Chamber Music Society reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia’s concerts on Feb. 28 and 29 at First Unitarian Universalist Church:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_83bc9f0e-0902-5695-b52b-8e08578da3f7.html

The harpsichord riot

Mahan Esfahani, the Iranian-American harpsichordist giving a Sunday matinee performance with the period-instruments ensemble Concerto Köln in Cologne, Germany, leavened a baroque-rococo program with a harpsichord version of Steve Reich’s “Piano Phase” (1967), only to find that the piece provoked a near-riot in the audience.

In a missive to Norman Lebrecht’s Slipped Disc blog, Esfahani writes that he’s “fairly sure that the harpsichord has never been in a situation which has inspired total order breaking down in a concert hall. For me, that’s indescribably awesome. If this instrument can inspire opinions, then we are on to something. Of course, I wish people would express themselves in more respectful ways, but who am I to judge? My brain hurts to think what would have transpired had I played something really new.”

http://slippedisc.com/2016/02/noisy-dissent-disrupts-a-harpsichord-recital/

Mistaken identity

“The viola player Kim Kashkashian won a Grammy [Award] for Best Classical Instrumental Solo,” Norman Lebrecht writes on his Slipped Disc blog. “US mass media got excited,” mistaking Kashkashian, who describes herself as a “middle-aged mother and classical musician,” for pop celebrity Kim Kardashian, whose, um, instrument is not the viola.

Jackson Ward celebrated in May

The Richmond Symphony and its Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Richmond Jazz Society, Ezibu Muntu African Dance, Elegba Folklore Society and the ART 180 youth art program will collaborate in Celebrate Jackson Ward: Past, Present and Future, a festival running from May 20-22 in Abner Clay Park, West Clay Street at Brook Road in the central city’s historic Jackson Ward neighborhood.

Performances will employ the symphony’s recently acquired “Big Tent” portable concert stage, which also is being used for the RVA East End Festival, May 6-8 in Chimborazo Park.

Events in the Jackson Ward festival include ART 180’s spring program celebration, “The Really BIG Show,” on May 20; performances for children and families by the symphony and youth orchestra, theatre and companies and community artists and groups on May 21; and an ecumenical service and performances by church choir and liturgical dancers from Jackson Ward churches on May 22.

All events are free. Food, beverage and other vendors will be open in the park.

Celebrate Jackson Ward sponsors include The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Genworth Financial, Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust, Beirne Carter Foundation and City of Richmond.

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.richmondsymphony.com/education-engagement/celebrate-jackson-ward/

Letter V Classical Radio this week

A program guaranteed to make us all feel like under-achievers: Every one of these works was written by a composer in his teen-age.

Feb. 25
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Mozart: “Exsultate, jubilate”
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Academy of Ancient Music/
Christopher Hogwood
(L’Oiseau Lyre)

Schubert: Symphony
No. 2 in B flat major
Orchestra of
the 18th Century/
Frans Brüggen (Philips)

Mahler: Piano Quartet
in A minor
Daniel Hope, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
David Finckel, cello
Wu Han, piano
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Beethoven: Piano Concerto in E flat major, WoO 4
Ronald Brautigam, piano
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/
Andrew Parrott (BIS)

Mendelssohn: Double Concerto in D minor
Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano
Gottfried von der Goltz, violin & director
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (Harmonia Mundi)

Past Masters:
Richard Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major
Dennis Brain, French horn
Philharmonia Orchestra/
Wolfgang Sawallisch
(EMI Classics)
(recorded 1956)

Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga: Quartet No. 3
in E flat major
Guarneri Quartet
(Newton Classics)

Chopin:
“Rondo à la Krakowiak”
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/
Jerzy Maksymiuk (EMI Classics)

cf. Bob Dylan

The late U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia was widely known to be an opera lover – he and his ideologically odd-couple friend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, played silent walk-on roles in a 1994 Washington National Opera production of Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos,” and were the subjects of Derrick Wang’s comic opera “Scalia/Ginsburg,” introduced last year at Virginia’s Castleton Festival.

Bob Dylan was another of the justice’s musical inclinations – a much odder coupling ideologically, and perhaps a more resonant one.

Thanks in part to Scalia’s references to his lyrics in his writings, Dylan has become the most frequently quoted songwriter in judicial opinions, University of Tennessee law professor Alex B. Long wrote in his 2012 study “The Freewheelin’ Judiciary: A Bob Dylan Anthology.”

Long, however, tells The New York Times’ Adam Liptak that “[j]udges’ inclination to go to Dylan has actually increased in the past few years,” following Chief Justice John Roberts’ use of the phrase “when you got nothing, you got nothing to lose” from “Like a Rolling Stone,” in a 2008 opinion:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/how-does-it-feel-chief-justice-roberts-to-hone-a-dylan-quote.html

Liptak also notes a 2015 study finding 213 references to Dylan’s lyrics in medical research literature.

