Review: Richmond Chamber Players

with Karen Johnson, violin
Aug. 30, Bon Air Presbyterian Church

Karen Johnson confessed to feeling “a little intimidated” as she prepared to play the Chaconne from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, for solo violin.

That apprehension is shared, or should be, by every violinist. This set of variations on a four-note motif is the summit of technique for those who play the instrument. Moreover, as Brahms remarked, the piece conveys “a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.”

Performing the Chaconne in an all-Bach program that concluded this summer’s Interlude series by the Richmond Chamber Players, Johnson showed some evidence of taut nerves in the early going, mainly in crunchy, abrupt double-stopping; but she soon settled into an eloquently expressive, thoroughly absorbing reading of the piece, intonationally spot-on, unerringly well-phrased and intense in its concentration.

The concert was dedicated to the late Lewis T. Booker, a leading patron and organizational supporter of classical music in Richmond. This performance of the Bach Chaconne was as fitting an elegy as could be imagined.

Aside from the Chaconne, all the works on this program were arrangements or retouchings of Bach originals. (There’s ample precedent: J.S. himself frequently reworked his own and others’ music.)

Johnson, the former concertmaster of the Richmond Symphony, now based in the Washington area, joined violist Molly Sharp and cellist Neal Cary in another Bach masterwork, playing about half of the “Goldberg Variations,” BWV 988, in the string-trio arrangement introduced in 1985 by the violinist-conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

This set of 30 variations on a decorously bittersweet air, originally written for harpsichord, also commonly performed on piano, translates quite well to strings. The set’s canons on ever-wider pitch intervals are enhanced by the different tonal characters of violin, viola and cello, and their contrasting voices help to clarify Bach’s intricate counterpoint.

Johnson, Sharp and Cary made such fine work of the abridgement that many listeners might have wish they had played the whole set. Had they done so, though, the program would have sprawled to more than three hours.

Oboist Gustav Highstein, harpist Lynette Wardle and cellist Ryan Lannan played an arrangement of Bach’s Sonata in B minor for flute and harpsichord, BWV 1030, here transposed to G minor. The more primary tone colors of the oboe make the biggest difference in this arrangement; the combination of harp and cello evoke a somewhat oversized harpsichord, not inappropriate in combination with the more penetrating sound of the oboe.

Highstein, Wardle and Lannan were satisfyingly lyrical in the sonata’s first two movements – their strolling pace in the opening andante was especially effective – and effervescent in the presto finale.

Cellist Cary performed Bach’s Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009, for solo cello, with John Walter playing the piano accompaniment devised by Robert Schumann. “Accompaniment” may be too expansive a term for Schumann’s strategic insertion of chords to clarify harmonies and undergird rhythms; minimal as these were, they proved enough to give a romantic tint to a classic of the high baroque.

Kozinn goes regional

Allan Kozinn, formerly one of The New York Times’ most accomplished classical-music critics, contemplates reviewing the Portland [ME] Symphony, a regional orchestra, after years of hearing performances by the New York Philharmonic and other international-grade ensembles:

“The standard of musical education is extraordinarily high in the United States these days, and young players with polished techniques are pouring out of conservatories and finding jobs in orchestras everywhere. So it should not be surprising to find (or, for that matter, to expect) that the performance level of a regional orchestra is quite high,” he writes by way of introduction to his new reviewing gig, at the Portland Press Herald:

http://www.pressherald.com/2015/08/30/music-critic-allan-kozinn-finds-a-home-in-portland/

His move from New York to Portland was a step up, professionally. After being shunted from classical music to “general” cultural coverage, which turned out to include “Justin Bieber’s misbehavior, the lawsuits swirling around Chris Brown [and] the arrest of a minor heavy-metal singer charged with trying to have his ex-wife murdered,” Kozinn last year took a buyout offer from The Times.

via www.artsjournal.com

ACE reviewed

My review of the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble performance at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, for the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_bca9eb25-3ebf-5ca7-a9e0-47644f3295a0.html

Letter V Classical Radio this week

As the fall semester begins at the University of Richmond, the show moves to a new time.

Aug. 27
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EDT
1400-1700 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Handel: “Solomon” – “From the censer curling rise”
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner (Philips)

Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga: Quartet No. 1 in D minor
Guarneri Quartet
(Newton Classics)

William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1
(“Afro-American”)
Chicago Sinfonietta/
Paul Freeman (Cedille)

Jennifer Higdon:
“String Poetic”
Jennifer Koh, violin
Reiko Uchida, piano (Cedille)

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major
Ronald Brautigam, piano
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/
Andrew Parrott (Bis)

Enescu: “Romanian Rhapsody” No. 1
George Enescu Bucharest Philharmonic/
Christian Mandeal
(Arte Nova)

Bartók: Violin Concerto
No. 2
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Norwegian Radio Orchestra/
Manuel Harth-Bedoya (Avie)

Past Masters:
Gershwin: 3 preludes
George Gershwin, piano (Sony Classical)
(recorded 1928)

Lucretia West comes home

Lucretia West, a Virginia-born mezzo-soprano, built a life and a thriving performing career in Germany in the years after World War II. After her retirement, she returned to the United States to be with her family. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Laura Kebede profiles the now 93-year-old singer:

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/henrico/article_1cb3dce6-8296-5268-b7d2-fd310098dde1.html

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Variations on and variants of what may be the most ubiquitous tune in European music over the past six centuries: “Folía,” a peasant dance of 15th-century Portuguese and Spanish origin, borrowed by composers from Corelli, Bach and Handel to Liszt, Brahms and Rachmaninoff.

