Review: Aeolus Quartet

Oct. 26, Richmond Public Library

The Aeolus Quartet – violinists Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro, violist Gregory Luce and cellist Alan Richardson – opened the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia’s 2013-14 season, “Aspects of Time,” in performances over the weekend at the Ellen Glasgow House and in the Gellman Room of the Richmond Public Library.

I was unable to attend the Oct. 25 Glasgow House gala because it conflicted with the eighth blackbird-Agua Dulce Dance Theatre evening of premieres at the University of Richmond (scroll down for review); but did make it to a sampler of string quartet history that the Aeolus staged before a full house at the library.

The sampler included movements of the three works played the night before – Haydn’s Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5; Beethoven’s Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1 (first of the “Razumovsky” set); and Christopher Theofanidis’ “Ariel Ascending” – as well as bits of Beethoven’s Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 6, and Sibelius’ “Voces intimae” (“Intimate Voices”) Quartet and “Black Bend,” a miniature tone poem by Dan Visconti.

The ensemble, which performed for the Chamber Music Society two years ago, nicely balances warm, robust tone with sharp focus and high energy. Its members also are audience-friendly musical guides in their spoken introductions. Adding to their local appeal, cellist Richardson is Richmond-bred.

The Haydn and Beethoven selections gave sound evidence that the Aeolus’ musicians, like many young string players, have absorbed the technical and interpretive lessons of the historically informed performance (HIP) movement, without going full tilt into its more provocative or pedantic practices.

In the slow movement of the Sibelius, a wrenching memento of the composer’s battle with throat cancer, the group reverted to a more traditionally romantic string style. And the foursome proved expert in the more virtuosic, color-centric and effects-laden techniques of contemporary music in the Theofanidis and Visconti pieces.

The finale of “Ariel Ascending” showcased the Aeolus’ technique as the players negotiated its jittery figures and generally frenetic energy (Ariel’s ascent doesn’t quite break the speed of sound, but comes close). Violinists Tavani and Shapiro audibly relished the nature and train-whistle effects in “Black Bend,” Visconti’s evocation of a famous train wreck on a river bend in northern Ohio.

“Black Bend,” which appears to exist in string quartet, quintet and orchestra versions, is a bluesy delight clearly indebted to country-bluegrass fiddling – the whistle effects recall Lester Flatt’s in the Flatt & Scruggs rendition of “The Wreck of the Old 97.”

Visconti’s 7-minute piece is one of the finest examples of folksy classicism this side of Peter Schickele. You can see and hear the Aelous perform a bit of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLL6wwMsAn0

Virginia Tech's new arts center

Tonia Moxley of The Roanoke Times previews the opening of the new, $100 million Center for the Arts, and the new academic focus on the arts, at Virginia Tech:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/2259834-12/100-million-tech-center-set-for-grand-opening.html

Review: eighth blackbird

with Agua Dulce Dance Theatre
Oct. 25, University of Richmond

The new-music sextet eighth blackbird opened its 10th season in residence at the University of Richmond with the premiere of Amy Beth Kirsten’s “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre,” perhaps the most subtle and elusive music-theater work that the group has staged to date.

Kirsten’s dream-like opus is based on commedia dell’arte, whose theatrical format and archetypal characters were developed in 16th-century Italy. Colombine is commonly its lead female character. Here, she hovers between life and death, torn between the fantasy of romance with Harlequin, the prankish seducer, and reality, represented by Pierrot. The Harbinger, a presence more than a character, “serves as a guide as well as a witness to Colombine’s struggle,” Kirsten writes in her program note.

The story is told primarily through mime-like movement. Dialogue is limited to three poems, adapted from the work of Isabella Andreini (1562-1604), a leading actress of commedia dell’arte, recited by Colombine with greater emphasis on rhythm and expression than on the words themselves.

True to the tradition of these itinerant theatrical troupes, the staging (by Mark DeChiazza) is skeletally minimal – basically, metal towers and chairs draped in patterned fabric. The costumes of Colombine and Harlequin are traditional; Pierrot is garbed in a white jumper not unlike the suits of hazardous-material disposal teams (minus the face mask). The Harbinger is not costumed.

