Review: Paley Festival

Sept. 27 & 29, First English Lutheran Church

Alexander Paley’s Richmond music festival, which marked its 16th season this year, may be the most international music event of the year – I know of no other in these parts at which four or more languages are heard routinely in intermission chatter. Performances often challenge listeners’ stamina, musical and physical; most programs prominently feature obscure or neglected repertory, especially for piano four-hands.

Opening night was devoted to Tchaikovsky’s “Grand Sonata” in G major, Op. 37, and the 13 preludes of Rachmaninoff’s Op. 32. On the second night: Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony and Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in the composers’ four-hands arrangements, plus Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80. And a chamber-music finale, with the Clarinet Sonata, Op. 129, of Charles Villiers Stanford; Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13, of Gabriel Fauré; and “Contrasts” of Béla Bartók. That’s esoteric programming by just about any standard.

What draws listeners – more this year than any in recent memory, according to organizers – are the prospect of impassioned music-making from Paley, and the pianist’s often volatile interaction with his four-hands partner (and spouse), Pei-Wen Chen, and chamber-music collaborators, this year Virginia Commonwealth University-based clarinetist Charles West and violinist Marie-André Chevrette, a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

There was no shortage of passion in Paley’s opening Tchaikovsky-Rachmaninoff program. The former’s “Grand Sonata” demands an unfettered, all-in performance, which it received in a reading so intense and propulsive that at times sounded to be improvised on the spot. Paley maintained similarly high intensity in the louder and/or faster preludes in the Rachmaninoff set. Quieter preludes, generally alternating with the extroverted ones, got a softer touch without any diminution of urgency or focus.

I missed the middle program to attend Joyce Yang’s recital at VCU. (Scroll down for that review).

The closing chamber-music matinee was dominated, not surprisingly, by “Contrasts,” the remarkable trio that Bartók wrote in the 1930s for violinist Joseph Szigeti and clarinetist Benny Goodman, with the composer playing the piano part.

At the time of this work’s premiere, Goodman was a superstar of the reigning pop-music style, swing; but, unlike other concert works written for the clarinetist (Stravinsky’s “Ebony” Concerto for example), “Contrasts” avoids pop or jazz references. Its accents and gestures come from Hungarian and other Balkan folk musics – as elaborate and assertive as those of the jazz man’s “licorice stick,” but quite different in style and in the clarinet’s interaction with other instruments.

West, Chevrette and Paley gave an exuberant and generally stylish account of the Bartók. The program’s highlights, however, were the preceding pair of sonatas.

Stanford, a prolific Anglo-Irish composer and teacher of the late Victorian-Edwardian period, was educated in Germany; his Clarinet Sonata, dating from around 1912, echoes the German high-romantic style of Brahms or Bruch, filtered through that peculiarly English combination of decorum and nostalgia. West emphasized those qualities in a warm, at times wistful, account. Paley’s accompaniment was more Germanic in tone, but understated enough to give West the interpretive lead.

The more familiar Fauré sonata received an elegantly emotive reading from violinist Chevrette – it sounds as if this is one of her recital showpieces – with sympathetic and nicely nuanced accompaniment from Pei-Wen Chen.

Review: Joyce Yang

Sept. 28, Virginia Commonwealth University

Joyce Yang wrote this review for me. Well, almost: Most of the descriptive language about her piano playing is quoted or paraphrased from her verbal introductions to the program she presented to open this season’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center.

The 27-year-old, Korean-born Yang, silver medalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, boasts not only highly advanced technique and an unusual degree of tonal brilliance but also the gift of classical gab. She describes music cogently and uncondescendingly for non-musicians, and does so with a well-modulated voice, well-practiced delivery and a sunny personality.

And she proved quite candid about how she intended to play selections. Her description of pieces in the program’s first half as “primary colored” and with “edge” applied as much to her approaches to them as to the pieces themselves.