Aug. 20
11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

“Folía”
(arrangement, c. 1490, by Rodrigo Martinez)
Hesperion XXI (AliaVox)

Corelli: Violin Sonata
in D major, Op. 5, No. 12
(“La Follia”)
Manfred Kraemer, violin
Hesperion XXI (AliaVox)

Handel: Suite in D minor – sarabande
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord (Erato)

J.S. Bach: “Peasant” Cantata, BWV 212 – “Unser trefflicher lieber Kammerherr”
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood
(L’Oiseau Lyre)

Beethoven: Cello Sonata
in A major, Op. 69
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Christopher O’Riley, fortepiano
(Pentatone/Oxingale)

Salieri: “26 Variations on
‘La Folia de Spagna’ ”
London Mozart Players/
Matthias Bamert (Chandos)

Brahms: Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 18
Regis Pasquier & Raphael Oleg, violins
Bruno Pasquier & Jean Dupouy, violas
Roland Pidoux & Etienne Péclard, cellos
(Harmonia Mundi France)

Liszt: “Rhapsodie espagnole”
Stephen Hough, piano (Virgin Classics)

Past Masters:
Ponce: “Theme, Variations and Fugue on Folias de España” (abridged)
Andres Segovia, guitar (EMI Classics)
(recorded 1930)

Rachmaninoff: “Variations on a Theme of Corelli”
Paolo Giacometti, piano (Brilliant Classics)

improvisation on the “Folía” bass
Teatro Lirico/Stephen Stubbs (ECM)

Relief for sweaty highbrows

Kevin Yu, a Texas violinist, has designed a tuxedo shirt, inspired by moisture-wicking athletic clothing, to ease the sweaty ordeal of playing classical music in formal wear. It feels like a winner: “Mr. Yu sold out his first run of 300 shirts in nine days” and back orders are accumulating rapidly, The New York Times’ Michael Cooper reports:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/19/arts/music/taking-the-starch-out-of-orchestra-attire.html?ref=music&_r=0

John Scott (1956-2015)

John Scott, the British-born organist-choirmaster who was to have given a recital here in October in the Repertoire Recital Series of the Richmond chapter, American Guild of Organists, has died at 59.

Scott, the former organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, came to the United States in 2004 to become organist of St. Thomas Church (Episcopal) in New York and director of the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, one of the preeminent such ensembles in this country.

An obituary by The New York Times’ James R. Oestreich:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/arts/music/john-scott-organist-and-choirmaster-dies-at-59.html?ref=music

Russia wants Rachmaninoff back

“Nobody needs Rachmaninoff in America,” says the Russian minister of culture, Vladimir Medinsky, who is calling for the disinterment of the remains of Sergei Rachmaninoff from a cemetery in Westchester County, NY, and reburial of the composer-pianist at a memorial under construction at the former estate of his family in Russia, Norman Lebrecht reports on his Slipped Disc blog:

http://slippedisc.com/2015/08/russian-minister-demands-the-return-of-rachmaninovs-ashes/

Rachmaninoff fled Russia after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. In the West, he maintained homes in the United States and Switzerland. He became a US citizen shortly before his death in 1943.

2015-16 season overview

With the beginning of the fall season a few weeks away, it’s time for our annual thumbnail guide to 2015-16 classical events in Richmond. As many as we know of to date, that is – no word yet from any of the area’s independent choruses, and some other groups and presenters are still be to heard from.

As classical events tend to be clustered on weekends, conflicts are common, and there are some unfortunate ones in the coming season:

– The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performs in the Rennolds Chamber Concerts series at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Singleton Arts Center on the same date, Feb. 20, as the Australian Chamber Orchestra in the Modlin Arts series at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center.

– On March 19, tenor Lawrence Brownlee sings at UR while the Horszowski Trio plays at VCU.

– A UR concert by the Takács Quartet with pianist Garrick Ohlsson is on April 15, as is the first of two Virginia Opera dates for Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” at Richmond CenterStage. That conflict can be worked around by opting for the April 17 matinee of “Dutchman.”

– On April 2, the symphony stages one of its single-night Masterworks programs (Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Brahms’ Second Symphony and flutist Mary Boodell playing Laura Schwendinger’s “Waking Dreams”) in conflict with the Doric String Quartet and pianist Jonathan Biss at VCU. A partial work-around: Symphony music director Steven Smith will discuss and the orchestra will play the Brahms Second on April 1 in one of the new “Casual Fridays” offerings.

I’ve listed all the ticketed dates and series performances from major presenters, as well as faculty concerts at UR and VCU. Times and ticket prices can be found in the season announcements already posted, and will be listed, along with programs, casting and other details, in the monthly calendars from September onward.


SEPTEMBER
9 – Catalyst Quartet (Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
12-13 – Richmond Symphony & Symphony Chorus (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony) (Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage)
13 – Andrew McEvoy, guitar (Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
25-27 – Alexander Paley Festival (St. Luke Lutheran Church)

OCTOBER
2 – Justin Alexander Percussion Duo (VCU Singleton Center)
3 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
4 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (First Unitarian Universalist Church)
9/11 – Virginia Opera “Orpheus in the Underworld” (Carpenter Theatre)
10 – Igudesman & Joo (VCU Singleton Center)
12 – Patrick Smith, French horn (VCU Singleton Center)
16 – Richmond Symphony “Casual Fridays” (Carpenter Theatre)
17 – Richmond Symphony; Philippe Quint, violin (Carpenter Theatre)
18 – Sonia Vlahcevic, piano (VCU Singleton Center)
20/22 – Virginia Opera “La Bohème” (Carpenter Theatre)
22 – Charles West, clarinet (VCU Singleton Center)
24 – Juilliard String Quartet (VCU Singleton Center)
24 – Richmond Symphony Pops (“Nosferatu”) (Carpenter Theatre)
25 – Richmond Symphony; Jared Davis, clarinet (Randolph-Macon College)
31 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops (“Halloween Spooktacular”) (Carpenter Theatre)