Richmond Symphony reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Richmond Symphony and its principal oboist, Gustav Highstein, playing works by Richard Strauss, Beethoven and Stravinsky in a Metro Collections program at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_97c38b5d-9fda-565d-915b-221003ba80c4.html

In arrears in Norfolk

Virginia Opera and the Virginia Symphony owe about $380,000 to the City of Norfolk for rental of the Harrison Opera House and Chrysler Hall, with some unpaid fees dating back six years. Officials of the arts groups blame financial and organizational stress from the recession years, Tim Eberly reports in The Virginian-Pilot:

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/virginia-opera-virginia-symphony-orchestra-deep-in-debt-to-norfolk/article_de4c1639-ea09-5963-9716-ec72a77328cd.html

Lincoln Center musicians reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, playing Dohnányi’s Serenade for string trio and piano quartets by Beethoven and Dvořák at Virginia Commonwealth University:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_5b627c1e-fb62-5c2b-b349-a93980491df4.html

Virginia Opera reviewed

Roy Proctor’s review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Virginia Opera production of Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet” at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_c96c4602-f97f-54b1-9edd-63b4448d0172.html

No fries with that

One of my favorite jokes about the economic travails of musicians . . . 

Q: What’s the first thing a trombonist says at work? 

A: You want fries with that?

. . . may have to be retired, thanks to Joseph Bastian, bass trombonist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. When Robin Ticciati, the guest conductor scheduled to lead this week’s concerts, called in sick, Bastian was tapped to conduct a program of Brahms, Berg and Elgar.

(via http://slippedisc.com)

Richmond Symphony 2016-17

An opening-night program featuring violinist Itzhak Perlman, the return of former music director Jacques Houtmann and a complete performance of Berlioz’s “Romeo and Juliet” highlight the 2016-17 season of the Richmond Symphony.

Perlman, who celebrated his 70th birthday last summer, will play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor in the season-opener, Sept. 25 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage).

Other concerts in the Masterworks mainstage classical series will feature pianists Anton Nel playing Schumann’s Concerto in A minor and Rémi Geniet playing Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 in F minor, guitarist Jason Vieaux playing Dan Visconti’s “Living Language” (a work co-commissioned by the Richmond Symphony), cellist Gary Hoffman playing Elgar’s Concerto in E minor and violinist Jinjoo Cho playing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in
D major.

Major orchestral repertory on Masterworks programs next season include Dvořák’s Seventh, Beethoven’s Eighth, Brahms’ First, Schubert’s “Unfinished” and Franck’s D minor symphonies; Stravinsky’s “Petrushka,” Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story” and Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan.”

The Richmond Symphony Chorus, directed by Erin R. Freeman, will perform in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Dona nobis pacem,” Bruckner’s setting of Psalm 150 and the Berlioz in Masterworks programs, as well as Christmas-season performances of the “Let It Snow!” holiday pops program and Handel’s “Messiah.” Erin R. Freeman, the chorus’ director, will conduct “Messiah.”

Two symphony principals will perform as soloists in Metro Collection concerts at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland: Concertmaster Daisuke Yamamoto in Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” for violin and orchestra, and principal timpanist Jim Jacobson in Johann Carl Christian Fischer’s Symphony in C major with eight obbligato timpani.

Metro Collection repertory also includes Beethoven’s Fourth, Schubert’s Fifth and Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphonies, Stravinsky’s “Danses concertantes,” Copland’s “Three Latin-American Sketches” and a suite from Purcell’s “The Gordian Knot Untied.”

Contemporary works on symphony programs next season, in addition to the Visconti, include Libby Larsen’s “Collage: Boogie,” Joan Tower’s “Chamber Dance,” Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Raíces” (“Roots”), Bruce Adolphe’s “Temporary Sue: a Cretaceous Concerto,” and “An American Port of Call” by Virginia-based Adolphus Hailstork. 

The symphony’s two casual-concerts series will return: Casual Fridays, presenting four talks on and performances of featured works in Masterworks programs, three with music director Steven Smith, one with Houtmann, at the Carpenter Theatre; and Rush Hour at Hardywood, presenting condensed versions of Metro Collection programs, staged at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.

The Symphony Pops series features tributes to singers Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand and film composer John Williams, as well as “Let It Snow!”

LolliPops family programs include “Magic at the Symphony,” “Princesses and Pirates – The Music of Disney,” “A Child’s Guide to the Orchestra, with Really Inventive Stuff” and the animated film “The Snowman.”

Chia-Hsuan Lin, the orchestra’s new associate conductor, will lead most Symphony Pops and LolliPops programs, as well as the spring concerts concluding next season’s Metro Collection and Rush Hour at Hardywood series. 

In addition to subscription packages for Masterworks, Casual Fridays, Metro Collection, Symphony Pops and LolliPops series, the symphony also is offering Soundwave, a $25 subscription for students, covering all Masterworks and Casual Fridays concerts.

For a season brochure or more information, call the symphony box office at (804) 788-1212 or visit www.richmondsymphony.com

The Richmond Symphony’s 2016-17 programs, with adult subscription and single-ticket prices:


MASTERWORKS
at Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets
Saturday subscription: $180-$562
Sunday subscription: $86-$270
Compose-your-own subscription: $23-$54 per ticket
Single tickets: $10-$80

Sept. 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Richard Strauss: “Don Juan”
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor
Itzhak Perlman, violin
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”
Enescu: “Romanian Rhapsody” No. 1

Oct. 22 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 23 (3 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Libby Larsen: “Collage: Boogie”
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor
Anton Nel, piano
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7 in D minor

Nov. 12 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 13 (3 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Berlioz: “Romeo and Juliet”
Kathryn Leemhuis, mezzo-soprano
Vale Rideout, tenor
Darren K. Stokes, bass-baritone
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing

Jan. 14 (8 p.m.)
Jacques Houtmann conducting
Wagner: “Tannhäuser” Overture
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
Rémi Geniet, piano
Franck: Symphony in D minor

Feb. 4 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 5 (3 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Rossini: “Semiramide” Overture
Dan Visconti: “Living Language”
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major