Her treatment of a set of four Debussy preludes, for example, was more fauvist than impressionist in coloration, and her timbres and percussive playing in a pair of Scarlatti sonatas and Bartók’s “Out of Doors” Suite were similarly bright and sharp. (Way too much so, to my ears, for Scarlatti.)

Yang is a muscular pianist, not so much a keyboard-pounder as a martial artist whose glancing blows produce a sound of explosive brilliance. She has a softer touch, too, displayed in several of the Debussy pieces and more effectively in three Earl Wild arrangements of Rachmaninoff songs, but that mode of playing also proved to be brilliant and edgy.

Her sound and technique came across best in the Bartók and in Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, which she played in its 1931 revision. She described this pared-down version, shorn of connective and transitional passages, as a “schizophrenic” mash-up (my word, not hers) of contrasting thematic material. It is that, and so was her manner of playing it.

So, in a quite different way, were “Scarlatti Cadences” and “Brainstorm” by Sebastian Currier, densely scored and hyperactive “parodies” of Scarlatti, which Yang played in a set with sonatas in D major and A minor by the old master.

Free 'Goldbergs'

The National Public Radio website is offering a free listen to pianist Jeremy Denk's forthcoming recording of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” here:

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/21/224429650/first-listen-jeremy-denk-j-s-bach-goldberg-variations

The Nonesuch disc is due to be released on Sept. 30.

UPDATE: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced that Denk is one of the recipients of its 2013 fellowships, popularly known as “genius grants.” The pianist and 24 others will receive $625,000 over the next five years.

Review: Richmond Symphony

Steven Smith conducting
Sept. 21, Richmond CenterStage

An all-Beethoven symphony concert is a pretty sure bet to draw a crowd, which the Richmond Symphony did on opening night of its 2013-14 Masterworks season. To the brand-name attraction, this program added the artistic allure of two of Beethoven’s greatest works, the “Eroica” Symphony (No. 3 in E flat major) and the Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major.

Pianist William Wolfram, who has played repertory ranging from Gershwin to Brahms over 20-plus years of engagements with this orchestra, made an exceptionally strong impression in this concerto, balancing Beethovenian weightiness with the chaste lyricism of Mozart. (It often sounds as if the pianist is expected to play Mozart with the right hand, Beethoven with the left.)

Wolfram brought real poetic sensibility to the big first movement, drama to the second (more an entr’acte than a slow movement per se) and a nice balance of elegance and frolic to the finale. Conductor Steven Smith and the orchestra seconded Wolfram’s lyricism, the strings playing with gratifying warmth.

As seems to be his wont in Beethoven, Smith opted for a middle-of-the-road interpretation of the “Eroica.” The first two movements recalled the “big-band” Beethoven that was the norm through much of the 19th century and most of the 20th; the scherzo and finale were more sharply accented and dynamically terraced, in the “classical” or “historically informed” Beethoven style heard with increasing frequency in recent years.

Both approaches are legitimate in this monumental symphony. In live performance, though, the forward momentum and urgency of the classical style pack more punch. More of those qualities would have enhanced the first movement, to my ears.

The orchestra’s strings were in consistently fine form throughout the concerto and symphony. Three French horns, paced by principal James Ferree, and principal oboist Gustav Highstein’s solos in the funeral-march second movement, greatly enhanced this performance of the “Eroica.”

Altogether, I would rate these the best Beethoven performances of Smith’s tenure with the symphony to date.

The program opened with the last and shortest of the four overtures Beethoven wrote for his much-revised sole opera, “Fidelio.” Smith and the orchestra dispatched it with more efficiency than passion or portent.

Again, squeaking door hinges and other random thumps and bumps intruded on the musical experience. Patrons in the upper balconies complained of poor sound, especially from the piano, apparently due to electronic “enhancement” of the theater’s acoustics.

The program repeats at 3 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $10-$76. Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX); www.richmondsymphony.com

Richmond season overview

Here’s a handy (I hope) overview of sounds to come in Richmond’s 2013-14 classical season.

Included in the following list are offerings by the city’s major performing troupes and presenters, the music departments of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond, music festivals and independent recital series.