NOVEMBER
1 – Atlantic Chamber Ensemble (Unity Christ Church of Bon Air)
3 – Andy Harnsberger, percussion (VCU Singleton Center)
6-7 – Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival; eighth blackbird (UR Modlin Center)
8 – Shanghai Quartet; June Moon Kyung Hahn, marimba (UR Modlin Center)
13 – Richmond Symphony “Casual Fridays” (Carpenter Theatre)
14 – Richmond Symphony; Orion Weiss, piano (Carpenter Theatre)
19 – Oberon String Quartet (St. Catherine’s School)
28 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops (“The Snowman”) (Carpenter Theatre)

DECEMBER
4 – Richmond Symphony & Symphony Chorus (Handel’s “Messiah”) (Carpenter Theatre)
4 – VCU Holiday Gala (VCU Singleton Center)
5-6 – Richmond Symphony Pops (“Let It Snow!”) (Carpenter Theatre)
6 – UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale (Festival of Lessons and Carols) (Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond)
13 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Wilton House Museum)
15 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Holy Comforter Episcopal Church)

JANUARY
9-10 – Richmond Symphony; Virginia Opera Emerging Artists (Viennese New Year) (Carpenter Theatre)
14 – Richmond Symphony “Rush Hour” (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
15 – Yefim Bronfman, piano (UR Modlin Center)
17 – Richmond Symphony; Neal Cary, cello (Randolph-Macon)
24 – Sam Dorsey, guitar (VCU Singleton Center)
27 – eighth blackbird (UR Modlin Center)
28 – Atlantic Chamber Ensemble (VCU Singleton Center)
28-29 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (First Unitarian Universalist Church)
30 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops (“Green Eggs and Ham”) (Carpenter Theatre)

FEBRUARY
5 – Richmond Symphony “Casual Fridays” (Carpenter Theatre)
6 – Richmond Symphony; Daisuke Yamamoto, violin (Carpenter Theatre)
7 – Richard Becker, piano (UR Modlin Center)
14 – Dana McComb, cello; Joanne Kong, piano (UR Modlin Center)
18 – Richmond Symphony “Rush Hour” (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
19/21 – Virginia Opera “Romeo and Juliet” (Carpenter Theatre)
20 – Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (VCU Singleton Center)
20 – Australian Chamber Orchestra (UR Modlin Center)
21 – Richmond Symphony; Gustav Highstein, oboe (Randolph-Macon)
27 – Richmond Symphony Pops; Jeans ‘n Classics (Carpenter Theatre)
28 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (First Unitarian Universalist Church)
29 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (“For a Look or a Touch”) (First Unitarian Universalist Church)

MARCH
5-6 – Richmond Symphony & Symphony Chorus; Orli Shaham, piano (Carpenter Theatre)
14 – Bruce Stevens, organ (UR Cannon Chapel)
19 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops (“Carnival of the Animals”) (Carpenter Theatre)
19 – Lawrence Brownlee, tenor (UR Modlin Center)
19 – Horszowski Trio (VCU Singleton Center)
20 – Richard Becker & Doris Wylee-Becker, piano duo (UR Modlin Center)

APRIL
1 – Richmond Symphony “Casual Fridays” (Carpenter Theatre)
2 – Richmond Symphony; Mary Boodell, flute (Carpenter Theatre)
2 – Doric String Quartet; Jonathan Biss, piano (VCU Singleton Center)
8 – Scott Dettra, organ (Ginter Park Presbyterian Church)
11/13 – eighth blackbird; Matt Ulery Trio (UR Modlin Center)
15 – Takács Quartet; Garrick Ohlsson, piano (UR Modlin Center)
15/17 – Virginia Opera “The Flying Dutchman” (Carpenter Theatre)
17 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Second Presbyterian Church)
23 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
29 – Ahreum Han, organ (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church)
29 – VCU Opera (production TBA) (VCU Singleton Center)
30 – Richmond Symphony Pops; Steve Lippia, vocals (Carpenter Theatre)

MAY
1 – VCU Opera (production TBA) (VCU Singleton Center)
5 – Richmond Symphony “Rush Hour” (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
8 – Richmond Symphony (Randolph-Macon)
14-15 – Richmond Symphony & Symphony Chorus (Carpenter Theatre)
22 – Atlantic Chamber Ensemble (St. Luke Lutheran Church)

Review: Summer at CenterStage

Jared Davis, clarinet
Daniel Stipe, piano
Aug. 13, Richmond CenterStage

Jared Davis, the longtime assistant principal clarinetist of the Richmond Symphony who moved up to the first chair last season after Ralph Skiano decamped for the Detroit Symphony, is on a performing roll this week. On the heels of his performance in Beethoven’s Clarinet Trio, Op. 11, with the Richmond Chamber Players last weekend, he played a demanding set of French chamber pieces in the latest Summer at CenterStage concert.

Davis, partnered by pianist Daniel Stipe, delivered stylish and almost note-perfect readings of Debussy’s “Première rhapsodie,” Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata, Milhaud’s Duo concertante for clarinet and piano and Louis Cahuzac’s “Cantilène.” By the clock, that may be a mini-concert; from the business end of a clarinet, it’s thoroughly maxi.

The Poulenc sonata, written a year before the composer’s death in 1963, requires both excellent technique and substantial musical sensibility. He was arguably the most successful 20th-century French opera composer, and much of his instrumental music feels as if characters, scenery and lighting wouldn’t be out of place.

Davis and Stipe played the sonata with the appropriate sparkling energy, but also captured the atmospherics and narrative suggestiveness of the sonata, especially in its central romanza. The energetic outer movements of the Poulenc fairly explicitly echo Debussy’s 1910-vintage rhapsody. Davis made those resonations clear, too.

He ably negotiated the quick-time exclamations and filagree packed into the brief showpiece of Cahuzac, and with Stipe gave a nice Parisian-jazzy undertone to the Milhaud.

Stipe, who has built quite a reputation as an organist during his time in Richmond, showed himself to just as impressive a pianist in three pieces from Book 2 of Debussy’s “Images.” His tonal control, color sensibility and balancing of voices were remarkable in ”Cloches à travers les feuilles” (“Bells through the Leaves”) and “Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut” (“And the Moon Sets over the Temple That Was”), and his speedy, glittering treatment of “Poissons d’or” (“Goldfish”) was thrilling.

