Symphony gets challenge grant

The Cabell Foundation has made a challenge grant to the Richmond Symphony, under which the foundation will match, dollar for dollar, new or increased contributions to the orchestra up to $500,000.

The foundation’s $500,000 gift will go the Richmond Symphony Orchestra Foundation as a new endowed fund to recruit and retain musicians and administrators “required to sustain the Richmond Symphony as a leading regional orchestra,” according to a news release from the orchestra.

Contributions matching the grant will go to the symphony’s operating budgets for the 2013 and 2014 fiscal years (about the same time spans as the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons). The challenge grant will be applied to new and increased contributions made through June 30, 2014.

“Early success in the effort will be particularly important,” the release states, in an apparent reference to the ongoing impasse over reduced pay and benefits for symphony musicians. Terms of a proposed new contract, put into effect last month after being rejected by the musicians, were needed to address an accumulated debt of nearly $1.3 million, a spokesman for the board said.

Castleton Festival 2013

The Castleton Festival, the summer series of opera, orchestral and chamber-music performances on the Rappahannock County estate of conductor Lorin Maazel and his wife, actress Dietlinde Turban Maazel, will stage new productions of Puccini’s “The Girl of the Golden West,” Verdi’s “Otello” and “La Voix Humane,” a double-bill of the play by Jean Cocteau and the opera by Francis Poulenc, in its fifth season, running from July 6-28.

The 2013 festival also will present concert performances of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Fifth (“Reformation”) Symphony, Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and a new work by a young American composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2, Britten’s “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” and “Les Illuminations” and Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” and a program of Mahler art-songs.

The festival, founded by the Maazels in 2009, draws 40 young singers and more than 70 young instrumentalists to work with the conductor and other leading professional musicians, next summer including singers Denyce Graves, James Morris and Neil Shicoff.

Singers in the Castleton Artists Training Seminar (C.A.T.S.) and the Castleton Chamber Players will be featured in recitals throughout the festival.

Ticket subscriptions for Castleton events are now on sale. For details, including a program schedule, visit the festival’s website, www.castletonfestival.com

Review: 'Die Fledermaus'

Virginia Opera
Gary Thor Wedow conducting
Nov. 23, Richmond CenterStage

“Die Fledermaus,” the operetta by Johann Strauss II, began its long life as a satirical celebration of the flirtatious, wine-soaked, waltz-timed frivolity of late 19th-century Habsburg Vienna. That world and its manners and mores are so long-gone that what was satire now comes across as situation comedy.

Virginia Opera’s current production of “Fledermaus,” directed by Dorothy Danner and designed by Erhard Rom, looks elegantly old-worldly, but plays out like the broadest kind of American sit-com, in which characters move frenetically, exclaim constantly and bludgeon punchlines. The cognitive dissonance could be compounded by the production’s use of a dated English translation, in quasi-Victorian rhyme; but the cast doesn’t dwell too much on diction, and the show’s non-stop high jinks distract the audience from the captions projected above the stage.

Go with the flow – or should that be the fizz? – and you get three hours of energetic, mildly risqué, belly-laughable fun.

A cast of young singers, paced by Christopher Burchett (Falke), Sarah Jane McMahon (Adele), Ryan MacPherson (Alfred) and Abigail Nims (Orlofsky), and garnished with some gifted character singer-actors, notably Jake Gardner (Frank), revel in their roles and display some impressive vocal technique – McMahon’s coloratura is as serious as its application is funny.

Grant Neale, as the drunken jailer Frosch, steals the show in Act 3 with his slow-motion contortions and deceptively sly comic turns. (A bit of his slyness would have enhanced several other characterizations.)

The chorus and dancers make a musical and visual feast of the Act 2 ball scene and the Act 3 finale.

Emily Pulley (Rosalinde) and Philip Cutlip (Eisenstein) were a bit effortful, both in voice and comic acting, in the first of three Richmond performances.

The real stars of this show turned out to be the orchestra, drawn from Hampton Roads’ Virginia Symphony, and Gary Thor Wedow, a journeyman theatrical conductor who obtains a sparkling, rhythmically crisp orchestral sound (interestingly, without using a baton). What comes out of the pit is so extroverted and tonally rich that the band sounds twice its size, and so idiomatically Viennese that you’d swear the musicians floated in on the blue Danube.