Several organizations have yet to announce their coming seasons. When they do, those events will be added to the list.

As usual, there are conflicting dates. The big ones (so far) are:

Sept. 28: A three-way collision of the VCU Rennolds Concert Series opener with pianist Joyce Yang, opening night of the Richmond Symphony Pops series and the second night of the Alexander Paley Music Festival.

Oct. 25: Another three-way, this time eighth blackbird’s “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre” at UR, the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia’s fall gala with the Aeolus Quartet and Raul Prieto Ramirez in the American Guild of Organists’ Repertoire Recital Series.

Dec. 6: The Richmond Symphony & Chorus perform Handel’s “Messiah” and the Salzburg Marionette Theatre presents Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at UR.

Several other conflicts can be avoided by switching tickets for multi-day presentations, or by hustling from one venue to another between afternoon and evening performances.

Non-ticketed events – admission free or by donation – are marked by an asterisk (*).

Following the listings, you’ll find links to presenting organizations.


SEPTEMBER
8 Daryl Harper, clarinet, et al. (VCU Singleton Center)
14 Richmond Symphony (Pocahontas State Park)*
15 Brazilian Guitars (VCU Singleton Center)
20 Lyric Opera Virginia: “Viva Verdi” (Collegiate School Oates Theater)
21-22 Richmond Symphony/William Wolfram, piano (Richmond CenterStage)
23 Tabatha Easley, flute, et al. (VCU Singleton Center)
25 VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble/Patrick Smith, French horn (VCU Singleton Center)
27-29 Alexander Paley Music Festival (First English Lutheran Church)*
28 Richmond Symphony Pops: “Classical Mystery Tour” (Richmond CenterStage)
28 Joyce Yang, piano (VCU Singleton Center)

OCTOBER
2 Saakumu Ensemble (VCU Singleton Center)*
3/5 VCU Britten Festival (VCU Singleton Center)
4 VCU Britten Festival (Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church)
4/6 Virginia Opera: “Falstaff” (Richmond CenterStage)
6 Susanna Phillips, soprano; et al.: “Songs for Soprano” (UR Modlin Center)
7 University of Alabama Birmingham Chamber Trio (VCU Singleton Center)*
9 UR Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Ensembles/Joanne Kong, piano (UR Modlin Center)*
12 Menahem Pressler, piano/New York Chamber Soloists (VCU Singleton Center)
13 Sonia Vlahcevic, piano (VCU Singleton Center)*
13 Richmond Symphony (Randolph-Macon College)
14 Patrick Smith, French horn, et al. (VCU Singleton Center)
19 Lyric Opera Virginia: “Broadway and Beyond” (UR Modlin Center)
19-20 Richmond Symphony & Chorus: Verdi Requiem (Richmond CenterStage)
22 VCU Faculty Wind Quintet (VCU Singleton Center)
25 eighth blackbird: “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre” (UR Modlin Center)
25 Aeolus Quartet (Ellen Glasgow House)
26 Aeolus Quartet: “The Quartet Through Time” (Richmond Public Library)*
25 Raul Prieto Ramirez, organ (Ginter Park Presbyterian Church)*
26 Richmond Symphony LolliPops: “Carnivals & Clowns” (Richmond CenterStage)
27 Richmond Symphony & community musicians: “Come and Play” (VCU Siegel Center)*
27 UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale (UR Modlin Center)*

NOVEMBER
1-2 Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival/eighth blackbird/Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble (UR Modlin Center)*
9 Richmond Symphony/Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano (Richmond CenterStage)
10 UR Wind Ensemble (UR Modlin Center)*
10 Richmond Philharmonic/Peter Wilson (VCU Singleton Center)
12 Richmond Symphony & Symphony Youth Orchestra: “Side by Side” (Richmond CenterStage)*
15 Shanghai Quartet/Peter Serkin, piano (UR Modlin Center)
21 Richmond Symphony/Ralph Skiano, clarinet (Richmond CenterStage)
22/24 Virginia Opera: “The Magic Flute” (Richmond CenterStage)
24 Richmond Symphony/Ralph Skiano, clarinet (Randolph-Macon College)