Summer at CenterStage continues with violinist Susanna Klein and pianist Yin Zheng performing at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in the Gottwald Playhouse of Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $20. Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX); www.richmondsymphony.com

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Aug. 13
11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky: Serenada
Virtuosi di Praga/Oldrich Vlcek
(Koch Discover International)

Steve Reich: Double Sextet
eighth blackbird (Nonesuch)

Martinů: Nonet
Dartington Ensemble (Hyperion)

Mozart: Piano Quartet
in G minor, K. 478
André-Michel Schub, piano
Miami String Quartet members
(Musical Heritage Society/Virginia Arts Festival)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major
Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig/
Riccardo Chailly (Decca)

Schubert: Impromptu in C minor, D. 899, No. 1
Lambert Orkis, fortepiano (Virgin Classics)

Dvořák: Serenade for winds in D minor, Op. 44
National Chamber Players/Lowell Graham (Klavier)

Past Masters:
Brahms: Serenade No. 2
in A major, Op. 16
London Symphony Orchestra/István Kertész (Decca)
(recorded 1967)

Chamber Players reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Richmond Chamber Players in the opening concert of their Interlude 2015 series:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_a87942bf-ba7c-5461-8ace-282e608cecd7.html

Chamber Music Society 2015-16

String quintets of Schubert and the Anglo-French early romantic George Onslow, an all-Bach chamber-orchestra program, cello sonatas of Beethoven and “For a Look or a Touch,” a chamber opera by Jake Heggie, the composer of “Moby-Dick” and “Dead Man Walking,” highlight the 2015-16 season of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia.

The society’s artistic director, James Wilson, will perform three Beethoven sonatas on a period-style, gut-strung cello, with Carsten Schmidt playing the fortepiano, the early hammered-string keyboard instrument that was used in Beethoven’s time.

Wilson will join other musicians playing baroque-period instruments in a chamber program at Wilton House Museum and the Bach program, which includes three of the “Brandenburg” concertos.

In the coming season, the Chamber Music Society will present six ticketed programs at First Unitarian Universalist, Holy Comforter Episcopal and Second Presbyterian churches, as well as Wilton, and two free programs at the Richmond Public Library.

Subscription packages for the six ticketed concerts are $144 for adults, $117 for seniors (60 and older), $31 for students. Single tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $5 for students, for all ticketed concerts except the Wilton House program, for which the ticket scale is $35-$30-$10. No senior discount is offered for single tickets to the Heggie opera.

For more information, call the Chamber Music Society at (804) 519-2098 or visit www.cmscva.org

Dates, locations, artists and programs for the society’s 2015-16 season:

Oct. 3 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Nurit Pacht & Kyu-Young Kim, violins
Amadi Azikiwi, viola
Tomas Djupsjöbacka & James Wilson, cellos
“Boccherini 3, 4, 5”
excerpts of string trios, quartets, quintets
free

Oct. 4 (4 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1000 Blanton Ave. at the Carillon
Nurit Pacht & Kyu-Young Kim, violins
Amadi Azikiwi, viola
Tomas Djupsjöbacka & James Wilson, cellos
George Onslow: String Quintet No. 12
Schubert: String Quintet in C major
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Wilton House Museum, 215 S. Wilton Road
Tricia van Oers, recorder
Fiona Hughes, baroque violin
James Wilson, baroque cello
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
sonatas for recorder and violin by Handel, Telemann, Corelli
pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road
Martin Davids, Fiona Hughes & June Huang, baroque violins
Kyle Miller, baroque viola
James Wilson, baroque cello
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Tricia van Oers, recorder
Margaret Owens, recorder and baroque oboe
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” concertos Nos. 2, 4, 5
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor
pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.

Feb. 28 (4 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church
Daisuke Yamamoto violin
Mary Boodell, flute
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, piano
“Different Voices”
Fazil Say: “Four Cities” – “Sivas”
Erwin Schulhoff: Duo for violin and cello
Valerie Coleman: “Portraits of Langston”
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Piano Trio in D minor
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church
John Taylor Ward, baritone
Grant Mudge, actor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Mary Boodell, flute
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, piano
Jake Heggie: “For a Look or a Touch”

April 16 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library
performers TBA
“Beethoven in Words and Music”
curated by Angela Lehman
free

April 17 (4 p.m.)
Second Presbyterian Church, 5 N. Fifth St.
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, fortepiano
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 69
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 102, No. 1
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 102, No. 2
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.

A Strad recovered

Nina Totenberg of National Public Radio names the culprit in the theft of the Ames Stradivarius violin, stolen 35 years ago from her father, the late Roman Totenberg, and returned to his daughters this week:

http://www.npr.org/2015/08/06/427718240/a-rarity-reclaimed-stolen-stradivarius-recovered-after-35-years

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Aug. 6
11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Stravinsky: “Ragtime”
Boston Symphony Chamber Players
(Deutsche Grammophon/
Eloquence)

Ravel: Sonata for
violin and piano
Joshua Bell, violin
Jeremy Denk, piano (Sony Classical)

Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F major
(orchestration by Ferde Grofé)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop (Decca)

Smetana: “Libuše” Overture
Cleveland Orchestra/
Christoph von Dohnányi (Decca)

Handel: “Dettingen
Te Deum”
Christopher Tipping, alto
Harry Christophers, tenor
Stephen Varcoe & Michael Pearce, basses
Choir of Westminster Abbey
The English Concert/Simon Preston (DG Archiv)

Tchaikovsky: “Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem”
London Symphony Orchestra/Geoffrey Simon (Chandos)

Past Masters:
J.S. Bach: “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue,” BWV 903
Ralph Kirkpatrick, harpsichord
(DG Archiv)
(recorded 1959)

Beethoven: Sonata in
A major, Op. 47 (“Kreutzer”)
(orchestration by
Richard Tognietti)
Hyunjong Reents-Kang, violin
Camerata Bern
(Cavi-music)

Kevin Volans: “Leaping Dance”
Netherlands Wind Ensemble (Chandos)

Paul Freeman (1936-2015)

Paul Freeman, the Richmond-born conductor who was a pioneer in performing and recording works of African-American composers, has died at 79.