Members of eighth blackbird double as actors and music-makers. Pianist Lisa Kaplan plays Colombine. Percussionist Matthew Duvall is Pierrot. Harlequin is portrayed by flutist Tim Munro, shadowed by clarinetist Michael Maccaferri and violinist Yvonne Lam. Cellist Nicholas Photinos is the Harbinger.

Rhythmic breathing and expressive exhalation figure almost as much as instruments and vocalizations in Kirsten’s composition.

Theatrically, the piece is a tour de force for Munro, whose leering stage presence and sinewy movements makes one wonder whether he might have opted for modern dance instead of playing the flute. Kaplan effectively conveys Colombine’s life/death, fantasy/reality state, often in near-stasis as she lies on the floor in a “nest” formed by her costume. Duvall’s Pierrot is a physically and emotionally distant figure, more engaged in playing percussion instruments, perched precariously on a high ladder, than in acting per se.

As eighth blackbird has frequently staged in Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire,” one wonders whether “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre” is destined to be a companion piece. Pairing the two would be fascinating, if exhausting for the six performers.

Another premiere shared the bill of this program: “passing through,” a piece staged by the Agua Dulce Dance Theatre, a troupe led by dancer-choreographers Alicia Díaz and Matthew Thornton, both on the UR faculty (he is also a martial artist).

The 20-minute piece is billed as a collaborative work, also created by video artists KimSu Theiler and Alexis Raskin, sound designer Oliver Lyons, lighting designer Patrick Kraehenbuehl and composer Andrew Clay McGraw. McGraw, director of UR’s Gamelan Raga Kusuma, an Indonesian-style gamelan orchestra, and members of that ensemble form the pit band for this production.

According to Díaz, “passing through” is the product of a creative process that continued through “the end of tonight’s show.” (And will resume in subsequent performances?) To its credit, it doesn’t play like a committee effort or work in progress.

The story line, if that’s the right term, is “the process of becoming, taking shape and then moving on,” we’re informed in the program note. Nebulous? To be sure.

The piece begins with “inception,” a slow-motion, mirror-image dance by a female duo, which segues into “fire,” a more frenzied set of movements by a male dancer with a video fire backdrop. “Forming” and “passing through,” the most eye-catching sections, are plays of physical movement and striking lighting effects.

Lang Lang in Charlottesville

Lang Lang, the Chinese superstar pianist, will perform on Feb. 15 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville.

Tickets, priced from $65.50 to $250, will go on sale at 10 a.m. today (Oct. 25) at the Paramount box office, 215 E. Main St. on the downtown mall.

For more information, call (434) 979-1333, or visit the theater website, www.theparamount.net

Review: Richmond Symphony

with soloists, Richmond Symphony Chorus
Steven Smith conducting
Oct. 19, Richmond CenterStage

Like certain locusts, the Verdi Requiem arrives every seven years or so on Richmond Symphony programs. This year, there’s also the anniversary factor: 2013 is the bicentenary of Verdi’s birth. The Requiem has been treated to a variety of interpretations over the years, but performances have been remarkably consistent in quality.

A concert chorus rarely gets to be more dramatic than in this piece, and there’s no better concert showcase for Italianate operatic voices. This time around, the solo quartet – soprano Kelley Nassief, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein, tenor Marco Panuccio and bass Kevin Deas – proved to be unusually complementary, with Nassief and Feinstein producing especially fine duet-singing in several of the most emotionally potent sections of the Mass.

Deas, who performs frequently with this orchestra, was a sonorous if rather stoic presence; Panuccio contributed the most Italianate accents, singing with heated intensity even in the tenor’s most quiet passages.

Intense quiet was one of the most effective tones of voice in this choral performance. From the opening “Requiem” through the conclusion of the Mass, the Symphony Chorus created striking effects of shadowed tone and distance in its sotto voce singing. In louder and more turbulent passages, notably the recurrent Dies Irae, the choristers projected energy and passion, and demonstratred gratifying attention to detail in more complex sections.

