltzes
Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 14
Chopin: 24 preludes, Op. 28
$25-$30
(434) 924-3376
http://www.tecs.org/

Oct. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
eighth blackbird
“Sounds of a New Century”
Fabian Svensson: “Two Sides” (2009) for sextet
Timo Andres: “Crashing Through Fences” (2009) for flute and percussion
Dan Visconti: “Fractured Jams” (2006) for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
Mayke Nas: “Digit#2” (2003) for piano four-hands
Amy Kirsten: “Pirouette” for solo flute (premiere)
Bruno Montovani: Chamber Concerto No. 2 for sextet (U.S. premiere)
$20
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/

Oct. 6 (8 p.m.)
Phi Beta Kappa Hall, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg
Virginia Symphony
Benjamin Rous conducting
Haydn: Symphony No. 83 (“The Hen”)
Judith Shatin: “Jefferson, In His Own Words”
Bill Barker, narrator
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Vahn Armstrong, violin
$16-$60
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org/

Oct. 6 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 8 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 9 (3 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
John Storgårds conducting
Mussorgsky: “Night on Bald Mountain”
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Gidon Kremer, violin
Liadov: “The Enchanted Lake”
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 8 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Brooklyn Rider Quartet
works by Mozart, Beethoven, Philip Glass, John Zorn, others
$32
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Oct. 8 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
Valery Gergiev conducting
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
$30-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar/month/2011/10/

Oct. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vocal Arts DC:
Matthias Hausmann, baritone
Craig Rutenberg, piano
works by Mahler, Korngold, Eisler, others
$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 13 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 15 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Rebecca Luker, vocalist
“Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein”
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Stuart Circle (Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street), Richmond
Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano & piano four-hands
Akemi Takayama & Kathy Judd, violins
Daphne Gerling, viola
Clyde Thomas Shaw, cello
Charles West, clarinet
Mozart: Sonata in C major, K. 521, for piano four-hands
Mozart: Theme and Variations in G major, K. 501
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30
Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
donations accepted
(804) 355-9185
http://www.paleyfestival.info/

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Piedmont Baroque
works by Purcell, Marais, Leclair, Marini
free
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/concertsevents/index.html

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 16 (2:30 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave., Roanoke
Opera Roanoke
Scott Williamson conducting
Verdi: “Il Trovatore”
Hope Briggs (Leonora)
Jennifer Roderer (Azucena)
Scott Piper (Manrico)
Gary Simpson (Conte di Luna)
Keith Read (Ferrando)
in Italian, English captions
$21.10-$105.50
(540) 982-2742
http://www.operaroanoke.org/

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 16 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
John DeMain conducting
Verdi: “Aïda”
Mary Elizabeth Williams (Aïda)
Jeniece Golbourne (Amneris)
Gustavo Manzitti (Radames)
Fikile Mvinjelwa (Amonasro)
Ashraf Sewailam (Ramphis)
Nathan Stark (King of Egypt)
Kaileen Miller (High Priestess)
Richmond Ballet members
Malcom Burn, choreographer
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$44-$98
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://www.vaopera.org/

Oct. 14 (8 p.m.)
The Barns at Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Vienna
Ahn Trio
program TBA
$40
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://www.wolftrap.org/

Oct. 15 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 16 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Arvo Pärt: “Fratres”
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9
Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor
Carter Brey, cello
$18-$73
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Oct. 15 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Stuart Circle (Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street), Richmond
Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano & piano four-hands
Akemi Takayama & Kathy Judd, violins
Daphne Gerling, viola
Clyde Thomas Shaw, cello
Charles West, clarinet
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”
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
donations accepted
(804) 355-9185
http://www.paleyfestival.info/

Oct. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Korean Concert Society:
Ji-Yoon Park, violin
François Dumont, piano
Mozart: Violin Sonata B flat major, K. 454
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
Chausson: “Poème”
Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major
$30
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 16 (3:30 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Stuart Circle (Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street), Richmond
Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano & piano four-hands
Akemi Takayama & Kathy Judd, violins
Daphne Gerling, viola
Clyde Thomas Shaw, cello
Charles West, clarinet
Mozart: Sonata in G major, K. 357 (unfinished), for piano four-hands
Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 497, for piano four-hands
Joao Guilherme Ripper: “Kinderszenen”
Joao Guilherme Ripper: “Trio for clarinet, viola and piano
Dvořák: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”)
donations accepted
(804) 355-9185
http://www.paleyfestival.info/

Oct. 16 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Series:
Sam Dorsey, classical guitar
program TBA
$15
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Oct. 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Paul Hanson & Joanne Kong, pianos
Liszt: “Orpheus”
Liszt: “Festklänge”
Liszt: “Die Hunnenschlacht”
Liszt: Weinachtsbaum” (excerpts)
Free
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/

Oct. 18 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concert Series:
Maxim Rysanov, viola
Elbar Nebolsin, piano
Bach: Suite No. 2
Schubert: “Arpeggione” Sonata
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro
Dubugnon: Lied
Franck-Rysanov: Sonata in A major
$25-$30
(434) 924-3376
http://www.tecs.org/

Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Hilary Hahn, violin
Valentina Lisitsa, piano
Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 12
Brahms: “Sonatensatz” in C minor
other works TBA
$29.50-$49.50
(434) 979-1333
http://www.theparamount.net/

Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Louis Lortie, piano
Liszt: “Années de Pèlerinage: Deuxième Année and Troisième Année”
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1112-schedule.html

Oct. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
State Choir of Russia
program TBA
$22-$37
(877) 840-0457
http://www.fergusoncenter.cnu.edu/