In the 1970s, Freeman recorded nine albums surveying black composers for Columbia Records; a generation later, he supplemented those recordings with the African Heritage Symphonic Series on the Cedille label. He also recorded much of the standard repertory, from Mozart to Mahler, with a number of European orchestras. He was one of the most prolific American conductors in the recording studio, with a discography of more than 200 releases.

In 1987, Freeman founded the Chicago Sinfonietta; he led the ensemble, famed for the racial and ethnic diversity of its roster, for 24 years. In 1996 he was named chief conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. He also had been music director of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia, and had held posts with the Dallas and Detroit symphonies and the Helsinki Philharmonic.

Freeman, one of 12 children of Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Freeman, grew up in the Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond. He was a 1952 graduate of Armstrong High School in the city’s then-racially segregated school system. He was one of two prominent conductors to come out of the school’s orchestra program, led by Maurice Williams. (The other was the late Leon Thompson, who was educational director of the New York Philharmonic in the 1970s.) Freeman also studied locally with cellist June Carpenter and clarinetist-conductor F. Nathaniel Gatlin.

Freeman subsequently earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Berlin Hochschule für Musik, and underwent advanced study in conducting with Pierre Monteux and Richard Lert.

An obituary by Hedy Weiss in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://entertainment.suntimes.com/music/chicago-sinfonietta-founder-paul-freeman-1936-2015/

August calendar

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

* In Richmond: The Virginia Commonwealth University Global Summer Institute of Music presents free concerts of piano and chamber music, Aug. 3-8 at sites around the city. . . . Summer at CenterStage, the chamber-music series presented by the Richmond Symphony and the music departments of the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, continues with one-hour programs of French repertory Thursdays in Richmond CenterStage’s Gottwald Playhouse. . . . The Richmond Chamber Players present their Interlude 2015 series of Sunday matinees at Bon Air Presbyterian Church, with violinist Karen Johnson, former concertmaster of the Richmond Symphony, joining the ensemble on Aug. 9 and 30. . . . Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church’s August Musicales series featured the church’s organist, Christopher Martin, on Aug. 12; the duo of violinist Robert Murray and organist Ardyth Lohuis on Aug. 19; and the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble on Aug. 26. . . . The Richmond Choral Society performs Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana,” Aug. 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church. . . . Virginia Opera stages its annual Richmond edition of “Opera in the Park,” with Adam Turner conducting the Richmond Symphony and vocalists from the company, Aug. 29 at Dogwood Dell in Byrd Park. 

* Elsewhere: Ash Lawn Opera stages the Lerner & Loewe musical “My Fair Lady,” Aug. 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. . . . The Wintergreen Summer Music Festival concludes its 2015 season of ticketed events with orchestral and chamber concerts, Aug. 1-2 at the resort’s Dunlop Pavilion. . . . The Garth Newel Music Center, near Hot Springs in Bath County, presents chamber programs Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons throughout the month. . . . The popular foursome The Piano Guys perform on Aug. 6 at Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia. (Ticket availability is limited.) . . . The Wolf Trap Opera Company and National Symphony Orchestra present a fully staged production, with video special effects, of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Aug. 7. . . . The Staunton Music Festival presents free noontime chamber programs and ticketed evening concerts of orchestral, chamber and operatic programming, Aug. 14-23 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Blackfriars Playhouse and other venues in the western Virginia city.


Aug. 1 (7:30 p.m.)
Aug. 2 (2 p.m.)
Aug. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Aug. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Aug. 8 (2 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Ash Lawn Opera
Andy Anderson conducting
Lerner & Loewe: “My Fair Lady”
Sharin Apostolou (Eliza Doolittle)
Curt Olds (Henry Higgins)
Stephanos Tsirakoglou (Alfred Doolittle)
Dominic Armstrong (Freddy Eynsford-Hill)
Dan Stern (Col. Pickering)
Joe Duquette (Karpathy)
Daniel Witzke, stage director
in English
$47-$90
(434) 979-1333
www.ashlawnopera.com

Aug. 1 (6 p.m.)
Aug. 2 (3 p.m.)
Dunlop Pavilion, Wintergreen Resort, Route 664, Nelson County
Wintergreen Summer Music Festival:
Wintergreen Festival Orchestra
Josep Caballé-Domenech conducting
Kabalevsky: “The Comedians”
Darol Hagen: “Amelia” – “Three Sky Interludes”
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
$40
(434) 325-8292
www.wintergreenperformingarts.org

Aug. 1 (5 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Bayla Keyes & Teresa Ling, violins
Evelyn Grau, viola
Joseph Lee & Isaac Melamed, cellos
Robert Merfeld, harmonium
Read Gainsford, piano
Shawn Puller, tenor
Saint-Saëns: Barcarolle, Op. 108
Debussy: Cello Sonata in D minor
Reynaldo Hahn: “A Chloria,” “Si mes vers avaient des aisles,” “L’Heure exquise”
Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor
$25; $84 with dinner
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 1 (8:30 p.m.)
Filene Center, Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Fairfax County
National Symphony Orchestra
Emil de Cou conducting
“Star Trek,” 2009 film with live orchestral accompaniment
$30-$58
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org

Aug. 2 (11 a.m.)
Dunlop Pavilion, Wintergreen Resort, Route 664, Nelson County
Wintergreen Summer Music Festival:
Wintergreen Festival Artists
Bartók: Duos for violin and viola
Jack Gallagher: Toccata for brass quintet
Christopher Theofanidis: “Ariel Ascending”
Libby Larsen: “Up Where the Air Gets Thin”
$25
(434) 325-8292
www.wintergreenperformingarts.org