DECEMBER
2 UR Chamber Ensembles (UR Modlin Center)*
4 UR Symphony Orchestra/Erica Yamamoto, piano/Jenni Swegan, soprano (UR Modlin Center)*
6 Richmond Symphony & Chorus: “Messiah” (Richmond CenterStage)
6 Salzburg Marionette Theatre: “The Magic Flute” (UR Modlin Center)
7-8 Richmond Symphony Pops & Chorus: “Let It Snow!” (Richmond CenterStage)
8 Festival of Lessons & Carols (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel)*
8 Richmond Symphony youth orchestras (Richmond
CenterStage)*

JANUARY
5 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “Time” (Bon Air Presbyterian Church)
7 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “The End of Time” (Bon Air Presbyterian Church)
11 Richmond Symphony/Neal Cary, cello (Richmond CenterStage)
17/19 Virginia Opera: “The Girl of the Golden West” (Richmond CenterStage)
25 Richmond Symphony LolliPops: “An American in Paris” (Richmond CenterStage)

FEBRUARY
1 Richmond Symphony/Mei-Ann Chen (Richmond CenterStage)
2 Richard Becker, piano (UR Modlin Center)*
3 Anthony Seeger, speaker: “Music, Activism and Social Change” (UR Modlin Center)*
7 The King’s Singers (UR Modlin Center)
8 Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord (Bon Air Presbyterian Church)
8 Richmond Symphony Pops/Rex Richardson, trumpet (Richmond CenterStage)
9 Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord (Cable-Lingerfelt house, Manakin-Sabot)
14 Peter Tirrell D’Elia, piano (UR Modlin Center)*
15 Escher String Quartet/Jason Vieaux, guitar (VCU Singleton Center)
17 Bruce Stevens, organ (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel)*
19 Venice Baroque Orchestra/Mario Brunello, cello (UR Modlin Center)
21 Richmond Symphony & Chamber Chorus (St. Augustine Catholic Church)
21/23 Virginia Opera: “Ariadne auf Naxos” (Richmond CenterStage)
23 Richmond Symphony & Chamber Chorus (Randolph-Macon College)

MARCH
1-2 Richmond Symphony (Richmond CenterStage)
2 Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (Richmond CenterStage)*
5 Emanuel Ax, piano (UR Modlin Center)
8 Richmond Symphony Pops/Cirque de la Symphonie (Richmond CenterStage)
9 Richmond Philharmonic/Peter Wilson (VCU Singleton Center)
15 Richmond Symphony LolliPops: “The Remarkable Farkle McBride” (Richmond CenterStage)
15 Lyric Opera Virginia: “La Vie de Bohème” (UR Modlin Center)
19 eighth blackbird: “Still in Motion” (UR Modlin Center)
24 Garth Newel Piano Quartet (UR Modlin Center)*
29 Alisa Weilerstein, cello (VCU Singleton Center)
30 Richard Becker & Doris Wylee-Becker, pianos (UR Modlin Center)*
30 Julia Brown, organ (St. Benedict Catholic
Church)*

APRIL
3 UR Wind Ensemble (UR Modlin Center)*
4 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “Rule, Brittania” (Church of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal)
4/6 Virginia Opera: “Carmen” (Richmond CenterStage)
5 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “Seeing Double” (Richmond Public Library)*
5 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “Night Music” (Church of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal)
6 UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale/Second Presbyterian Church Choir: “Messiah” (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel)*
6 Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: “Café Zimmermann” (Church of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal)
7 Takács Quartet (UR Modlin Center)
9 UR Symphony Orchestra/Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinet (UR Modlin Center)*
12 Pamela Frank, violin, et al. (VCU Singleton Center)
12 Richmond Symphony: “The Music of Michael Jackson” (Landmark Theater)
14 Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano/
Christopher Cano, piano (UR Modlin Center)*
21 UR Chamber Ensembles (UR Modlin Center)*
26 Richmond Symphony: Anoushka Shankar, sitar: “Musical Crossroads” (Richmond CenterStage)
27 Richmond Symphony youth orchestras (Richmond
CenterStage)*