Virginia Opera’s production of “Die Fledermaus” repeats at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 25 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $25-$114. Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX). The run closes with performances at 8 p.m. Nov. 30 and 2 p.m. Dec. 2 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax. Tickets: $25-$114. Details: (888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com); www.vaopera.org 

Black Friday, boxed

“Black Friday,” as the retail industry calls the day after Thanksgiving, has long been the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season, although this year several chains jumped the gun and turned Thanksgiving into “black Thursday.” Next week, there’s “cyber Monday,” online retailers’ answer to black Thursday/Friday.

Classical record collectors needn’t worry about any of those days this year. The record industry has unloaded a heap of boxed sets, which even at list prices are scarcely believable bargains.

Many of these come from Sony Classical, which has plumbed the back catalogues of RCA Victor, Columbia Masterworks and other affiliated labels to assemble boxed sets whose cost works out to as little as $2 per disc. Most are from the 1950s through ’70s, which were the golden ages of those labels.

Universal Classics is also reissuing big chunks of the Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Decca/London and Mercury catalogues at much the same price per disc – although their boxes tend to be larger and so carry higher price tags. EMI Classics’ batch of boxes is somewhat less comprehensive (so far, anyway), and a bit pricier, averaging $3-4 a disc.

Here are my picks among the many bargain boxes, and what they cost. I’m citing current prices from Arkiv Music – www.arkivmusic.com – the leading (although not always the cheapest) online classical retailer. These prices are not typos:

* “Fritz Reiner Conducts Richard Strauss” (“Also sprach Zarathustra,” “Symphonia domestica,” “Ein Heldenleben,” “Don Juan,” “Death and Transfiguration,” “Don Quixote,” “Le bourgeois gentilhomme,” “Burleske” for piano and orchestra, “Salome” [excerpts], “Elektra” [excerpts], waltzes from “Der Rosenkavalier”) – Byron Janis (piano), Inge Borkh (soprano), Antonio Janigro (cello), Chicago Symphony/Fritz Reiner (Sony Classical/RCA Victor 7686992, 5 discs, $21.49).

* Mozart: piano concertos Nos. 1-27 – Murray Perahia & Radu Lupu (pianos), English Chamber Orchestra (Sony Classical 1914112, 12 discs, $28.49).

* Beethoven: symphonies Nos. 1-9 – Minnesota Orchestra, et al./Osmo Vänskä (Bis 1825/6, 5 discs, $34.99).

* Beethoven: string quartets Nos. 1-16, “Great Fugue” – Budapest Quartet (Sony Classical 7776782, 8 discs, $20.49).

* Beethoven: piano concertos Nos. 1-5; Brahms: piano concertos Nos. 1-2, “Handel Variations,” waltzes, Op. 39; Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503 – Leon Fleisher (piano), Cleveland Orchestra/George Szell (Sony Classical 1918052, 5 discs, $18.49).

* “Bruno Walter Conducts Mahler” (symphonies Nos. 1, 2 [“Resurrection”], 4, 5, 9; “Wayfayer Songs;” “Das Lied von der Erde;” Lieder) – Mildred Miller (soprano), Desi Halban (soprano), Maureen Forrester (mezzo-soprano), Columbia Symphony, New York Philharmonic/Bruno Walter (Sony Classical 1920102, 7 discs, $19.99).

* “Solti Conducts the Wagner Operas” (“The Flying Dutchman,” “Tannhäuser,” “Lohengrin,” “Tristan und Isolde,” “Parsifal,” “Die Meistersinger,” “Das Rheingold,” “Die Walküre,” “Siegfried,” “Götterdämmerung,” orchestral excerpts) – René Kollo (tenor), Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano), Jessye Norman (soprano), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Birgit Nilsson (soprano), Hans Hotter (baritone), Kirsten Flagstad (soprano), George London (bass-baritone), Joan Sutherland (soprano), James King (tenor), Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), et al., Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony/Georg Solti (Decca 001746302, 36 discs, $109.99).

* “Schubert Lieder on Record” (250 selections) – Lotte Lehmann (soprano), Hans Hotter (baritone), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Elisabeth Schumann (soprano), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Gérard Souzay (baritone), Fritz Wunderlich (tenor), Thomas Hampson (baritone), Gerald Moore (piano), et al. (EMI Classics 27575, 17 discs, $46.99).