Aug. 2 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Bayla Keyes & Teresa Ling, violins
Evelyn Grau, viola
Joseph Lee & Isaac Melamed, cellos
Robert Merfeld & Read Gainsford, pianos
Rachmaninoff: “Six Morceaux,” Op. 11 – Barcarolle
Glinka “Trio pathétique”
Stravinsky: “Three Pieces for String Quartet”
Glazunov: String Quintet in A major, Op. 29
$25; $43 with picnic
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 3 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
Schubert: Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
Henning Vauth, piano
Mark Olivier: “TILT”
Justin Alexander, percussion
Sonia Vlahcevic, piano
Chopin: Ballade in F minor, Op. 52
Xi Zhang, piano
Barber: Cello Sonata in C minor, Op. 6
Jason Wang, cello
Xi Zhang, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 4 (7 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
Chopin: Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55
Chopin: Waltz in A flat major, Op. 64
Chopin: Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49
Juan-Pablo Andrade, piano
Schubert: Sonata in A minor (“Arpeggione”)
Qi Wang, flute
Henning Vauth, piano
Chopin: Étude in A flat major, Op. 25, No. 1
Chopin: Étude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11
Ravel: “Jeux d’eau”
Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36
Chun-Chieh Yen, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 5 (7 p.m.)
Black Music Center Recital Hall, Virginia Commonwealth University, Grove Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
Chopin: Préludes, Op. 28, Nos. 1-8
Yixin Wu, piano
Liszt: “Liebesträume” No. 3 in A flat major
Cheng-Hsun Yeh, piano
Beethoven: Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”) – III: Allegro ma non troppo – presto
Pei-Chi Li, piano
Schubert: Impromptu in E flat major, D. 899, No. 2
Yiduo Yu, piano
Chopin: Ballade in G minor, Op. 23
Binyan Xu, piano
Chopin: “Variations brillantes” in B flat major, Op. 12
Yi-Shan Cheng, piano
Brahms: Scherzo in E flat minor, Op. 4
Wun-Chen Huang, piano
Liszt: “Annes de pèlerinage” II – “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca”
Moyue Zhuo, piano
Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor – finale
Yu-Ting Shu, piano
Liszt: “Rhapsodie espagnole”
Ching-Hua Chang, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 6 (6:30 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Summer at CenterStage:
Thomas Schneider, bassoon
Russell Wilson, piano
Bitsch: Concertino for bassoon and piano
Gounod: “Roméo et Juliette” – “Ah, lève-toi soleil!”
Massenet: “Werther” – “Pourquoi me réveiller?”
Bizet: “Carmen” – “Flower Song”
Ravel: Sonatine for piano
Debussy: Préludes, Book 2 – “Bruyères”
Dutilleux: “Sarabande et Cortège”
Saint-Saëns: Sonata, Op. 168, for bassoon and piano
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Aug. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 8 N. Laurel St., Richmond
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
Haydn: Sonata in F major, Hob. XVI: 23 – I: Allegro moderato
Haiyu Liu, piano
Liszt: “Annes de pèlerinage” II – “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca”
Yu-Wen Chiu, piano
Chopin: Ballade in F major, Op. 38
I Hao Liu, piano
Scriabin: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6 – I: Allegro con fuoco
Jo-Yu Tsai, piano
Chopin: Nocturne in F major, Op. 15
Xuhuizi Chang, piano
Debussy: “Children’s Corner”
Xuande Wu, piano
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28
Ping-Chen Hsieh, piano
Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 311 – II: Andante con expressione
Chopin: Étude in C minor, Op. 25, No. 12
Matthew Monnig, piano
Chopin: Ballade in G minor, Op. 23
Fangbing Liu, piano
Prokofiev: “Sarcasms,” Op. 17
Zhiqian Wu, piano
Wagner-Liszt: “Tristan und Isolde”
Stephen Daming, piano
J.S. Bach-Busoni: Partita No. 2 in D minor – Chaconne
Yuhan Cao, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 6 (8 p.m.)
Filene Center, Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Fairfax County
The Piano Guys
program TBA
$30-$125
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org

Aug. 7 (7 p.m.)
Cheek Theatre, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Boulevard at Grove Avenue, Richmond
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60
Tchaikovsky: “The Seasons” – November: “Troika”
Mendelssohn-Rachmaninoff: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” incidental music – Scherzo
Chun-Chieh Yen, piano
Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478
Susanna Klein, violin
Molly Sharp, viola
Jason Wang, cello
Yin Zheng, piano
Sarasate: “Zigeunerweisen”
Eugene Damare: “La Tourterelle”
Qi Wang, flute
Henning Vauth, piano
Scarlatti: Sonata in G major, K. 146
Scarlatti: Sonata in F minor, K. 466
Beethoven: Sonata in B flat major, Op. 22 – I: Allegro con brio
Liszt: “Funeral March”
Kabalevsky: Rondo in A minor, Op. 59
Xiao Wu, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 7 (8:15 p.m.)
Filene Center, Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Fairfax County
Wolf Trap Opera Company
National Symphony Orchestra
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Grant Gershon conducting
Puccini: “Madama Butterfly”
Alexandra Loutsion (Cio-Cio San)
Robert Watson (Lt. Pinkerton)
Joo Won Kang (Sharpless)
J’nai Bridges (Suzuki)
David Margulis (Goro)
Evan Boyer (The Bonze)
Tara Faircloth, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$75
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org