MAY
1 Richmond Symphony/Daisuke Yamamoto, violin (Richmond CenterStage)
3 American String Quartet/Roberto Diaz, viola/Andres Diaz, cello (VCU Singleton Center)
4 Richmond Symphony/Daisuko Yamamoto, violin (Randolph-Macon College)
4 Richmond Philharmonic/Jennifer Kloetzel, cello (VCU Singleton Center)
4 Lyric Opera Virginia: “Master Class” (UR Modlin Center)
9 Thomas Murray, organ (St. Bridget Catholic
Church)*
17-18 Richmond Symphony & choruses: “The Damnation of Faust” (Richmond CenterStage)
18 Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (Richmond CenterStage)*
24-25 Virginia Opera: “Sweeney Todd” (Richmond CenterStage)


LINKS

Richmond Symphony:
www.richmondsymphony.com

Virginia Opera:
www.vaopera.org

Lyric Opera Virginia:
www.lyricoperavirginia.org

VCU Singleton Center:
www.vcumusic.org

UR Modlin Center:
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Alexander Paley Music Festival:
www.paleyfestival.info

Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
www.cmscva.org

Richmond Philharmonic:
www.richmondphilharmonic.org

Richmond chapter, American Guild of Organists:
www.richmondago.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.

SCOUTING REPORT

* In and around Richmond: The Richmond Symphony opens its 2013-14 Masterworks series with Steven Smith conducting an all-Beethoven program, featuring the “Eroica” Symphony (No. 3) and William Wolfram playing the Piano Concerto No. 4, Sept. 21-22 at Richmond Center Stage. . . . Erin R. Freeman conducts the opening Richmond Symphony Pops program, “Classical Mystery Tour – Music of The Beatles 50th Anniversary Concert,” Sept. 28 at Richmond CenterStage. . . . Lyric Opera Virginia opens its new season with “Viva Verdi,” a program of excerpts from favorite Verdi operas, Sept. 20-22 at venues in Richmond, Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. . . . Pianist Joyce Yang opens Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts series, Sept. 28 at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . Pianist Alexander Paley returns for the 16th annual edition of his Richmond Music Festival, with Paley’s four-hands piano partner (and wife) Pei-Wen Chen, violinist Marie-André Chevrette and clarinetist Charles West, playing works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Fauré, Bartók and others, Sept. 27-29 at First English Lutheran Church.

* Noteworthy elsewhere: The Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, featuring the string quartet Brooklyn Rider and violinists Jennifer Koh and James Ehnes among its guest artists, runs from Sept. 8-22 at the University of Virginia, Paramount Theater and Live Arts Gibson Theater. . . . Washington National Opera stages Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” starring soprano Irene Theorin as Isolde (replacing Deborah Voigt, who withdrew from the production on short notice), Sept. 15-27 at the Kennedy Center Opera House (limited ticket availability). . . . Midori plays Brahms’ Violin Concerto with conductor JoAnn Falletta and the Virginia Symphony in the opening concerts of the orchestra’s season, Sept. 20 the Ferguson Arts Center in Newport News, Sept. 21 at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Sept. 22 at the Sandler Arts Center in Virginia Beach.
. . . John Adams’ Saxophone Concerto receives its U.S. premiere, by Tim McAllister, Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony, Sept. 21 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC. . . . Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony in a program of Gershwin, Bernstein and Ravel, Sept. 26 at Strathmore. . . . Virginia Opera opens its new season with its first-ever production of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Sept. 27 and 29 at Norfolk’s Harrison Opera House (with more dates in October in Norfolk, Fairfax and Richmond). . . . Pianist Martin Jones, plays the U.S. premiere of Radford University-based composer Bruce Mahin’s “Paris Préludes,” alongside works of Stravinsky, Debussy and others, Sept. 29 at the University of Virginia’s Old Cabell Hall in Charlottesville.