March 4 (8 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Adolphus Hailstork: “An American Port of Call”
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
Jinjoo Cho, violin
Stravinsky: “Petrushka”

April 8 (8 p.m.)
April 9 (3 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”)
Bruckner: Psalm 150
Vaughan Williams: “Dona nobis pacem”
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Kevin Deas, bass-baritone
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing

May 13 (8 p.m.)
Steven Smith conducting
John Knowles Paine: “Oedipus Tyrannus” Overture
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor
Gary Hoffman, cello
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor


METRO COLLECTION 
3 p.m., Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Subscription: $70
Single tickets: $22

Oct. 16
Steven Smith conducting
Copland: “Three Latin-American Sketches”
Astor Piazzolla: “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Silvestre Revueltas: “Alcancías”
Gabriela Lena Frank: “Raíces” (“Roots”)

Jan. 22
Steven Smith conducting
Gluck: “Orfeo ed Eurydice” Overture
Joan Tower: “Chamber Dance”
Purcell: “The Gordian Knot Untied” Suite No. 1
Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

Feb. 19
Steven Smith conducting
Bruce Adolphe: “Temporary Sue: a Cretaceous Concerto”
Johann Carl Christian Fischer: “Symphony with Eight Obbligato Timpani”
Jim Jacobson, timpani
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major

April 30
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Handel: “Solomon” – “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba”
Stravinsky: “Danses concertantes”
Beethoven: “The Creatures of Prometheus” Overture
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”)


CASUAL FRIDAYS
6:30 p.m., Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets
Subscription: $90-$180
Single tickets: $10-$50

Sept. 30
Steven Smith conducting & speaking
Richard Strauss: “Don Juan”
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”

Jan. 13
Jacques Houtmann conducting & speaking
Franck: Symphony in D minor

March 3
Steven Smith conducting & speaking
Stravinsky: “Petrushka”

May 12
Steven Smith conducting & speaking
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor


RUSH HOUR AT HARDYWOOD
6:30 p.m., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Overbrook Road at Ownby Lane
Single tickets: $15

Oct. 13
Steven Smith conducting
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
music by Copland, Piazzolla, Revueltas, Frank

Jan. 19
Steven Smith conducting
music by Gluck, Tower, Purcell, Schubert

Feb. 16
Steven Smith conducting
Jim Jacobson, timpani
music by Adolphe, Fischer, Beethoven

April 27
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
music by Handel, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mozart


SYMPHONY POPS
at Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets (unless listed otherwise)
Subscription: $86-$270
Single tickets: $10-$80

Oct. 29 (8 p.m., Altria Theater, Main and Laurel streets)
conductor TBA
Rashidra Scott, vocalist
“Windborne’s Music of Whitney Houston”

Dec. 3 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 4 (3 p.m.)
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
“Let It Snow!” holiday program

Jan. 21 (8 p.m.)
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“The Genius of John Williams”

March 11 (8 p.m.)
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Ann Hampton Calloway, vocalist
“The Streisand Songbook”


LOLLIPOPS
11 a.m., Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets
Subscription: $42 (adult), $34 (child)
Single tickets: $17 (adult), $12 (child)

Oct. 1
Steven Smith conducting
Lyn Dillies, magician
“Magic at the Symphony”

Nov. 26
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“The Snowman,” animated film with orchestral accompaniment

Jan. 28
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“Princesses and Pirates – The Music of Disney”

March 25
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Sara Valentine, actor
“A Child’s Guide to the Orchestra, with Really Inventive Stuff”


SPECIAL CONCERT
Single tickets: $20-$50

Dec. 2 (7:30 p.m., Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets)
Erin R. Freeman conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus

eighth blackbird wins fourth Grammy

eighth blackbird, the new-music sextet in residence at the University of Richmond, has won its fourth Grammy Award for “Filament,” a collection of works by Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Nico Muhly and Son Lux.

The disc, on the Cedille label, won in the Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category.

Other major classical 2016 Grammy awards:

* Orchestral Performance: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 (“Under Stalin’s Shadow”) – Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons (Deutsche Grammophon).

* Opera Recording: Ravel: “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges;” “Schéhérazade” – Saito Kinen Orchrstra, et al./Seiji Ozawa (Decca).

* Choral Performance: Rachmaninoff: “All Night Vigil” – Kansas City Chorale, et al./Charles Bruffy (Chandos).

* Classical Instrumental Solo: Dutilleux: Violin Concerto (“L’Arbre des Songes”) – Augustin Hadelich, violin; Seattle Symphony/Ludovic Morlot (Seattle Symphony Media).

* Classical Solo Vocal Album: “Joyce and Tony – Live from Wigmore Hall” – Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Antonio Pappano, piano (Warner Classics).

* Contemporary Classical Composition: Stephen Paulus: “Prayers and Remembrances” – True Concord Voices & Orchestra/Eric Holtan (Reference Recordings).