Aug. 8 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harroson Street, Richmond
VCU Global Summer Institute of Music:
J.S. Bach: Flute Sonata in C major, BWV 1003
Siying Liu, flute
Yu-Wen Chiu, piano
Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313 – I & II
Yinuo Zhang, flute
Jo-Yu Tai, piano
Liu Zhiang: “Yellow River Concerto” – “The Wrath of the Yellow River”
Lina Zhao, piano
Yuhan Cao, piano accompaniment
Fauré: Fantasie, Op. 79 – Andantino
Shiwen Sheng, flute
Ching-Hua Chang, piano
Schumann: “Four Pieces” for viola and piano, Op. 113 – “Märchenbilder”
Fangze Jiang, viola
Stephen Daming, piano
Brahms: Viola Sonata in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1
Yuxuan Liu, viola
Yuhan Cao, piano
free
(804) 828-1166
wp.vcu.edu/gsim

Aug. 8 (5 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Bayla Keyes & Teresa Ling, violins
Evelyn Grau, viola
Joseph Lee & Isaac Melamed, cellos
Robert Merfeld, harmonium
Read Gainsford, piano
Dvořák: Bagatelles, Op. 47
Prokofiev: Sonata in C major, Op. 56, for two violins
Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 21
$25; $84 with dinner
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 8 (8:15 p.m.)
Filene Center, Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Fairfax County
National Symphony Orchestra
The Washington Chorus
Emil de Cou conducting
“The Music of John Williams”
$20-$58
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org

Aug. 9 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2015:
Richmond Chamber Players
Karen Johnson, violin
Beethoven: Trio in B flat major, Op. 11, for clarinet, cello and piano
Jennifer Higdon: “String Poetic” for violin and piano
Cesar Cui: “Five Little Pieces” for flute, violin and piano
Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 2 (“Company”)
$20
(804) 272-7514
www.bonairpc.org

Aug. 9 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Garth Newel Music Center Emerging Artist Fellows
Beethoven: Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”)
Martinů: Quartet No. 1 (1942)
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 1 (1935)
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 60
$25; $43 with picnic
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 12 (7 p.m.)
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond
August Musicales:
Christopher Martin, organ
works by Hollins, Benoit, Dupré, Escaich, Guilmant
donation requested
(804) 359-2463
www.grace-covenant.org

Aug. 13 (6:30 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Summer at CenterStage:
Jared Davis, clarinet
Daniel Stipe, piano
Debussy: “Première rhapsodie”
Debussy: “Images,” Book 2
Cahuzac: “Cantilène”
Milhaud: Duo concertante, Op. 351, for clarinet and piano
Poulenc: Sonata for clarinet and piano
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Aug. 14 (6 p.m.)
Hunt Hall, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
“Midsummer Ball”
Beethoven: “Egmont” Overture
Froberger: “Tombeau de Mr. Blanchrocher”
Fauré: “Le Bonne Chanson” (excerpts)
Gershwin: songs TBA
Milhaud: “Scaramouche”
$120, including dinner, dessert and after-concert extras
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 15 (noon)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Biber: Sonata for trumpet, strings and continuo
Beethoven: folksong arrangements TBA
Dvořák: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”)
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Johann Strauss II: “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”
Toch: “Georgraphical Fugue” for speaking chorus
Susan Botti: “The Journey Without Her” for piano trio
Telemann: “Les Nations” Suite (excerpts)
George Crumb: “Shenandoah” for soprano, four percussionists and amplified piano
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major (“Italian”)
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 15 (5 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Rob Patterson, clarinet
Bruch: “Eight Pieces” for clarinet, viola and piano (excerpts)
Martin Bresnick: Trio for clarinet, viola and piano
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87
$25; $84 with dinner
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 16 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2015:
Richmond Chamber Players
P.D.Q. Bach: “Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello All By Its Lonesome”
Mozart: “A Musical Joke”
Hindemith: “Minimax” for string quartet
P.D.Q. Bach: “Schleptet” in E flat major for flute, oboe, French horn, violin, viola and two cellos
$20
(804) 272-7514
www.bonairpc.org

Aug. 16 (3 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
musicians & narrator TBA
Staunton Academy of Ballet members
Saint-Saëns: “Carnival of the Animals”
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Mendelssohn: “A Midsummer Night's Dream” incidental music – Overture, intermezzo, wedding march
Susan Botti: “Telaio: Desdemona” for voice and chamber ensemble
Purcell: airs TBA for voices and lutes
Bernstein: “West Side Story” – Suite No. 2 for voices and orchestra
$28
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 16 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Rob Patterson, clarinet
Beethoven: String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3
John Mackey: “Breakdown Tango” for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
Zemlinsky: Trio in D minor, Op. 3, for clarinet, cello and piano
$25; $43 with picnic
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 17 (noon)
Central United Methodist Church, 14 N. Lewis St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Schulhoff: Concertino for flute, viola and double-bass
Mozart: Quintet, K. 452, for piano and winds
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Zachary Wadsworth: work TBA for two percussionists and two double-basses (premiere)
J.S. Bach: “The Art of the Fugue” – Contrapunctus XIV for string quartet
Busoni: “Fantasia contrappuntisca” for two pianos
Mozart: “Don Giovanni” (excerpts)
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 18 (noon)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Schubert: “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen”
Susan Botti: “Jabberwocky” for voice and percussion
Mozart: “Per questa bella mano”
Berio: “O King” for soprano and chamber ensemble
Dufay: “Je veuil chanter de cuer joyeux”
Berberian: “Stripsody” for solo voice
Brahms-Wadsworth: “ ‘New’ Liebesliederwalzer” for vocal quartet and piano four-hands (premiere)
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
J.S. Bach: Concerto in D major for three harpsichords
Lambert: “Vos mepris chaque jour”
Handel: Prelude and Passacaglia for three harpsichords, organ and therobo
Mendelssohn: three duets for voices and piano
Schubert: Adagio and Rondo concertante in F major
Mozart: “Abendempfindung” for voice and piano
Buxtehude: Praeludium in F sharp for organ
C.P.E. Bach: Concerto for fortepiano, harpsichord and orchestra
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 19 (7 p.m.)
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond
August Musicales:
Robert Murray, violin
Ardyth Lohius, organ
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 359-2463
www.grace-covenant.org