* “Mravinsky Conducts the Leningrad Philharmonic” (Shostakovich: symphonies Nos. 5, 10, 12; Tchaikovsky: symphonies Nos. 5, 6, “Francesca da Rimini;” Glazunov: “Raymonda” Suite; Mozart: symphonies Nos. 33, 39; Beethoven: symphonies Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7; overtures and orchestral excerpts from operas by Wagner, Mussorgsky, Glinka) – Leningrad Philharmonic/Yevgeny Mravinsky (Erato 698905, 12 discs, $37.99).

* “Mélodie Française” (art-songs by Chausson, Hahn, Debussy, Fauré, Poulenc, Chabrier, Duparc, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, others) – Marie-Nicole Lemieux (alto), Sandrine Piau (soprano), Stèphane Degout (baritone), et al. (Naïve 5311, 6 discs, $19.99).

* “Charles Munch Conducts Romantic Masterworks” (Schubert: symphonies Nos. 2, 8, 9; Mendelssohn: symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 5, Violin Concerto, “Capriccio brilliant,” Octet; Schumann: Symphony No. 1, “Manfred” and “Genoveva” overtures; Brahms: symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 4, piano concertos Nos. 1,2, “Tragic” Overture) – Arthur Rubinstein (piano), Gary Graffman (piano), Jascha Heifetz (violin), Boston Symphony/Charles Munch (Sony Classical/RCA Victor 7826732, 8 discs, $20.49).

ADDENDUM: And why is the day after Thanksgiving called black Friday? Kevin Drum of Mother Jones magazine traces the term to Philadelphia in the 1950s:

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/11/my-annual-black-friday-post

ADDENDUM 2: I neglected to add my usual warning against depending on the performances of one interpreter in music that can be rewardingly interpreted in many different ways. For instance: While I find the Vänskä/Minnesota Beethovcen cycle splendidly played and generally laudable, I find their treatment of the Ninth Symphony “Ode to Joy” overly punctilious; and observe that listeners who prefer a more romantic or “Olympian” treatment of the Beethoven symphonies may find these performances too brisk or insufficiently expressive. I wouldn’t say that Solti’s Wagner or Walter’s Mahler are the last words on either composer, although I’m tempted to say that of Reiner’s Strauss.

Opera bailout

Virginia Opera will bail out the subscribers of the struggling Lyric Opera of Virginia, agreeing to stage two of the latter’s planned productions and offering tickets to a Virginia Opera show in place of a canceled Lyric Opera event, Teresa Annas reports in The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk):

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/11/virginia-opera-stage-lyric-operas-2013-season

Leaders of the two Hampton-Roads based companies deflect talk of a merger.

Annas quotes Joseph Mayes, a member of the Lyric Opera board, as saying the company “will explore a new mission for itself that will still aim to ‘increase the audience for opera in Hampton Roads.’ ”

Lyric Opera, launched last year by Peter Mark after his dismissal from artistic direction of Virginia Opera, had postponed its 2012-13 season because of financial problems.

Virginia Opera will pick up LOV’s January 2013 production of “Camelot” and will stage Puccini’s “The Girl of the Golden West” in January 2014. Lyric Opera subscribers will be able to exchange their tickets for admission to Virginia Opera productions of André Previn’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” or Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”

Review: Brentano String Quartet

with Bruce Adolphe, composer & piano
Nov. 17, Virginia Commonwealth University

The Brentano String Quartet, an American ensemble that has won widespread plaudits and punched many desirable buttons (Naumburg Award, residencies with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Princeton University) in its 20-year career, came to town twice in recent days: live, in the latest installment of VCU’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts; and on the soundtrack of the film “The Late Quartet,” for which the Brentano recorded Beethoven’s late, uniquely challenging Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131.

“The Late Quartet” (which I haven’t yet seen) is said to be Oscar material. A win certainly would raise the Brentano’s profile. Not that these musicians need to bask in reflected glory.

Violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory and cellist Nina Lee stand up to comparison with the best quartets currently at work. Their collective sound is one of high clarity, perfect and focused pitch, animation and expressiveness without excess. Listeners of a certain age may hear echoes of the Quartetto Italiano in the Brentano’s technique and interpretive outlook.

The group’s most singular asset may be its cellist. Lee produces a warm and burnished yet crystalline tone that provides a solid, sonorous foundation for the higher strings without overbalancing them. The cello anchors an ensemble that projects strongly and evenly at all volumes, conveying weight without loudness.