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 18
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Michael Torke: “Ash”
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/
David Zinman (Argo)

J.S. Bach:
“English Suite” No. 3
in G minor, BWV 808
Angela Hewitt, piano (Hyperion)

Dag Wirén: Serenade
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/
Neville Marriner
(Argo)

Past Masters:
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor
Stephen Kovacevich, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Colin Davis
(Newton Classics)
(recorded 1970)

Chausson: “Poéme de l’amour et de la mer”
Jessye Norman, soprano
Monte Carlo Philharmonic/
Armin Jordan (Erato)

Jan Dismas Zelenka:
“Hipocondrie”
Collegium 1704/
Václav Luks (Supraphon)

Vaughan Williams: “Job, a Masque for Dancing”
London Philharmonic/Vernon Handley
(EMI Eminence)

'My heart is, and always will be, yours'

That sentence, from Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” topped the list of most romantic lines in literature, film and television in a poll of 2,000 women by Britain’s Drama Channel, The Telegraph reports:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/12147299/most-romantic-quotes-film-tv-books.html

Songwriters, take note.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

(via http://www.artsjournal.com)

Symphony takes 'Big Tent' to East End

The Richmond Symphony’s first venture into the city’s neighborhoods under its “Big Tent” – a portable concert stage that the orchestra acquired last year – will be the RVA East End Festival: the Gift of Music, May 6-8 in Chimborazo Park.

The orchestra will be joined by the No BS! Brass Band, singer Desirée Roots, musicians from the symphony’s Youth Orchestra Program and Richmond Public Schools, and other local artists in the free event. 

Bon Secours Richmond Health System, which operates Richmond Community Hospital in the East End, has joined festival partners as a sponsor toward a pledged goal of $100,000 to provide musical instruments and related materials to students at eight city schools in the neighborhood.

Other sponsors include the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, City of Richmond, Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust and Stone Brewery.

The festival will be the first of an ongoing series of outdoor events using the portable stage, purchased so the symphony could perform and anchor other performances outside its downtown home venue, the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), and other concert halls.

The stage was first used last fall in the opening ceremony of the UCI Road World Championships.

“This new festival in the East End is exactly the type of outcome we envisioned with the Richmond Symphony’s acquisition of their new ‘Big Tent,’ ” Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones said in a statement announcing the festival. “Expanding the symphony’s footprint into neighborhoods like the East End is only the beginning of the wonderful partnerships and community engagement that this mobility will continue to inspire.”

David Fisk, the symphony‘s executive director, said the portable stage is “an opportunity to foster community pride, and showcase what the Richmond area, and its people, have to offer by using music’s power to unite and entertain.”

The RVA East End Festival will open on May 6 with a concert by the symphony, No BS! Brass Band and Roots. On May 7, students from the schools and Youth Orchestra Program will give a variety of performances. On May 8, the festival will conclude with performances by church choirs and spoken-word and gospel artists.

A “Kids Zone” will offer arts and crafts activities, a community mural project and other hands-on features. Food, beverage and other vendors will be on the festival site, as well as other businesses and non-profit groups.

Artists, businesses and community groups wishing to participate in the festival can file an interest form and obtain more information by visiting the festival’s website, http://www.rvaeastendfest.com

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 11
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Ravel: “La Tombeau de Couperin”
Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal/
Charles Dutoit (Decca)

Past Masters:
Dohnányi: Trio in C major, Op. 10
Jascha Heifetz, violin
William Primrose, viola
Emanuel Feuermann, cello (Biddulph)
(recorded 1941)

Brahms: “Variations
on a Theme by Haydn”
Berlin Philharmonic/Claudio Abbado
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Schubert: Quartet in G major, D. 887
Miró Quartet (Miró Quartet Media)

Mozart: “The Impresario” Overture
Academy of St. Martin
in the Fields/
Neville Marriner
(EMI Classics)

John Adams:
“The Chairman Dances”
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/
David Zinman (Argo)

Beethoven: Sonata in
D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (“Tempest”)
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano (BIS)

Past Masters:
Rodrigo: “Fantasía para un gentilhombre”
(after Gaspar Sanz)
Andrés Segovia, guitar
Symphony of the Air/Enrique Jordá
(Deutsche Grammophon)
(recorded 1958)

Richmond Symphony reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Richmond Symphony Masterworks program of Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” Symphony and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, conducted by Victor Yampolsky and featuring Daisuke Yamamoto, the orchestra’s concertmaster, as violin soloist:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_b6fbd61f-6c86-516c-9222-406eda26675a.html

'Gymnopedie' 1111111111111111

Brendan Landis, the Brooklyn-based sound artist known as Hey Exit, has devised a transformation of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie”
No. 1 by overlaying every recording of the solo-piano piece onto a single audio track.

“As each plays at the same time, the attention shifts to the variations in tempo and phrasing, and [the overlay] creates a dense sound with rounded edges. Wild stuff!” opines Musical Toronto.

Mesmerizing stuff, I’d say:

http://www.musicaltoronto.org/2016/02/01/coffee-break-5/

(via http://slippedisc.com)

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 4
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
www.wdce.org

Handel: “Music for the Royal Fireworks”
Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall (Astrée)

Stravinsky:
Concerto in D major
(“Dumbarton Oaks”)
Ensemble Intercontemporain/
Pierre Boulez
(Deutsche Grammophon)

J.S. Bach: Orchestral
Suite No. 4 in D major,
BWV 1069
Ensemble Sonnerie/
Monica Huggett (Avie)

Mozart: Mass in C minor, K. 427 (“Great”)
Gillian Keith, soprano
Tove Dahlberg, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Cooley, tenor
Nathan Berg, bass-baritone
Handel and Haydn Society/
Harry Christophers (Coro)

Haydn: Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2 (“Fifths”)
Alban Berg Quartet (Warner Classics)

Respighi:
“Concerto all’antica”
Andrea Cappelletti, violin
Philharmonia Orchestra/
Matthias Bamert
(Koch Schwann)

Schubert: Impromptu in F minor, D. 935, No. 4
Krystian Zimerman, piano (Deutsche Grammophon)