Aug. 19 (noon)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in D minor (“Dorian”) for organ
Hildegard of Bingen: “Ave generosa” for female voices
Yannelli: “Mass for the New Millennium” for chorus and chamber orchestra
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Haydn: Allegro in C major for mechanical organ
Beethoven: “Canon for Maelzel” for voices and metronome
Haydn: Symphony No. 101 in D major (“Clock”)
Dotas: new jazz composition (premiere)
Messiaen: “Quartet for the End of Time”
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 20 (6:30 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Summer at CenterStage:
Susanna Klein, violin
Yin Zheng, piano
Debussy: “Valse romantique”
Boeck: Sonata for violin and piano
Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Aug. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
31st Street Stage, Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
conductor TBA
program TBA
free
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Aug. 20 (noon)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Barber: “Summer Music” for wind quintet
Crumb: “Wanderer Fantasy” for two pianos and two slide whistles
Rosen: “Rhizome” for flute
Biscardi: Piano Quintet
Bernstein: “Peter Pan” – “Dream with Me”
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Pérotin: “Alleluia nativtas”
Stockhausen: “Klavierstück” IX
Handel: “Hercules” – “Where Shall I Fly” for contralto, strings and continuo
Liszt: “Au bord d’une source” for piano
Varèse: “Density 21.5” for flute
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 2
Beethoven: “Great Fugue” for string quartet
Antheil: Violin Sonata No. 2
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 21 (noon)
Central United Methodist Church, 14 N. Lewis St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Vivaldi: Concerto in D minor for two oboes, strings and continuo
Yun: Quartet for oboe, violin, viola and cello
Dvořák: Serenade in D minor for winds
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Vivaldi: “The Four Seasons”
madrigals TBA by Monteverdi, Marenzio, Gesualdo, others
$22
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 22 (noon)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Milhaud: “Scaramouche” for two pianos
Vladimir Mendelssohn: “Dracula” for chamber ensemble (U.S. premiere)
Enescu: Octet in C major for strings – Valse
free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
Purcell: “Dido and Aeneas”
Peter Maxwell Davies: “Eight Songs for a Mad King”
$28
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 22 (5 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Audrey Andrist, Read Gainsford, Genevieve Feiwen Lee & Esther Wang, pianos
Bernstein: “Candide” Overture for piano 4-hands
Fauré: “Dolly” Suite for piano 4-hands
Dvořák: Slavonic dances TBA for piano 4-hands
Lutoslawski: “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” for two pianos
Piazzolla: tangos TBA for two pianos
Liszt: “Hungarian Rhapsody” No. 2 for two pianos 8-hands
$25; $84 with dinner
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 23 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2015:
Richmond Chamber Players
Beethoven: Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70, No. 2
Robert Muczynski: “Time Pieces” for clarinet and piano
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 2
$20
(804) 272-7514
www.bonairpc.org

Aug. 23 (3 p.m.)
Aug. 25 (7 p.m.)
Chester United Methodist Church, 12132 Percival St.
Chester Community Chorus
Josh Wortham directing
Cheryl Van Ornam, organ
chamber orchestra
Dan Forrest: “Requiem for the Living”
other works TBA
free
(804) 748-6006
www.chesterchorus.org

Aug. 23 (3:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
artists TBA
J.S. Bach: “St. John Passion”
$28
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.org

Aug. 23 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Audrey Andrist, Read Gainsford, Genevieve Feiwen Lee & Esther Wang, pianos
Brahms: waltzes for piano 4-hands
Kurt Rhode: “Altromondo” for piano 4-hands
Satie: “Le Belle Excentrique” for piano 4-hands
Gershwin: “ ‘I Got Rhythm’ Variations” for two pianos
Colin McPhee: “Balinese Ceremonial Dances” for two pianos
Ravel: “La Valse” for two pianos
$25; $43 with picnic
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
Richmond Choral Society
Markus Compton directing
Randall Thompson: “Frostiana”
$10
(804) 353-9582
www.richmondchoralsociety.org

Aug. 26 (7 p.m.)
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond
August Musicales:
Atlantic Chamber Ensemble
works by Mozart, Loeffler, Debussy, Gershwin, Mendelssohn
donation requested
(804) 359-2463
www.grace-covenant.org

Aug. 27 (6:30 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Summer at CenterStage:
Jennifer Lawson, flute
David Fisk, piano
Fauré: Fantasie
Dutilleux: Sonatine for flute and piano
Debussy: “L’isle joyeuse”
Jolivet: “Chant de Linos”
Poulenc: Sonata for flute and piano
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
Dogwood Dell, Byrd Park, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Adam Turner conducting
Javier Abreu, Troy Cook, Meredith Lustig & Margaret Gawrysiak, vocalists
Virginia Opera “Opera in the Park”
works by Verdi, Wagner, Copland, Bernstein, Sondheim, others
free
(757) 627-9545
www.vaopera.org

Aug. 29 (5 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Aaron Berofsky & Kathryn Votapek, violins
Leclair: duos TBA for two violins
Polina Nazaykinskaya: “Silver Awakening” for piano quartet (premiere)
Beethoven: String Quintet in C major, Op. 29
$25; $84 with dinner
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org

Aug. 30 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2015:
Richmond Chamber Players
Karen Johnson, violin
J.S. Bach-Schumann: Suite No. 3 in C major for cello and piano
J.S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin – chaconne
J.S. Bach: Sonata for oboe, harp and cello
J.S. Bach-Sitkovetsky: “Goldberg Variations” for string trio (excerpts)
$20
(804) 272-7514
www.bonairpc.org

Aug. 30 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs, Bath County
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Aaron Berofsky, violin
Kathryn Votapek, violin & viola
Mozart: Duo No. 2 in B flat major for violin and viola
Frank Martin: “Trio on Irish Folk Tunes” for violin, cello and piano
Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor (“Voces intimae”)
$25; $43 with picnic
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org