Erin R. Freeman, who this season is dividing her time between the Richmond Symphony, where she is associate conductor and director of the Symphony Chorus, and a new post as director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, prepared the Richmonders well for the Verdi Requiem. She also sang with her charges in the weekend performances.

Steven Smith, the orchestra’s music director, showed an interesting sensibility in his first go at a major Italian score in four seasons in Richmond. Under his direction, this Requiem emphasized the lyrical, emotional and spiritual. The drama, in the Dies Irae and elsewhere, was not especially hard-edged.

A temperate Verdi Requiem? Relatively so, and surprisingly effective in its aversion to excess.

Review: Menahem Pressler

with New York Chamber Soloists
Oct. 12, Virginia Commonwealth University

At the beginning of the second half of the VCU Rennolds Concerts performance by pianist Menahem Pressler and the New York Chamber Soloists, the ensemble’s clarinetist, Allen Blustine, turned to the audience:

“Anyone here have perfect pitch?”

Few if any hands went up.

“Good,” he said.

’Nuff said, I’d say, about the intonational (and other) problems that plagued the wind ensemble in Mozart’s Divertimento in B flat major, K. 439b, and Quintet in E flat major, K. 452, for piano and winds during the first half of the program.

The four wind players also joined the pianist in Beethoven’s Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16, for piano and winds to close the program; but like a number of concertgoers, I left before that performance.

Pressler, the longtime pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, was the star of this outing. He turns 90 later this year. Age has robbed him of some facility – he dropped some notes and muddled some figurations in six bagatelles from Beethoven’s Op. 33 set and of Mozart’s great Rondo in A minor, K. 511; but his tone production remains crystalline, and the musicality developed and deepened over a 70-year career more than compensated for technical flaws in his performances.

Especially so in the Mozart rondo, a work that could be cited as proof of the comment (attributed to Artur Schnabel) that Mozart is too easy for children and too hard for adults. Introducing the rondo, Pressler recalled the great pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski observing that pianists choosing to play K. 511 in competitions inevitably lost.

Pressler himself delayed adding the piece to his repertory until he was in his 80s. “I have to play this piece,” he told the audience. “If I fail, I fail.”

His performance was a tutorial on how to handle the ambiguities of minor-key Mozart. While playful, as a rondo should be, and as Mozart almost always is in his keyboard music, Pressler also captured the rueful, “if only” tone that pervades this remarkable work.

The Mozart rondo tends to tower over other works with which it’s programmed. In this program, it towered even higher.

Verdi freebies

In a concert commemorating the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth, Riccardo Muti will conduct the Chicago Symphony in the Verdi Requiem in a live webcast beginning at 8:15 p.m. (Eastern time).

Joining Muti and the orchestra are soprano Tatiana Serjan, mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona, tenor Mario Zeffiri, bass Ildar Abdrazakov and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, directed by Duain Wolfe.

The live stream is here:

http://cso.org/res/VerdiRequiem/

After Oct. 10, the performance can be viewed on demand, at:

http://cso.org/Verdi

* * *

The Richmond Symphony is offering pairs of free tickets for furloughed federal employees to performances of Verdi’s Requiem, at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 and 3 p.m. Oct. 20 at Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets. To claim tickets, bring federal ID to the box office.

'Falstaff' reviewed

I was unable to make it to Virginia Opera's season-opening production of Verdi's "Falstaff." Here's Roy Proctor's review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/opera-review-falstaff/article_c4578489-2110-5b2d-badb-05b887b8e6c3.html