Sept. 1 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220, Bath County
Garth Newel Chamber Music Festival:
Enso Quartet

Teresa Ling, violin

Evelyn Grau, viola

Eric Gaenslen, cello

William Byrd: Fantasia for string quartet

Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36

Mendelssohn: Octet for strings

$22

(540) 839-5018

www.garthnewel.org

 

Sept. 1 (6 p.m.)

Chesapeake City Park, 900 Greenbrier Road
Virginia Symphony
conductor TBA
“Symphony Under the Stars”
program TBA
free
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Sept. 1 (8 p.m.)
West Lawn of U.S. Capitol, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Reineke conducting
Time for Three
“Labor Day Capitol Concert”
music by Rossini, John Williams, Leroy Anderson, Mark Isham, others
free
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Town Point Park, Norfolk
Virginia Opera singers TBA
members of Virginia Symphony
Adam Turner conducting
“Opera in the Park”
works by Bizet, Wagner, Gershwin, others
free
(866) 673-7282
www.vaopera.org

Sept. 8 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Timothy Summers, violin
Rebecca Albers, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Gloria Chien, piano
Matthew Gold, percussion
Lou Harrison: “Ductia”
Frederic Rzewski: “Whangdoodles”
Annie Gosfield: “Uphill Slides and Knockdown Dives”
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26
$18-$25
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 9 (8 p.m.)
Chandler Recital Hall, Diehn Arts Center, Old Dominion University, Norfolk
Andrew Pelletier, French horn
program TBA
$10-$15
(757) 683-5305
www.oduartstix.com

Sept. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
31st Street Stage, Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
conductor TBA
“VSOcean – Summer’s End Spectacular”
program TBA
free
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Sept. 12 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 125 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
James Ehnes, Aki Saulière & Timothy Summers, violins
Rebecca Albers, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Joseph Conyers, double-bass
Carol McGonnell, clarinet
Ieva Jokubaviciute & Mimi Solomon, piano
Beethoven: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3
John Harbison: Variations for clarinet, violin and piano
Dvořák: String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 77
$18-$25
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 13 (12:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 125 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
James Ehnes & Timothy Summers, violins
Rebecca Albers, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Joseph Conyers, double-bass
Angela Kelly, flute
Carol McGonnell, clarinet
Ieva Jokubaviciute & Mimi Solomon, piano
Matthew Gold, percussion
Doug Schneider, narrator
Saint-Saëns: “Carnival of the Animals” (with Ogden Nash verses)
Ravel: “Mother Goose”
free
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 14 (6 p.m.)
Heritage Amphitheater, Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield County
Richmond Symphony
Erin R. Freeman conducting
pops program TBA
free
rain date: 6 p.m. Sept. 15
(804) 788-4717
www.richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 14 (8:30 p.m.)
Live Arts Gibson Theater, 123 E. Water St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Brooklyn Rider
James Ehnes & Timothy Summers, violins
Raphael Bell, cello
Matthew Gold, percussion
Evan Ziporyn: “Qi” for string quartet
other works TBA
$12
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 15 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Series:
Brazilian Guitars
program TBA
$15
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Sept. 15 (3 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 125 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Brooklyn Rider
James Ehnes & Aki Saulière, violins
Timothy Summers, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Mozart: String Quartet in D minor, K. 421
Bartók: String Quartet No. 2
Mendelssohn: Octet
$18-$25
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 15 (7 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Jeffrey Siegel, piano
“Keyboard Conversations: Gershwin and Friends”
program TBA
$19-$38
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.cfa.gmu.edu