It proved to be the perfect sound for the two largest works on the VCU program, Haydn’s Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2 (known as “The Joke”), and Beethoven’s Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2. The Brentano got more than sound right in these performances; the foursome also captured the bumptious humor of these pieces, an elusive target for all too many quartets.

The Brentano’s treatment of Schubert’s “Quartettsatz,” the unfinished Quartet in C minor, D. 703, was less overtly passionate than I’m used to hearing. This more straight-faced approach, however, reaped dividends in clarity and instrumental balance.

The Schubert, with its fragmentary andante, was paired with “Fra(nz)g-mentation” (2010) by Bruce Adolphe, a piece that reworks the main theme of the Schubert andante in a fashion that could be called kaleidoscopic, or episodic.

The Brentano rounded out the program with four fantasias by Henry Purcell, adapted from the originals for consort of viols. Enterprising as it may be to adapt pre-violin music for modern fiddles, and impressive as it is to hear modern fiddlers play well with next-to-no vibrato, the somberly droning tone and measured paces of these pieces invited the listener to tune out before the set concluded. Two of these in one sitting may be plenty.

Adolphe, a prolific composer, doesn’t appear to be too distressed that he’s better-known as the creator of “Piano Puzzlers,” the feature on public radio’s “Performance Today” in which familiar tunes are recast in the stylistic manner of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and other greats. A pre-concert sampler of these bits of musical whimsy showed them to be not just fun, but quite well-crafted miniatures that could stand on their own without the need to play Name That Tune.

Symphony conductors re-up

The Richmond Symphony’s two artistic leaders, Music Director Steven Smith and Associate Conductor Erin R. Freeman, have renewed their contracts with the orchestra.

Smith, who took over as music director in 2010, has extended his commitment to the symphony through the 2015-16 season. Smith also is music director of the Santa Fe Symphony in New Mexico and artistic director of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony in Ohio. He and his wife, Stacia Lewandowski, live in Richmond.

Freeman, who became the orchestra’s associate conductor in 2007 and took over artistic direction of the Richmond Symphony Chorus later that year, has renewed through the 2014-15 season.

Review: Richmond Symphony

Steven Smith conducting
Nov. 4, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland

“Little Symphonies,” the program that conductor Steven Smith devised for the Richmond Symphony’s second Metro Collection concert, looked better on paper than it played out in the second of two weekend performances.

Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, known as the “Little” C major (the Ninth being the “great” one), sounded dull. The slowish tempos that Smith adopted in its first and fourth movements robbed them of much of their forward momentum and songful swing. The sharp accenting of the scherzo was needed but lacking elsewhere. The burbling animation of the orchestra’s winds was not matched in string playing that was, at best, dutiful and routine.

Could it be that Smith and the orchestra rehearsed the piece in a warm-sounding, lively acoustic, only to hear the performance deflate in the lukewarm, dry acoustic of Randolph-Macon’s Blackwell Auditorium? This has been known to happen in the past.

The opening half of the program contrasted Gounod’s “Petite Symphonie” for nine wind instruments (the standard octet of paired oboes, bassoons, clarinets and horns, plus flute) with the Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings by the late 20th-century Polish master Witold Lutoslawski. (The Lutoslawski was omitted in a Nov. 2 concert at First Baptist Church of Centralia in Chesterfield County.)

The Gounod was treated to a reading by a conductorless nonet (flutist Mary Boodell served as de facto leader of the ensemble) that was warmly sonorous but over-cautious, especially in its finale.

The Lutoslawski is one of the knottier works that Smith has programmed in his three-year tenure with the symphony. Its seven overlapping preludes are not audibly linear for much of their duration, and so make a stronger impression as colorful episodes or sound fragments than as music with beginning, middle and end; and the closing fugue sounds only fitfully related to the preludes. A successful performance requires great concentration (from both performers and listeners) and a combination of technical virtuosity and ensemble balance. Smith led the string players with care; they responded, for the most part, carefully.