February 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 and around Richmond: Symphony Musicians of Richmond present their annual “Music Unites” concert with Victor Yampolsky conducting music of Beethoven, Brahms and Elgar, Feb. 1 at St. Michael Catholic Church. . . . Yampolsky conducts the Richmond Symphony in a Casual Fridays exploration of Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” Symphony on Feb. 5, and a Masterworks program featuring the Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, with concertmaster Daisuke Yamamoto as soloist, on Feb. 6, both at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage). . . . Pianist Richard Becker presents his annual Super Bowl-alternative concert, a program of préludes by Chopin and Debussy and his own improvisations, Feb. 7 at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . Daniel Myssyk conducts members of the VCU Symphony with pianists Sonia Vlahcevic and Yin Zheng and performers from the VCU Department of Dance and Theatre in a theatrical version of Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals,” with additional incidental music by Robert M. Lepage and Guy Beausoleil, Feb. 7 at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . Organist Marvin Mills and soprano Marlissa Hudson perform in “The Spiritual Bach,” a program of works by J.S. Bach alongside African-American spirituals, Feb. 12 at Trinity Lutheran Church. . . . Cellist Dana McComb and pianist Joanne Kong present “Six Degrees of Separation,” exploring music by Bloch, Webern, Prokofiev, Piazzolla, Henry Cowell and Arvo Pärt, Feb. 14 at UR’s Modlin Center. . . . Daniel Roth, organist of Paris’ Église Saint-Sulpice, plays Bach, Franck, Saint-Saëns, Wagner and more in a recital on Feb. 16 at St. Bridget Catholic Church. . . . Tenor John Aler conducts singers from Virginia Opera’s Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists Program, Feb. 17 in the Gottwald Playhouse of Dominion Arts Center. . . . Steven Smith conducts the Richmond Symphony with its principal oboist, Gustav Highstein, in music of Richard Strauss, Stravinsky and Beethoven, in a casual Rush Hour series concert on Feb. 18 at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and a Metro Collection performance on Feb. 21 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. . . . Virginia Opera stages Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Feb. 19 and 21 at Dominion Arts Center’s Carpenter Theatre (plus performances earlier in the month at Norfolk’s Harrison Opera House and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax). . . . The Australian Chamber Orchestra performs in a multimedia travelogue of Western Australia, Feb. 20 at UR’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center plays Beethoven, Dohnányi and Dvořák, in a Rennolds Chamber Concerts program on Feb. 20 at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia presents “Different Voices,” with works by Fazil Say, Erwin Schulhoff, Valerie Coleman and Fanny Mendelssohn Henselt, on Feb. 28, and Jake Heggie’s “For a Look or a Touch,” a chamber opera on the gay victims of the Nazi Holocaust, on Feb. 29, both at First Unitarian Universalist Church. . . . The Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra present their annual “Side by Side” concert, featuring cellist Jason Hwang, winner of the 2015 Richmond Symphony Orchestra League competition, Feb. 28 at the Carpenter Theatre. 

* Noteworthy elsewhere: Pianist André Watts joins Mario Venzago and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a program of Mozart, Schumann and Gluck, Feb. 4 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC. . . . The Virginia Symphony stages a Beethoven Festival, including the “Eroica” and “Pastoral” symphonies, “Choral Fantasy” and other works, Feb. 6, 12, 18 and 20 at various venues in southeastern Virginia. . . . Ensemble Plus Ultra, the acclaimed British vocal group, presents “From Spain to Eternity,” music to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of El Greco, Feb. 9 at the University of Virginia’s Old Cabell Hall in Charlottesville. . . . Washington National Opera stages Kurt Weill‘s last musical, “Lost in the Stars,” for nine performances from Feb. 12-20 in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center. . . . Joshua Bell plays Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony, on a program also featuring music of Rossini and Richard Strauss, Feb. 13 at Strathmore. . . . Pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra for a program of Liszt, Prokofiev and Weber, Feb. 15 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Harry Christophers conducts vocalists and instrumentalists of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston in works by Byrd, Purcell, Mozart, Bach and others, Feb. 20 at the Library of Congress in Washington. . . . Mason Bates, the Richmond-bred composer, DJ and electronica artist, samples music by John Luther Adams, Gabriela Lena Frank, Christopher Rouse and Kevin Puts, plus his own “Red River,” in the next installment of his “KC Jukebox” club-style programs, Feb. 22 at the Kennedy Center. . . . The Knights, the New York-based chamber orchestra, are joined by violinist Gil Shaham for a program of Prokofiev, Beethoven and Jean-Féry Rebel, Feb. 26 at the Virginia Tech Arts Center in Blacksburg. . . . The Virginia Sinfonietta, a new chamber orchestra focusing on contemporary music, plays works by John Adams, Paul Dooley, Toru Takemitsu and Stephen Hartke, Feb. 28 at UVa’s Old Cabell Hall.