Sept. 15 (2 p.m.)
Sept. 18 (6 p.m.)
Sept. 21 (6 p.m.)
Sept. 24 (6 p.m.)
Sept. 27 (6 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Philippe Auguin conducting
Wagner: “Tristan und Isolde”
Ian Storey/Clifton Forbis (Tristan)
Irene Theorin/Alwyn Mellor (Isolde)
Elizabeth Bishop (Bragäne)
James Rutherford (Kurwenal)
Wilhelm Schwinghammer (King Marke)
Neil Armfield, stage director
in German, English captions
$65-$320
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Chandler Recital Hall, Diehn Arts Center, Old Dominion University, Norfolk
Norfolk Chamber Consort
Telemann: “Tafelmusik,” Part 1 (excerpts)
Thierry de May: “Musique de Table” (1987)
Telemann: Concerto for recorder, flute and strings
Telemann: trio sonatas, cantatas TBA
$9-$22
(757) 852-9072
www.ncconsort.org

Sept. 19 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 125 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Sooyun Kim, flute
Igor Begelman, clarinet
Benjamin Hochman, piano
Kiera Duffy, soprano
John Harbison: Chaconne
Busoni: “Albumblatt” in E minor for flute and piano
Schoenberg: “Pierrot Lunaire”
songs TBA by Kurt Weill, Cole Porter 
$18-$25
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 19 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 20 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 22 (3 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Cirque de la Symphonie
program TBA
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Hugunot Road, Richmond
Dongho Lee, organ
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 272-7514

Sept. 20 (8 p.m.)
Oates Theater, Collegiate School, North Moorefield Road, Richmond
Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Kimball Theatre, Merchants Square, Williamsburg
Sept. 22 (5 p.m.)
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, 2200 Parkls Ave., Virginia Beach
Lyric Opera Virginia
Joseph Walsh directing
“Viva Verdi”
excerpts from “Macbeth,” “La forza del destino,” “A Masked Ball,” “Il Trovatore,” “Rigoletto,” “Falstaff”
Mary Ann Stewart, John Pickle, Grant Youngblood, Bekah Davis, Sarah Kate Watson & Elizabeth Hogue, singers
Stephanie Vlahos, stage director
$37
(757) 446-6666
www.lyricoperavirginia.org

Sept. 20 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 201 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Sept. 22 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Kabalevsky: “Colas Breugnon” Overture
Prokofiev: “Romeo and Juliet” (excerpts)
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Midori, violin
$22-$105
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 22 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Beethoven: “Fidelio” Overture
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
William Wolfram, piano
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
$10-$76
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Copland: “Music for the Theatre”
Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Ricardo Morales, clarinet
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
$25-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.cfa.gmu.edu

Sept. 21 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Rimsky-Korsakov: “Scheherazade”
John Adams: Saxophone Concerto (U.S. premiere)
Tim McAllister, saxophone
Tchaikovsky: “1812” Overture
U.S. Navy Band & Sea Chanters Chorus
$41-$104
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Sept. 22 (3 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 125 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Jennifer Koh, violin
Timothy Summers, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Benjamin Hochman, piano
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, for solo violin
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in A flat major, Op. 110
Mozart: Piano Quartet in E flat major, K. 493
$18-$25
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 23 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Tabatha Easley, flute
Laura White, piano
Kenneth Wood, tenor
other performers TBA
Victor Agudelo: “Hexaedro” for flute and piano (U.S. premiere)
Jan Bach: Duet for flute and French horn
3 Irish folk songs
other works TBA
$7
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Sept. 25 (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
Saint-Saëns: “Morceau de Concert," Op. 94
Patrick Smith, French horn
Ronald LoPresti: “Elegy for a Young American”
other works TBA
ticket price TBA
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Vince Mendoza conducting
Wayne Shorter Quartet
Esperanza Spalding, bass & vocals
“Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration”
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Gershwin: “Cuban” Overture
Bernstein: Symphony No. 2 (“The Age of Anxiety”)
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Ravel: “Daphnis et Chloé” Suite No. 2
$31-$94
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Sept. 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR faculty and student performers TBA
“Family Weekend Concert”
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Sept. 27 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street (Stuart Circle), Richmond
Alexander Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley, piano
Tchaikovsky: “Grand Sonata” in G major, Op. 37
Rachmaninoff: 13 preludes, Op. 32
donation requested
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 27 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 29 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
Joseph Rescigno conducting
Verdi: “Falstaff”
Stephen Powell (Falstaff)
Weston Hurt (Ford)
Elizabeth Caballero (Alice Ford)
Amanda Opuszynski (Nannetta)
Courtney Miller (Meg Page)
Ann McMahon Quintero (Mistress Quickly)
Aaron Blake (Fenton)
Ryan Connelly (Dr. Caius)
Jeffrey Halili (Bardolfo)
Jeffrey Tucker (Pistola)
Stephen Lawless, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$29-$114
(866) 673-7282
www.vaopera.org