November 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: Steven Smith conducts the Richmond Symphony in music of Schubert, Gounod and Lutoslawski, Nov. 2 (minus the Lutoslawski) at First Baptist Church of Centralia in Chesterfield County, Nov. 4 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. . . . eighth blackbird headlines the University of Richmond’s Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival, Nov. 2-3 at UR’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . Saxophonist Sheri Oyan and the Quux Collective play works by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Cage and others, Nov. 3 at Virginia Commonweath University’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . Guest conductor Mischa Santora leads the symphony, with Orion Weiss playing Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Nov. 17 at Richmond CenterStage. . . . Stephen Tharp opens the 2012-13 Repertoire Recital Series of the American Guild of Organists’ Richmond chapter, Nov. 12 at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. . . . The Brentano String Quartet and composer Bruce Adolphe perform in the next Rennolds Chamber Concerts program, Nov. 17 at VCU. . . . The James River Singers present René Clausen’s cantata “A New Creation,” Nov. 17 the Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal), Nov. 18 at River Road Church, Baptist. . . . Virginia Opera’s revival of Johann Strauss II’s “Die Fledermaus” plays Richmond CenterStage on Nov. 23, 25 and 27 (note the extra date), following a run in Norfolk and preceding two dates in Fairfax.

* Noteworthy elsewhere: Violinist Joshua Bell plays a mostly French program, Nov. 1 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC; on the same night, violinist Midori marks her 30th anniversary in a recital at Washington’s Kennedy Center. . . . Pianist Lang Lang joins the National Symphony for a weeklong residency of chamber programs and Beethoven concertos, Nov. 4-10 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Harpsichordist Carsten Schmidt samples toccatas and suites of Bach, Nov. 11 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Staunton. . . . Pianist Christopher O’Riley joins David Stewart Wiley and the Roanoke Symphony in Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, Nov. 11-12 at the Jefferson Center. . . . The Takács String Quartet and pianist Marc-André Hamelin play Schubert, Britten and Shostakovich, Nov. 13 at the Library of Congress in Washington. . . . Vasily Petrenko conducys the National Symphony in Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony, Nov. 15-17 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Chanticleer presents its popular Christmas program, Nov. 24 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax. . . . Pianist Piotr Anderszewski plays Bach, Janáček and Schumann, Nov. 27 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. . . . Anonymous 4 performs David Lang’s staged concert piece “love fail,” Nov. 28 at the Kennedy Center.


Nov. 1 (7 p.m.)
Nov. 3 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Beethoven: “Missa solemnis”
Erin Wall, soprano
Iris Vermillion, mezzo-soprano
Richard Croft, tenor
Kwangchul Youn, bass
Choral Arts Society of Washington
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Series:
Midori, violin
Özgür Aydin, piano
Beethoven: Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 12, No. 2
Webern: “Vier Stücke”
Beethoven: Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 30, No. 1
Crumb: “Four Nocturnes”
Beethoven: Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 (“Kreutzer”)
$60
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 1 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Joshua Bell, violin
Sam Haywood, piano
Schubert: “Rondo brilliant” in B minor
Franck: Violin Sonata in A major
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94
$49-$115
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
www.wpas.org

Nov. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
First Baptist Church, Centralia, Chesterfield County
Nov. 4 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Gounod: “Petite Symphonie” for winds
Lutoslawski: Preludes and fugues for 13 solo strings (Nov. 4 only)
Schubert: Symphony No. 6 in C major
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Nov. 2 (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 3 (11 a.m., 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival:
eighth blackbird
Camilla Hoitenga, flute
Taavi Kerikmäe, piano & electronica
Todd Reynolds, violin
programs TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
www.thirdpractice.org

Nov. 2 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
American Symphony Orchestra
Leon Botstein conducting
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (“Eroica”)
$30-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar/

Nov. 2 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Christoph Eschenbach & Lambert Orkis, piano
Nurit Bar-Josef & Melissa Regni, violins
Daniel Foster, viola
David Hardy, cello
Nicholas Stovall, oboe
Loren Kitt, clarinet
Sue Heineman, bassoon
Laurel Bennert Ohlson, French horn
Beethoven: Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 12, No. 1, for piano and violin
Beethoven: String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3
Beethoven: Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16, for piano and winds
$10-$50
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 3 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Sheri Oyan, saxophones
Quux Collective
works by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Cage, Van Zandt Lane, Roland Karnatz, James Wiznerowicz
$7 in advance, $10 day of event
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Nov. 3 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Escher String Quartet
Purcell-Britten: Chaconny in G minor
Britten: Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36
Gesualdo-Lapointe: “Se la mia morte brami” from Madrigals book 6
Gesualdo-Lapointe: “Illumina faciem tuam” from “Sacrae cantiones” 1
Beethoven: Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1213-schedule.html