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: Two music festivals launch the month: Virginia Commonwealth University’s Britten Festival, Oct. 3-5 at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center and Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church; the Good Shepherd Music Festival, at the Forest Hill church of that name, presenting the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble on Oct. 4, the Viva la Voce vocal ensemble, followed by the duo of violinist Karen Johnson and pianist Joanne Kong in two concerts on Oct. 5, and the Charlottesville early music band Three Notch’d Road on Oct. 6. . . . Virginia Opera stages its season-opening (and first ever) production of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Oct. 4 and 6 at Richmond CenterStage (final performances are Oct. 11 and 13 at George Mason University in Fairfax). . . . Organ showman Cameron Carpenter plays two dates in the region: Oct. 4 at Richmond’s Byrd Theatre, Oct. 16 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. . . . Violist Paul Neubauer and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott join soprano Susanna Phillips in “Songs for Soprano,” Oct. 6 at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . Menahem Pressler, the 89-year-old pianist, long a member of the Beaux Arts Trio, is joined by the New York Chamber Soloists in the next Rennolds Chamber Concerts program at VCU, Oct. 12 at the Singleton Center. . . . The Richmond Symphony opens its Metro Collection series with Music Director Steven Smith conducting works of Barber, Brahms and Bernard Rands, Oct. 13 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. . . . Smith and the orchestra are joined by the Richmond Symphony Chorus and four vocal soloists for Verdi’s Requiem, Oct. 19-20 at Richmond CenterStage. . . . eighth blackbird, the new-music sextet in residence at UR, stages Amy Beth Kirsten’s “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre” in a program also featuring the Agua Dulce Dance Theatre, Oct. 25 in the Modlin Center’s Jepson Theatre. . . . Raúl Prieto Ramírez opens the American Guild of Organists’ Repertoire Recital Series in an Oct. 25 program at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. . . . The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia presents the Aeolus Quartet in an intimate “house concert,” Oct. 25 at the Ellen Glasgow House, plus a string quartet sampler on Oct. 26 in the Richmond Public Library’s Gellman Room. . . . The Richmond Symphony, with Erin R. Freeman conducting, stages its annual “Come and Play” concert with community musicians, Oct. 27 at VCU’s Siegel Center.

* Noteworthy elsewhere: Violinist Ray Chen opens this season’s Tuesday Evening Concerts with a recital on Oct. 1 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. . . . The Emerson String Quartet plays Mendelssohn, Britten and Beethoven, Oct. 2 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. . . . The Virginia Chorale marks its 30th anniversary in concerts from Oct. 4-6 at venues in Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and Norfolk. . . . Cellist Zuill Bailey joins David Stewart Wiley and the Roanoke Symphony to launch the orchestra’s 60th season, Oct. 7 at Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. . . . Pianist Jeremy Denk plays Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” Oct. 12 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Opera Lafayette presents a novel staging of Mozart’s “Cosí fan tutte,” in French, Oct. 18-19 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Washington National Opera stages a new production of Verdi’s “La forza del destino,” Oct. 18-26 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Valery Gergiev conducts his Mariinsky Orchestra in the three great Stravinsky ballets for Diaghilev, “The Firebird,” “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring,” Oct. 14 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Pianist Yuja Wang plays Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Chopin and more, Oct. 25 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC. . . . Violinist Jennifer Koh plays the Barber concerto with Kristjan Järvi and the National Symphony, Oct. 31 (also Nov. 1-2) at the Kennedy Center.


Oct. 1 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland St.
Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg:
Shanghai Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2
Verdi: String Quartet
Britten: Quartet No. 2
$15 (waiting list)
(757) 258-4814
www.chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

Oct. 1 (7:30 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

Oct. 1 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Ray Chen, violin
Julio Elizalde, piano
Mozart: Sonata in A major, K. 305
Brahms: Sonata No. 3 in D minor
J.S. Bach: Partita No. 3 in E major for solo violin
Sarasate: “Habañera”
Sarasate: “Playera”
Sarasate: “Zigeunerweisen”
$12-$33
(434) 924-3376 (UVa box office)
www.tecs.org