Feb. 1 (7 p.m.)
St. Michael Catholic Church, 4491 Springfield Road, Richmond
Symphony Musicians of Richmond
Victor Yampolsky conducting
“Music Unites”
Brahms: “Academic Festival” Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major
Elgar: “Enigma Variations” – “Nimrod”
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor (“Choral”) – “Ode to Joy” (audience sing-along)
reception follows
donations benefit United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg
(804) 527-1037

Feb. 2 (7 p.m.)
Feb. 3 (7 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Opera Lafayette
Ryan Brown conducting
Chabrier: “Une Éducation Manquée”
Sophie Junker, Amel Brahim Djelloul, Dominique Cote, vocalists
Jeffrey Watson, piano
Bernard Deletré, stage director
in French
$50-$110
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 3 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Tabatha Easley, flute
pianist TBA
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 3 (noon)
St. Bede Catholic Church, 3686 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg
Aaron Renninger, organ
Michael Strauss, viola
program TBA
free
(757) 229-3631
http://www.bedeva.org

Feb. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Polish Baltic Philharmonic
Boguslaw Dawidow conducting
Wagner: “The Flying Dutchman” Overture
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
Marcin Koziak, piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: “Scheherazade”
$27-$87
(855) 337-4849
http://fergusoncenter.org

Feb. 4 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Mario Venzago conducting
Gluck: “Armide” (excerpts)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271 (“Jeunehomme”)
André Watts, piano
Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D minor
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 5 (6:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Victor Yampolsky conducting & speaking
Casual Fridays:
Tchaikovsky: “Manfred” Symphony
$10-$50
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 5 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 7 (2:30 p.m.)
Feb. 9 (7:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
James Meena conducting
Gounod: “Romeo and Juliet”
Marie-Eve Munger (Juliet)
Jonathan Boyd (Romeo)
Kevin Langan (Frere Laurent)
Efrain Solis (Mercutio)
Kim Sogioka (Stephano)
Ashraf Sewailam (Count Capulet)
Kyle Tomlin (Tybalt)
Susan Nicely (Gertrude)
Keith Brown (Duke of Verona)
Brian Mextorf (Paris)
Andrew McLaughlin (Gregorio)
Martin Bakari (Benvolio)
Bernard Uzan, stage director
in French, English captions
$34-$121
(866) 673-7282
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 5 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Fernando Rocha, percussion
Xenakis: “Rebonds”
works TBA by Eli Stine, Peter Bussigel, Matthew Burtner, João Pedro Oliveira
free
(434) 924-3052
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Victor Yampolsky conducting
Masterworks:
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Tchaikovsky: “Manfred” Symphony
$10-$78
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
Wilder Arts Center, Norfolk State University, 700 Park Ave.
Feb. 12 (8 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
Benjamin Rous conducting
Beethoven: “Egmont” Overture
Beethoven: “Choral Fantasy”
Prisca Benoit, piano
Virginia Symphony Chorus
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (“Eroica”)
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Kernis: “Musica Celestis”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major
George Li, piano
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”)
$34-$58
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar

Feb. 6 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Pedja Muzijevic, piano
Haydn: Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:51
Crumb: “Makrokosmos,” Vol. 1 – Pastorale
Haydn: Sonata in G Major, Hob. XVI:40
Cage: “The Seasons”
Haydn: Sonata in G minor, Hob. XVI:44
Feldman: “Two Intermissions”
Haydn: Sonata in C major, Hob XVI: 50
$55
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 7 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
Rossini: “The Italian Girl in Algiers” Overture
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
Chopin: “Variations on ‘La ci darem la mano’ ”
Brian Ganz, piano
Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 (“Haffner”)
$19-$79
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 7 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Richard Becker, piano
Chopin: préludes TBA
Debussy: préludes TBA
Becker: improvisations
free
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 7 (3 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony members
Daniel Myssyk conducting
Sonia Vlahcevic & Yin Zheng, pianos
performers from VCU Department of Dance and Theatre
Saint-Saëns: “Carnival of the Animals” with additional incidental music by Robert M. Lepage and Guy Beausoleil
$5
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 9 (7:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Ensemble Plus Ultra
“From Spain to Eternity”
works TBA by Cristobal de Morales, Alonso Lobo, Francisco Guerrero, Huw Belling, Alonso de Tejeda
$12-$35
(434) 924-3376
http://www.tecs.org

Feb. 11 (7 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Marina Piccinini, flute
Andreas Haefliger, piano
Marc-André Dalbavie: Nocturne
Prokofiev: Flute Sonata in D Major, Op. 94
Thomas Adès: “Darknesse Visible” for solo piano
Franck-Piccinini: Sonata in A major
Boulez: Sonatine for flute and piano
$50
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
Marvin Mills, organ
Marlissa Hudson, soprano
“The Spiritual Bach”
works TBA by J.S. Bach, African-American spirituals TBA
free
(804) 270-4626
http://trinityrichmond.net

Feb. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 14 (1:30 p.m.)
Feb. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 20 (1:30 and 7:30 p.m.)
Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Washington National Opera
John DeMain conducting
Kurt Weill & Maxwell Anderson: “Lost in the Stars”
Eric Owens (Stephen Kumalo)
Sean Panikkar (The Leader)
Wynn Harmon (James Jarvis)
Tazewell Thompson, stage director
in English, with captions
$69-$265
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 13 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Capitol Opera Richmond
“Fairy Tale Operas – Arias and Scenes”
program TBA
free
(804) 646-7223
http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Feb. 13 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 14 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
John Baril conducting
Gounod: “Romeo and Juliet”
Marie-Eve Munger (Juliet)
Jonathan Boyd (Romeo)
Kevin Langan (Frere Laurent)
Efrain Solis (Mercutio)
Kim Sogioka (Stephano)
Ashraf Sewailam (Count Capulet)
Kyle Tomlin (Tybalt)
Susan Nicely (Gertrude)
Keith Brown (Duke of Verona)
Brian Mextorf (Paris)
Andrew McLaughlin (Gregorio)
Martin Bakari (Benvolio)
Bernard Uzan, stage director
in French, English captions
$48-$98
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 13 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Leon Fleisher, piano
master class with students from Curtis Institute of Music
$65
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 13 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Rossini: “William Tell” Overture
Richard Strauss: “Also sprach Zarathustra”
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
Joshua Bell, violin
$150
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 14 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Dana McComb, cello
Joanne Kong, piano
“Six Degrees of Separation”
works TBA by Bloch, Webern, Prokofiev, Piazzolla, Cowell, Pärt
free
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 14 (3 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave. SW, Roanoke
Feb. 16 (7 p.m.)
Fife Theatre, Davis Performance Hall, Virginia Tech Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Johann Strauss II: “Roses from the South”
Mozart: Serenade in D major, K. 320 (“Posthorn”)
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major (“Great”)
$20-$52
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