Nov. 4 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Family Arts Day Celebration:
eighth blackbird
other performers TBA
Saint-Saëns: “Carnival of the Animals”
other works TBA
$8-$15
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Nov. 4 (4 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Lang Lang, piano
Mozart: sonatas in G major, K. 283; E flat major, K. 282; A minor, K. 310
Chopin: ballades Nos. 1-4
$10-$64
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 5 (8 p.m.)
Chandler Recital Hall, Old Dominion University, Norfolk
Norfolk Chamber Consort
works by Albeniz, Milhaud, Paquito D’Rivera, Maurice Ohana
$9-$22
(757) 852-9072
www.ncconsort.org

Nov. 7 (7 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra
conductor TBA
“Side-by-Side”
program TBA
free
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Nov. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vocal Arts DC:
Russell Braun, baritone
pianist TBA
program TBA
$45
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 7 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Lang Lang & Christoph Eschenbach, pianos
Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 497, for piano four-hands
Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 448, for two pianos
Schubert: Fantasie in F minor, D. 940, for piano four-hands
Schubert: Sonata in C major, D. 812, for piano four-hands
$10-$64
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 8 (7 p.m.)
Nov. 9 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 10 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Richard Strauss: “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Nov. 8)
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 (Nov. 9)
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) (Nov. 10)
Lang Lang, piano
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 9 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Nov. 11 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 201 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Turina: “Sinfonia Sevillana”
Rodrigo: “Fantasia para un gentilhombre”
Debra Wendells Cross, flute
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
$20-$100
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Nov. 9 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVA University Singers
Michael Slon directing
Judith Shatin: “Birkat HaKohanim”
Charles V. Stanford: “Beati quorum via”
Rachmaninoff: Vespers (excerpt)
Eric Whitacre: “The Seal Lullaby”
Palestrina: “Sicut cervus”
Gershwin: “Embraceable You”
$15
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/concertsevents/index.html

Nov. 9 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Morton Subotnik, composer & keyboard
Joan LaBarbara, voice
Lillevan, multimedia artist
Jenny Lin, piano
Todd Reynolds, violin
Subotnik: Falling Leaves”
Subotnik: “Trembling”
Subotnik: “Lucy: Song and Dance, an Opera without Words”
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1213-schedule.html

Nov. 9 (8:15 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
“Off the Cuff”
talk on and performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
$28-$61
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Nov. 10 (8 p.m.)
Temple Beth-El, 3330 Grove Ave., Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein, others
reception follows
$40-$100; proceeds benefit VCU Massey Cancer Center
(804) 355-3564
www.bethelrichmond.org

Nov. 10 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 16 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 18 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
Gary Thor Wedow conducting
Johann Strauss II: “Die Fledermaus”
Emily Pulley (Rosalinde)
Sarah Jane McMahon (Adele)
Abigail Nims (Orlovsky)
Philip Cutlip (Eisenstein)
Ryan MacPherson (Alfred)
Christopher Burchett (Dr. Falke)
Dorothy Danner, stage director
in English with captions
$25-$114
(866) 673-7282
www.vaopera.org

Nov. 10 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Victoria Gau conducting
Prokofiev: “Lieutenant Kijé” Suite
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Brian Ganz, piano
Prokofiev: “Alexander Nevsky”
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
National Philharmonic Chorale
$28-$84
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Nov. 11 (4 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Second Sundays South of the James:
Charles Staples, piano
James Taylor, tenor
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 272-7514

Nov. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Wind Ensemble
David Niethamer directing
Gordon Jacob: “William Byrd Suite”
other works TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Nov. 11 (3 p.m.)
St. Francis Catholic Church, 118 N. New St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
Bach: toccatas in E minor, G minor, F sharp minor, G major
Bach: “French” suites in E major, G major, B minor
$20
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com

Nov. 11 (3 p.m.)
Nov. 12 (8 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave., Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Wiley: “Celebration” Overture
Ives: “The Unanswered Question”
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
Christopher O’Riley, piano
$22-$52
(540) 343-9127
www.rso.com

Nov. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Pro Musica Hebraica:
Ariel Quartet
Orion Weiss, piano
Schulhoff: String Quartet No. 1
Schoenberg: “Mässig” (No. 2) from “Three Piano Pieces,” Op. 11
Korngold: String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 34
Bloch: Piano Quintet No. 1
$38
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond
American Guild of Organists Repertoire Recital Series:
Stephen Tharp, organ
program TBA
donation accepted
(804) 359-2463
www.richmondago.org