Oct. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Emerson String Quartet
Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor, Op. 80
Britten: Quartet No. 3
Beethoven: Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”)
$45
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Britten Festival:
VCU Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Myssyk conducting
Britten: “Canadian Carnival”
Britten: Serenade for tenor, horn and strings
Kenneth Wood, tenor
Patrick Smith, French horn
Britten: “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 3 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 4 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 5 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)
William Neil, organ
Roger Reynolds: “george WASHINGTON” (premiere)
Clark Young, Thomas Keegan & Philip Larsen, narrators
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Mansion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Aeolus Quartet
Michael Tree, viola
Brahms: String Quintet in G major
Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 6
Snowden: “Appalachian Polaroids”
Bryant: “Lady Isabella Was That Kind of Woman”
$28
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 4 (7 p.m.)
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Forest Hill Avenue at 43rd Street, Richmond
Good Shepherd Music Festival:
Atlantic Chamber Ensemble
David Lang: “Sweet Air”
Khachaturian: Piano Trio
Milhaud: “Brazileira”
works TBA by Mozart
free
(804) 233-2278
www.goodshepherdrichmond.org

Oct. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond
Britten Festival:
VCU choirs
solo singers TBA
Britten: Missa brevis in D major
Britten: “Hymn to Saint Cecilia”
Britten: opera arias TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 4 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 6 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
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-$111
(866) 673-7282
www.vaopera.org

Oct. 4 (8 p.m.)
Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary St., Richmond
Cameron Carpenter, organ
program TBA
$30-$75; proceeds benefit Byrd Theatre Foundation
(804) 358-3056
www.byrdtheatrefoundation.org

Oct. 4 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, 215 Richmond Road
Oct. 5 (8 p.m.)
First Presbyterian Church, 300 36th St., Virginia Beach
Oct. 6 (4 p.m.)
Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church, 6901 Newport Ave., Norfolk
Virginia Chorale
Charles Woodward directing
Mateo Flecha el Viejo: “Riu, riu, chiu”
William Byrd: “Haec Dies”
Hans Leo Hassler: “Cantate Domino”
Donald McCullough: “When in the Presence of Music”
Moses Hogan: “Walk Together, Children”
Herbert Howells: “Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing”
Eric Whitacre: “The City and the Sea”
$25
(757) 627-8375
www.vachorale.org

Oct. 5 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Richard Rose, vocals & piano/accordion
Rose: “The Fisher of the James”
free
(804) 646-7223
www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Oct. 5 (3 p.m.)
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Forest Hill Avenue at 43rd Street, Richmond
Good Shepherd Music Festival:
Viva la Voce
vocal works by Mozart, Handel, Puccini, Bizet, others
free
(804) 233-2278
www.goodshepherdrichmond.org

Oct. 5 (7 p.m.)
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Forest Hill Avenue at 43rd Street, Richmond
Good Shepherd Music Festival:
Karen Johnson, violin
Joanne Kong, piano
works by Stravinsky, Ysaÿe, Korngold, Gershwin
free
(804) 233-2278
www.goodshepherdrichmond.org

Oct. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Britten Festival:
David Robinson, guitar
Tabatha Easley, flute
Susanna Klein, violin
Sonia Vlahcevic& Yin Zheng, piano
other VCU faculty & student artists TBA
Britten: “Nocturnal”
Britten: “Introduction and Rondo alla Burlesca”
Britten: “Gemini Variations”
other chamber works TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 5 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Anthony Maiello conducting
Mike Nickens & The Green Machine, guest stars
“Saturday Nite Fever”
$24-$48
(888) 245-9468 (Tickets.com)
www.cfa.gmu.edu

Oct. 6 (2 p.m.)
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Forest Hill Avenue at 43rd Street, Richmond
Good Shepherd Music Festival:
Three Notch’d Road
works by Corelli, Merula, Biber, Bach, Telemann, Couperin, Oswald, Matteis, Baltzar, Playford
free
(804) 233-2278
www.goodshepherdrichmond.org

Oct. 6 (7 p.m.)
Chester Presbyterian Church, 3224 W. Hundred Road, Chesterfield County
Atlantic Chamber Ensemble
David Lang: “Sweet Air”
Dvořák: Serenade for winds
Milhaud: “Brazileira”
works TBA by Mozart
$5
(804) 223-2112
www.acensemble.org