Feb. 15 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer conducting
Weber: “Der Freischütz” Overture
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
$60-$120
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
St. Bridget Catholic Church, 6006 Three Chopt Road, Richmond
Daniel Roth, organ
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 547
J.S. Bach: Canonic variations on “Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her,” BWV 769
Franck-Roth: “Rédemption” – Interlude symphonique
Saint-Saëns-Roth: 6 duos for piano and harmonium – Scherzo
Roth: “Livre d’orgue pour le Magnificat” – “Et misericordia”
Wagner-Lemare: “The Flying Dutchman” Overture 
improvisation on submitted themes
donation requested
(804) 282-9511
http://www.saintbridgetchurch.org

Feb. 17 (7 p.m.)
Gottwald Playhouse, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Virginia Opera:
John Aler, tenor
master class with Virginia Opera Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists Program participants
reception follows
free
(866) 673-6782
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 17 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Patrick Smith, French horn
Magdalena Adamek, piano
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 18 (6:30 p.m.)
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Overbrook Road at Owenby Lane, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Rush Hour:
Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto
Gustav Highstein, oboe
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 (excerpts)
Stravinsky: Octet (excerpts)
$15
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Roper Arts Center, 340 Granby St., Norfolk
Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Virginia Symphony
Taeyoung Lee conducting
Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Yun Zhang, violin
Rebecca Gilmore Phillips, cello
Prisca Benoit, piano
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major (“Pastoral”)
$9-$76
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 18 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Pops
Jack Everly conducting
Sutton Foster, guest star
$40-$104
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 19 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 21 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Virginia Opera
James Meena conducting
Gounod: “Romeo and Juliet”
Marie-Eve Munger (Juliet)
Jonathan Boyd (Romeo)
Kevin Langan (Frere Laurent)
Efrain Solis (Mercutio)
Kim Sogioka (Stephano)
Ashraf Sewailam (Count Capulet)
Kyle Tomlin (Tybalt)
Susan Nicely (Gertrude)
Keith Brown (Duke of Verona)
Brian Mextorf (Paris)
Andrew McLaughlin (Gregorio)
Martin Bakari (Benvolio)
Bernard Uzan, stage director
in French, English captions
$19-$109
(866) 673-6782
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 19 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Il Volo
program TBA
$59.50-$239.50
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognietti, violin & director
Mark Atkins, didgeridoo
Steve Pilgram, singer
“The Reef,” multimedia program, touring northern Western Australia; music by Iain Grandage
$38
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center:
Gilles Vonsattel, piano
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Paul Watkins, cello
Beethoven: Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 16
Dohnányi: Serenade in C major, Op. 10
Dvorák: Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 87
$34
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Altria Theater, Main and Laurel streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
conductor TBA
“Video Games Live”
(rescheduled from Jan. 23)
$20-$70 (Jan. 23 tickets honored)
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Feb. 21 (3:30 p.m.)
Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Road
Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
Kate Tamarkin conducting
Liadov: Polonaise in D major
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Gleb Ivanov, piano
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major
$10-$45
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Fife Theatre, Davis Performance Hall, Virginia Tech Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Vocalosity
program TBA
$20-$45
(540) 231-5100
http://www.artscenter.vt.edu

Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue N.E., Washington
Handel and Haydn Society of Boston
Harry Christophers conducting
anon.: “Veni creator spiritus”
Byrd: “Laudibus in sanctis”
Purcell: Chaconny in G minor
selections from “The Old Colony Collection” (1823)
Kent: “Hear my prayer”
Mozart: “Almighty God, when round thy shrine”
Linley: “Bow down this ear, O Lord”
J.S. Bach: Cantata 229, “Komm, Jesu, komm,” BWV 229
Frank: “My Angel, his name is freedom”
Byrd: “Ye sacred muses”
Byrd: Mass four four voices – Agnus Dei
Byrd: “Ave verum corpus”
Purcell: Pavane
J.S. Bach: Cantata 225, “Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied,” BWV 225
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/concerts

Feb. 20 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 21 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto G minor
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in G major
Piatigorsky: “Variations on a Paganini Theme”
Zuill Bailey, cello
Beethoven: “Elegiac Song”
Vivaldi: Gloria
Julie Keim, soprano
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
National Philharmonic Chorale
$29-$89
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 21 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Metro Collection:
Stravinsky: Octet
Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto
Gustav Highstein, oboe
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major
$20
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 21 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Brass Quintet of the Americas
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 21 (4 p.m.)
Old St. John’s Church, 103 St. John’s Church Lane (Route 30), King William County
Jay BeVille, baritone
Kristi Reynolds, piano
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 843-9194
http://oldstjohns.org