Nov. 12 (8 p.m.)
St. Patrick Catholic School, 1000 Bolling Ave., Norfolk
Feldman Chamber Music Society:
Parisi String Quartet
Chausson: Quartet C minor, Op. 35
Ravel: Quartet in F major
Franck: Quartet in D major
$25
(757) 552-1630
www.feldmanchambermusic.org

Nov. 13 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland St.
Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg:
Parisi String Quartet
Chausson: Quartet C minor, Op. 35
Ravel: Quartet in F major
Franck: Quartet in D major
$15 (waiting list)
(757) 258-4814
www.chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

Nov. 13 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Takács String Quartet
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Schubert: Quartet in A minor (“Rosamunde”)
Britten: Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 25
Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1213-schedule.html

Nov. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Mansion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Jennifer Koh, violin
Bach: Partita No. 3 in E major
Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 2 in A minor (“Obsession”)
Saariaho: Nocturne
Salonen: “lachen verlernt”
Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor
$30
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Nov. 15 (8 p.m.)
Ogden Hall, Hampton University
Virginia Symphony
Benjamin Rous conducting
Stephanie Sanders, saxophone
works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Dvořák, Ellington, others
$20
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Nov. 15 (7 p.m.)
Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conducting
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Sergey Khachatryan, violin
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 17 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Opera
opera scenes TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Nov. 16 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conducting
Michael Boudewyns, actor
Niel Boon, narrator
“Beyond the Score: Is Music Dangerous?”
talk on and performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4
$10-$50
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 16 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
Apollon Musagète Quartett
Haydn: Quartet in C major, Op. 76, No. 3 (“Emperor”)
Szymanowski: Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 37
Josef Suk: “Meditation on on the Old Czech Chorale ‘Saint Wenceslas,’ ” Op. 35a
Mendelssohn: Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1213-schedule.html

Nov. 17 (7 p.m.)
Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal), Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Nov. 18 (5 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River and Ridge roads, Richmond
James River Singers
David Pedersen directing
René Clausen: “A New Creation”
Melius Christiansen: “O Day Full of Grace”
Tallis: “O nata lux”
Z. Randall Stroope: “All My Heart This Night Rejoices”
G. B. Martini: “Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina”
$15
www.jamesriversingers.org

Nov. 17 (7 p.m.)
Grace Baptist Church, 4600 Dover Road, Richmond
One Voice Chorus
Glen McCune directing
“Exodus: Out of Bondage”
R. Nathaniel Dett: “The Ordering of Moses”
Vaughan Williams: "Dona nobis pacem”
$15 donation requested
(804) 231-0324
www.onevoicechorus.org

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Mischa Santora conducting
Derek Bermel: “A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace”
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Orion Weiss, piano
Johann Strauss II: “The Gypsy Baron” Overture
Brahms: Hungarian dances Nos. 1-2, 4-8, 13-14
$10-$73
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Brentano String Quartet
Bruce Adolphe, composer
Schubert: Quartet in C minor, D. 703
Haydn: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2
Purcell: fantasias
Beethoven: Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
Adolphe: “Fra(nz)g-mentation”
Bruce Adolphe in “Piano Puzzler” segment, 7:15 p.m.
$34
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
American Theatre, 125 E. Mellen St., Hampton
Joan Kwuon, violin
André-Michel Schub, piano
works by Beethoven, Stravinsky
$25-$30
(757) 722-2787
www.hamptonarts.net

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Nov. 18 (3:30 p.m.)
Monticello High School, 1400 Independence Way, Charlottesville
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra
Kate Tamarkin conducting
Avner Dorman: “Azerbaijani Dance”
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Shannon Lee, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
$20-$38
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/concertsevents/index.html

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Woods conducting
Beethoven: “Coriolan” Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Benjamin Beilman, violin
$25-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.fairfaxsymphony.org

Nov. 17 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
$30-$90
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Nov. 18 (6 p.m.)
Verizon Wireless Arena, Siegel Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Broad and Harrison streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
community musicians
Erin R. Freeman conducting
“Come and Play”
program TBA
free
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Nov. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
All Saints Episcopal Church, 8787 River Road, Richmond
Richmond Concert Chorale
Grant Hellmers directing
“I sing the birth”
Christmas music by Hassler, Palestrina, Victoria, Holst, Parry, others
donation requested
(804) 288-7811