Sept. 27 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Sept. 28 (3:30 p.m.)
Monticello High School, 1000 Independence Way, Charlottesville
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra
Kate Tamarkin conducting
Wagner: “Rienzi” Overture
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor
Daniel Sender, violin
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 (“Unfinished”)
Suppé: “Die schöne Galathée” Overture
$10-$40
(434) 924-3376
www.cvillesymphony.org

Sept. 27 (7 p.m.)
St. Francis Catholic  Church, 125 N. Augusta St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
Jason Stell, lecturer
“Source and Style in Bach's Suites”
$20
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com

Sept. 28 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street (Stuart Circle), Richmond
Alexander Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano
Marie-André Chevrette, violin
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 (piano four-hands arr.)
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
Stravinsky: “Le sacre du printemps” (“The Rite of Spring”) (four-hands piano arr.)
donation requested
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 28 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Joyce Yang, piano
Scarlatti: Sonata in D major
Scarlatti: Sonata in A minor
Currier: “Scarlatti Cadences” (1997)
Currier: “Brainstorm” (1994)
Debussy: 4 preludes
Bartók: “Out of Doors” Suite
Rachmaninoff-Wild: “Dreams,” Op. 38, No. 5
Rachmaninoff-Wild: “The Little Island,” Op. 14, No. 2
Rachmaninoff-Wild: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36
  $34
(Yang in master class, 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 29)
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Sept. 28 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony Pops
Erin R. Freeman conducting
“Classical Mystery Tour – Music of The Beatles 50th Anniversary Tour”
$10-$76
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 28 (7 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
University Singers
UVa Chamber Singers
Virginia Glee Club
Virginia Women’s Chorus
“UVa Choral Showcase”
works by Handel, Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Forrest Pierce, others
$10
(434) 924-3376
www.music.virginia.edu

Sept. 28 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 29 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Soovin Kim, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
$28-$84
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Sept. 29 (3:30 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Lombardy Street (Stuart Circle), Richmond
Alexander Paley Music Festival:
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano
Marie-André Chevrette, violin
Charles West, clarinet
Charles Villiers Stanford: Clarinet Sonata, Op. 129
Fauré: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13
Bartók: “Contrasts” for violin, clarinet and piano
donation requested
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 29 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Martin Jones, piano
Bruce Mahin: “Paris Préludes” (U.S. premiere)
works TBA by Stravinsky, Debussy, Barber, Richard Rodney Bennett
free
(Jones in master class, 10 a.m. Sept. 30)
(434) 924-3376
www.music.virginia.edu

Sept. 29 (4 p.m.)
St. Francis Catholic Church, 125 N. Augusta St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
J.S. Bach: “English Suites” in A major, G minor, D minor
J.S. Bach: fantasias in A minor, D minor, A minor
$20
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com

Sept. 29 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture
Tchaikovsky: “Rococo Variations”
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Bizet: “Carmen” Suite No. 2
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) (finale)
Cameron Carpenter, organ
$50-$250 (waiting list)
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 30 (8 p.m.)
St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1000 Bolling Ave., Norfolk
Feldman Chamber Music Series:
Shanghai Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2 (“Quinten”)
Verdi: String Quartet
Britten: String Quartet, Op. 36, No. 2
$10-$25
(757) 552-1630
www.feldmanchambermusic.org