Feb. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Vocalosity
program TBA
$32-$52
(855) 337-4849
http://fergusoncenter.org

Feb. 22 (8 p.m.)
Theater Lab, Kennedy Center, Washington
Mason Bates, composer, electronica & DJ
other artists TBA
“Mason Bates’s KC Jukebox: Of Land and Sea”
John Luther Adams: “At the Still Point” for electronica
Gabriela Lena Frank: “Milagros” (excerpts)
Christopher Rouse: “Ku-Ka-Ilimoku”
Kevin Puts: “Seven Seascapes”
Christopher Rouse: “Ogoun Badagris”
Mason Bates: “Red River”
$20
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Benjamin Fraley, percussion
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 23 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland St.
Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg:
Quatuor Danel
Tchaikovsky: Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 – Andante cantabile
Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D major – Nocturne: andante
Weinberg: Notturno
Weinberg: Quartet No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 27 – Scherzo
Tishchenko: Quartet No. 1, Op. 8
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 3
$15 (waiting list)
(757) 229-0385
http://chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

Feb. 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Ray Chen, violin
Julio Elizalde, piano
Beethoven: Sonata in D major, Op. 12, No. 1
Saint-Saëns: Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75
Ysaÿe: Sonata in E minor, Op. 27, No. 4
Falla: “ Suite populaire espagnole”
Monti: Czardas
$12-$35
(434) 924-3376
http://www.tecs.org

Feb. 23 (7 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Young Concert Artists:
Daniel Lebhardt, piano
Beethoven: Sonata in G major, Op. 31, No. 1
Tonia Ko: new work TBA (premiere)
Liszt: Sonata in B minor
$35
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 24 (6 p.m.)
1708 Gallery, 319 W. Broad St., Richmond
Richmond Symphony Orchestra League:
Steven Smith, speaker
“Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Orchestras, but Were Afraid to Ask”
$30
(804) 788-1212
http://www.rsol.org

Feb. 24 (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
program TBA
$7 in advance, $10 at door
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 25 (8 p.m.)
Crosswalk Community Church, 7575 Richmond Road, Williamsburg
Feb. 26 (8 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Granados: “Goyescas” – Intermezzo
Miguel del Aguila: “Concierto en Tango”
Roman Mekinulov, cello
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D major (“Reformation”)
$25-$65
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Fife Theatre, Davis Performance Hall, Virginia Tech Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen conducting
Rebel: “Les Caractères de la Danse”
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Gil Shaham, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (“Eroica”)
$25-$55
(540) 231-5100
http://www.artscenter.vt.edu

Feb. 26 (7 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Washington National Opera:
Leah Crocetto, soprano
Mark Markham, piano
program TBA
$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 26 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 27 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Darren Criss & Betsy Wolfe, guest stars
“Broadway Today”
$25-$99
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 26 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting and speaking
“Off the Cuff: Enigma Variations”
Elgar: “Enigma Variations”
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 27 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Agnes Wan, piano
works TBA by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Clara Schumann, William Bolcom
free
(804) 646-7223
http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Feb. 27 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony Pops
Keitaro Harada conducting
Jeans ’n Classics, guest stars
“Earth, Wind and Fire & The King of Pop”
$10-$78
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 27 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Ted Sperling conducting
“ ‘Fantasia’ Live in Concert”
Walt Disney film with live orchestral accompaniment
$36-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu

Feb. 27 (2 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, First Street at Independence Avenue N.E., Washington
Juilliard String Quartet
Schubert: “Quartettsatz” in C minor, D. 703
Carter: Quartet No. 1
Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 135
free; tickets required
(703) 573-7328 (Ticketmaster)
http://www.loc.gov/concerts

Feb. 28 (3 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Magdalena Adamek, piano
Susanna Klein, violin
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Feb. 28 (4 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1000 Blanton Avenue at the Carillon, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Mary Boodell, flute
Bryan Crumpler, clarinet
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 Henselt: Piano Trio in D minor
introductory talk by Jeffrey Riehl at 3:30 p.m.
$25
(804) 519-2098
http://cmscva.org

Feb. 28 (4 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Side by Side:
Sibelius: “Finlandia”
Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor
Jason Hwang, cello
Tchaikovsky: “Swan Lake” (excerpts)
free
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 28 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Virginia Sinfonietta
conductor TBA
Adams: “Son of Chamber Symphony”
Paul Dooley: “Point Blank”
Takemitsu: “Rain Coming”
Stephen Hartke: “Wulfstan at the Millennium”
$10
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 28 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Calder Quartet
Andrew Norman: “The Companion Guide to Rome” – “Sabina”
Janáček: Quartet No. 2 (“Intimate Letters”)
Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127
$50
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 28 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Handel: “Music for the Royal Fireworks”
James MacMillan: Percussion Concerto No. 2
Colin Currie, percussion
Elgar: “Enigma Variations”
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1000 Blanton Ave. at the Carillon, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
John Taylor Ward, baritone
Doug Schneider, actor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Mary Boodell, flute
Bryan Crumpler, clarinet
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, piano
Jake Heggie: “For a Look or a Touch” (2007)
introductory talk by Waitman Beorn
$25
(804) 519-2098
http://cmscva.org

Feb. 29 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVa Chamber Music Series:
Nathaniel Lee, trombone
American Trombone Quartet
John Mayhood, piano
J.G. Albrechtsberger: Concerto for alto trombone
works TBA by Jan Koetsier, Jacob ter Veldjuis (Jacob TV)
$15
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events