Oct. 21 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 23 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Virginia Opera
John DeMain conducting
Verdi: “Aïda”
Mary Elizabeth Williams (Aïda)
Jeniece Golbourne (Amneris)
Gustavo Manzitti (Radames)
Fikile Mvinjelwa (Amonasro)
Ashraf Sewailam (Ramphis)
Nathan Stark (King of Egypt)
Kaileen Miller (High Priestess)
Richmond Ballet members
Malcom Burn, choreographer
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$114
(866) 673-7282
http://www.vaopera.org/

Oct. 22 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Sibelius: “Tapiola”
Javier Farias: “Concierto de los Andes”
Alturas Duo, guitar, viola & charango
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
$25-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://www.fairfaxsymphony.org/

Oct. 22 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Martin Bruns, baritone
Christoph Hammer, fortepiano
works by Liszt, Beethoven, Wagner
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1112-schedule.html

Oct. 23 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Revueltas: “Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca”
Mozart: Violin Concerto TBA
Diana Cohen, violin
Sibelius: “Pelleas and Melisande”
Prokoviev: “Classical” Symphony
$20
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Oct. 23 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Richmond Philharmonic
Robert Mirakian conducting
De Falla: “Spanish Dance” No. 1
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F
Michael Sheppard, piano
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
$8 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 673-7400
http://www.richmondphilharmonic.org/

Oct. 23 (6:30 p.m.)
West Garden Court, West Building, National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street at Constitution Avenue NW, Washington
Paul Hanson & Joanne Kong, pianos
Liszt: “Orpheus”
Liszt: “Festklänge”
Liszt: “Die Hunnenschlacht”
Liszt: Weinachtsbaum” (excerpts)
(202) 737-4215
www.nga.gov/programs/music

Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Opera Lafayette Orchestra
Ryan Brown conducting
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, countertenor
Gaële LeRoi, soprano
program TBA
in French and Italian, English captions
$50
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
St. Christopher’s Upper School Chapel, 711 St. Christopher’s Road, Richmond
Oberon Quartet
Kimberly Sparr, viola
Ryan Lannan, cello
works by Mozart, Brahms, Peter Schickele
free
(804) 282-3185
http://www.stchristophers.com/

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Young Concert Artists:
George Li, piano
program TBA
$24
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 25 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
soloists from Budapest Festival Orchestra
Jenő Jandó, piano
Iván Fischer, narrator
Bartók: duos for two violins (excerpts)
Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1 for violin and piano
Bartók: “Contrasts” for clarinet, violin and piano
Bartók: Piano Quintet
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1112-schedule.html

Oct. 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Tokyo String Quartet
Mozart: Quartet in G major, K. 387
Szymanowski: Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 37
Dvořák: Quartet in G major, Op. 106
$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 26 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer conducting
Bartók: “Hungarian Peasant Songs”
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2
András Schiff, piano
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (“Great”)
$39-$105
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
http://www.wpas.org/

Oct. 27 (7 p.m.)
Ellen Glasgow House, Main and Adams streets, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Sivan Magen, harp
Aeolus Quartet
Massenet: “Meditation” from “Thaïs”
Debussy: String Quartet in G minor
other works TBA
$75
(804) 519-2098
http://www.cmscva.org/

Oct. 27 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 28 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 29 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Lorin Maazel conducting
Berlioz: “Benvenuto Cellini” Overture
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor
Simon Trpčeski, piano
Mussorgsky-Ravel: “Pictures at an Exhibition”
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org/

Oct. 28 (5 p.m.)
Grace Baptist Church, 4200 Dover Road, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Sivan Magen, harp
American Youth Harp Ensemble
workshop
free
(804) 519-2098
http://www.cmscva.org/

Oct. 28 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Oct. 29 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 201 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Oct. 30 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Tchaikovsky: “Swan Lake” Suite
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1
Liszt: “Totentanz”
Fabio Bidini, piano
Josef Suk: “Fairy Tale”
$20-$85
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org/

Oct. 28 (7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra
Peter Wilson conducting
“Portrait of America”
works by Sousa, Copland, Jerome Kern, Morton Gould, John Williams
$40-$75 (includes reception at 6:30 p.m.)
(434) 979-1333
http://www.theparamount.net/

Oct. 28 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Daniel Hope, violin
Gaurav Mazumdar, sitar
Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
Vishal Nagar, tabla
De Falla: “Popular Spanish Songs”
Takemitsu: “Distance de Fée”
Ravel: “Tzigane”
Ravel: “Alborada del gracioso”
Mazumdar: “Homage to Ravi Shankar”
Bartók: “Romanian Folk Dances”
Ravel-Hope: Kaddish
Mazumdar: “Homage to Yehudi Menuhin”
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1112-schedule.html

Oct. 29 (11 a.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony LolliPops
Erin R. Freeman conducting
“Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage”
Classical Kids Live, actors
$17 (adult), $12 (child)
(800) 514-3849 (Etix.com)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Oct. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1000 Blanton Ave. at the Carillon, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Sivan Magen, harp
Aelous Quartet
James Wilson, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
works by Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Gabriela Lena Frank, others
$25
(804) 519-2098
http://www.cmscva.org/

Oct. 29 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Aglika Genova & Liuben Dimitrov, pianos
Schubert: Fantasy in F minor, op. 103, for piano, four hands
Arensky: Suite no. 1, op. 15
Liszt: “Concerto pathétique”
Milhaud: “Scaramouche”
Liszt: “Réminiscences de Don Juan – Fantaisie”
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1112-schedule.html

Oct. 30 (7 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Gil Shaham, violin
Inon Barnatan, piano
Schubert: Sonatina No. 2 in A minor, D. 385
Bach: Partita No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1004
Franck: Violin Sonata
$35-$85
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
http://www.wpas.org/