Nov. 18 (8 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Symphonicity
David S. Kunkel conducting
Prokofiev: “Lieutenant Kijé” Suite
Bloch: “Schelomo”
Tanya Anisimova, cello
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
$19-$40
(757) 671-8611
www.symphonicity.org

Nov. 18 (5 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
The Washington Chorus
Julian Wachner directing
Marie-Eve Munger, soprano
“The Essential Bernstein”
$15-$65
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 19 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVA Baroque Orchestra
David Sariti, violin & director
John Playford: dance tunes TBA
Corelli: “Christmas” Concerto (excerpt)
works TBA by Lully, Rosenmüller
free
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/concertsevents/index.html

Nov. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Christ Lutheran Church, 5101 16th St. N.W., Washington
Left Bank Concert Society:
Sally McLain, violin
Lisa Emenheiser, piano
Ezra Laderman: Duo for violin and piano
Harold Meltzer: “Kreisleriana”
Dina Koston: “Duo in Two Parts”
John Adams: “Road Movies”
free
(703) 536-0222
www.leftbankconcertsociety.org

Nov. 23 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 25 (2:30 p.m.)
Nov. 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Virginia Opera
Gary Thor Wedow conducting
Johann Strauss II: “Die Fledermaus”
Emily Pulley (Rosalinde)
Sarah Jane McMahon (Adele)
Abigail Nims (Orlovsky)
Philip Cutlip (Eisenstein)
Ryan MacPherson (Alfred)
Christopher Burchett (Dr. Falke)
Dorothy Danner, stage director
in English with captions
$25-$114
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.vaopera.org

Nov. 23 (1:30 and 8 p.m.)
Nov. 24 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Megan Hilty, vocalist
“Luck Be a Lady: Sinatra and More”
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 24 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Chanticleer
“A Chanticleer Christmas”
program TBA
$24-$48
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar/

Nov. 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Anna Kijanowska, piano
works by Chopin, Szymanowski, Lei Liang, others
free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Nov. 27 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Piotr Anderszewski, piano
Bach: “English” Suite No. 3 in G minor
Bach: “French” Suite No.5 in G major
Janáček: “On an Overgrown Path”
Schumann: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
$12-$33
(434) 244-9505
www.tecs.org

Nov. 27 (6 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
William Neil, organ
National Symphony Orchestra
Ankush Kumar Bahl conducting
inaugural concert of Casavant organ
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)
works by Bach, Guilmant, Gabrieli
free; tickets distributed at 5 p.m.
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 28 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble
University Band
Terry Austin directing
David Maslanka: Symphony No. 9
other works TBA
$7 in advance, $10 day of event
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Series:
Anonymous 4
David Lang: “love fail” (staged concert piece)
$38
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 29 (7 p.m.)
Nov. 30 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Juraj Valcuha conducting
Szymanowski: “Concert Overture”
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major, K. 415
Jonathan Biss, piano
Ravel: “Ma Mère l’oye” Suite
Debussy: “La Mer”
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Nov. 29 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue S.E., Washington
La Risonanza
Fabio Bonizzoni, harpsichord & director
works by Vivaldi, Handel
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/1213-schedule.html

Nov. 29 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Mario Venzago conducting
Liszt: “Mephisto Waltz”
Elgar: Cello Concerto
Sol Gabetta, cello
Franck: Symphony in D minor
$30-$90
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Nov. 30 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Commonwealth Singers
VCU Women’s Choir
Rebecca Tyree directing
program TBA
$7 in advance, $10 day of event
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Nov. 30 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, 215 Richmond Road
Virginia Chorale
“Sounds of Winter”
works by Morten Lauridsen, others TBA
$10-$25
(757) 627-8375
www.vachorale.org

Nov. 30 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
Gary Thor Wedow conducting
Johann Strauss II: “Die Fledermaus”
Emily Pulley (Rosalinde)
Sarah Jane McMahon (Adele)
Abigail Nims (Orlovsky)
Philip Cutlip (Eisenstein)
Ryan MacPherson (Alfred)
Christopher Burchett (Dr. Falke)
Dorothy Danner, stage director
in English with captions
$25-$114
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.vaopera.org