Oct. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Susanna Phillips, soprano
Paul Neubauer, viola
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
“Songs for Soprano”
works by Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Gounod, Tosti; popular songs
$34
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Oct. 6 (4 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Chamber Orchestra Kremlin
Misha Rachlevsky directing
Elgar: Serenade in E minor
Shostakovich-Barshai: Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a
J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus 1 from “The Art of the Fugue”
Dvořák: Serenade for strings
$25-$50
(888) 245-9468 (Tickets.com)
www.cfa.gmu.edu

Oct. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Kennedy Center Chamber Players
J.S. Bach: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028, for cello and piano
Mendelssohn: Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45, for cello and piano
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87
$35
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 7 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
University of Alabama Birmingham Chamber Trio
William Price: “Ich bin Maroon”
Gordon Jacobs: Double Concerto
Walter Hartley: “Two Dances”
Telemann: Trumpet Concerto in B flat major
Leo Weiner: “Peregi Verbunk” for clarinet and piano
free
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 7 (8 p.m.)
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre, Orange Avenue at Williamson Road
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Gliere: “Russian Sailors’ Dance”
Suppé : “Light Cavalry” Overture
Korngold: Cello Concerto
Richard Strauss: “Don Quixote”
Zuill Bailey, cello
$29-$52
(540) 343-9127
www.rso.com

Oct. 9 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Kordzaia conducting
UR Chamber Ensembles
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Oct. 10 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 11 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 12 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Wagner: Act 3 of “Parsifal” (concert presentation)
Nikolai Schukoff, tenor
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Yuri Vorobiev, bass
The Washington Chorus
Julian Wachner directing
in German; libretto in program book
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 11 (8 p.m.)
Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard
Roanoke Symphony Pops
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Michael McDonald, guest star
$29-$80
(540) 343-9127
www.rso.com

Oct. 11 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 13 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
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
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.vaopera.org

Oct. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Mansion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Orion Weiss, piano
Scarlatti: 10 keyboard sonatas
Granados: “Goyescas: Los majos enamorados”
$30
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 12 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Menahem Pressler, piano
New York Chamber Soloists
program TBA
$34
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 12 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Jeremy Denk, piano
J.S. Bach: “Goldberg Variations”
$45
(202) 985-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
www.wpas.org

Oct. 12 (7 p.m.)
Oct. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 20 (2 p.m.)
Oct. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 26 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Xian Zhang conducting
Verdi: “La forza del destino”
Adina Aaron/Amber Wagner (Donna Leonora)
Giancarlo Monsalve/Rafael Davila (Don Alvaro)
Mark Delevan/Luca Salsi (Don Carlo)
Valeriano Lanchas (Brother Melitone)
Enrico Iori (Father Guardiano)
Peter Volpe (Marquis of Calatrava)
Francesca Zambello, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$300
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 13 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Barber: “Medea” (original chamber version)
Bernard Rands: Madrigal
Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A major
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Oct. 13 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Sonia Vlahcevic, piano
program TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 13 (4 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Soundworks
men’s choral program TBA
donation requested
(804) 272-7514

Oct. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Patrick Smith, French horn
Yin Zheng, piano
guest artists TBA
James Nagus: new work TBA for three horns and piano (U.S. premiere)
works by Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Brahms, Franz Strauss, others
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Mariinsky Orchestra
Valery Gergiev conducting
Stravinsky: “The Firebird”
Stravinsky: “Petrushka”
Stravinsky: “The Rite of Spring”
$40-$120
(202) 985-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
www.wpas.org

Oct. 15 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Les Violons du Roy
Bernard Labadie directing
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Telemann: Orchestral Suite in C major
Haydn: Cantata, “Arianna à Naxos”
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069
Handel: 3 arias from “Giulio Cesare”
$29-$70
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 16 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Cameron Carpenter, organ
program TBA
$15
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 18 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newports News
Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 160 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Pops
Brent Havens conducting
"The Music of Whitney Houston"
$22-$71
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Oct. 18 (8 p.m.)
American Theatre, 125 E. Mellen St., Hampton
Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Oct. 20 (2:30 p.m.)
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, 2200 Parks Ave., Virginia Beach
Lyric Opera Virginia:
Cristina Nassif, soprano
Joseph Walsh, piano
other artists TBA
“Broadway and Beyond”
program TBA
$37
(757) 446-6666
www.lyricoperavirginia.org

Oct. 18 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 20 (2:30 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave., Roanoke
Oct. 21 (8 p.m.)
Lenfest Center, Washington and Lee University, Lexington
Opera Roanoke
conductor TBA
Mozart: “The Magic Flute”
cast TBA
$25-$115
(540) 345-2550
www.operaroanoke.org

Oct. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 19 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Opera Lafayette
Ryan Brown conducting
Mozart: “Cosí fan tutte”
Pascale Beaudin (Fleurdelise/Madame La Président)
Blandine Staskiewicz (Dorabelle/Madame Lek)
Alex Dobson (Guillaume/Monsieur Lek)
Antonio Figueroa (Fernand/Le Président)
Claire Debono (Delphine/Madame Riss)
Bernard Deletré (Don Alphonse)
Jeffrey Thompson (Peintre/Monsieur Riss)
Nick Olcott, stage director
in French, English captions
$60-$90
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 20 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Verdi: Requiem
Kelley Nassief, soprano
Jennifer Feinstein, mezzo-soprano
Marco Panuccio, tenor
Kevin Deas, bass
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
$10-$76
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Oct. 19 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Arild Remmereit conducting
Grieg: “Perr Gynt” incidental music
Tanaka: “Water of Life”
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano
$31-$94
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 20 (4 p.m.)
St. Matthias’ Episcopal Church, 11300 Huguenot Road, Richmond
One Voice Ensemble
works by Copland, Fauré, Gershwin, Handel, Morley, Verdi, Vivaldi, others
donation requested
(804) 272-8588, Ext. 103
www.stmatmidlo.com

Oct. 20 (6 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Marta Puig, piano
program TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 20 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVa Chamber Music Series:
David Sariti, violin
Brent Wissick, cello
Andrew Willis, piano
Mendelssohn: Sonata in F major for violin and piano
Mendelssohn: Sonata in D major for cello and piano
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor
$15
(434) 924-3376
www.music.virginia.edu

Oct. 20 (7 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Beijing Symphony Orchestra
Tan Lihua conducting
“The Lotus Overture”
Guo Wenjing: “Desolate Mountain”
Prokofiev: “Romeo and Juliet”
$23-$79
(800) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Faculty Wind Quintet
Al Regni, bass clarinet
Janáček: Sextet
other works TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
www.vcumusic.org

Oct. 22 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Les Violons du Roy
Bernard Labadie directing
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Telemann: Orchestral Suite in C major
Haydn: Cantata, “Arianna à Naxos”
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069
Handel: 3 arias from “Giulio Cesare”
$12-$33
(434) 924-3376 (UVa box office)
www.tecs.org

Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Bannard Chapel, St. Catherine's School, 6001 Grove Ave., Richmond
Oberon Quartet
program TBA
free
(804) 288-2804
www.stcatherines.org

Oct. 24 (5 p.m.)
Room 107, Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Loren Kitt, clarinet
master class
free
(434) 924-3376
www.music.virginia.edu

Oct. 24 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Jun Märkl conducting
Dvořák: Serenade for strings
Tchaikovsky: “Rococo Variations”
Johannes Moser, cello
Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Brahms: “Hungarian Dance” No. 5
$31-$94
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Jepson Theatre, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
eighth blackbird
Amy Beth Kirsten: “Colombine’s Paradise Theatre”
Mark DiChiazza, director & choreographer
“Passing Through”
Agua Dulce Dance Theatre
$20
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, 3601 Seminary Ave., Richmond
American Guild of Organists Repertoire Recital Series:
Raúl Prieto Ramírez, organ
program TBA
(804) 359-5049
www.richmondago.org

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Ellen Glasgow House, Main and Adams streets, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Aeolus Quartet
“Early, Middle and Late”
program TBA
reception follows
$40
(804) 519-2098
www.cmscva.org

Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra
Peter Wilson conducting
“Symphonic Masquerade”
Johann Strauss II: “Die Fledermaus” Overture
Gounod: “Funeral March of a Marionette”
Mussorgsky: “Night on Bald Mountain”
Lloyd Webber: “Phantom of the Opera” (excerpts)
Berlioz: “Symphonie fantastique” (excerpts)
$30-$75
(434) 979-1333
www.theparamount.net

Oct. 25 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 26 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Michael Cavanaugh, guest star
“Songs of Elton John and More”
$20-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Oct. 25 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Yuja Wang, piano
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28
Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48
Chopin: Ballade in A flat major, Op. 47
Kapustin: Variations for piano, Op. 41
Stravinsky: “Three Movements from ‘Petrushka’ ”
$35-$80
(202) 985-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
www.wpas.org

Oct. 26 (11 a.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony LolliPops
Erin R. Freeman conducting
Drew Allison & Grey Seal Puppets, guest stars
“Carnivals and Clowns”
$12-$17
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Oct. 26 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Aeolus Quartet
“The Quartet Through Time”
program TBA
free
(804) 519-2098
www.cmscva.org

Oct. 26 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 160 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Oct. 27 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
Maximiano Valdés conducting
Verdi: “La forza del destino” Overture
Verdi: Prelude, “Triumphal March” and Ballet from “Aïda”
Rossini: Stabat mater
Mary Wilson, soprano
Karin Musegain, mezzo-soprano
Robert Breault, tenor
Timothy Jones, bass-baritone
Virginia Symphony Chorus
Robert Shoup directing
$22-$105
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Oct. 26 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Haydn: Symphony No. 60 (“Il distratto”)
Christopher Theofanidis: “Virtue” (premiere)
Tony Arnold, Deborah Sternberg, Kristina Riegle & Rachel Barham, sopranos
Stravinsky: “Pulcinella” Suite
$25-$60
(703) 563-1990
www.fairfasymphony.org

Oct. 26 (3:30 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Zuill Bailey, cello
Navah Perlman, piano
works by Schumann, others
$28-$84
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 26 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 27 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
Brahms: “Tragic” Overture
Schumann: Cello Concerto
Zuill Bailey, cello
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
$28-$84
(301) 581-5100
www.strathmore.org

Oct. 27 (6 p.m.)
Siegel Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Broad and Harrison streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
community musicians
Erin R. Freeman conducting
“Come and Play” participatory concert
Grieg: “Hall of the Mountain King” from “Peer Gynt” incidental music
Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale from “Samson et Delila”
Mascagni: Intermezzo from “Cavalleria rusticana”
Falla: “Ritual Fire Dance” from “El amor brujo”
Berlioz: “Hungarian March” from “The Damnation of Faust”
Lloyd Webber: “Phantom of the Opera” (excerpts)
Robert Wendel: “The Poltergeist Polka”
John Williams: “Star Wars” main theme
free
(804) 788-4717
www.richmondsymphony.com

Oct. 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Schola Cantorum & Women's Chorale
Jeffrey Riehl & David Pedersen directing
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Oct. 28 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVa Chamber Music Series:
John Mayhood, piano
Pamela Beasley & Kate Carr, sopranos
Adam Carter, cello
Aaron Hill, oboe
Kelly Sulick, flute
“Poulenc 50th Anniversary Celebration”
songs, chamber works by Poulenc, Messiaen, Boulez, Henry
$15
9434) 924-3376
www.music.virginia.edu

Oct. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
American Theatre, 125 E. Mellen St., Hampton
Voice
early music, folk music selections TBA
$25-$30
(757) 722-2787
www.hamptonarts.net

Oct. 31 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Kristjan Järvi conducting
Enescu: “Romanian Rhapsody” No. 1
Barber: Violin Concerto
Jennifer Koh, violin
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
$10-$85
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org