Letter V Classical Radio this week

In the second hour, remembering Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, the Polish-born conductor and composer who died on Feb. 21 at 93. His tenure with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the Minnesota Orchestra), as music director (1960-79), then as conductor laureate, spanned an extraordinary 56 seasons.

March 1
noon-3 p.m. EST
1700-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Past Masters:
Mendelssohn: “Hebrides” Overture
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner
(recorded 1956)
(RCA Victor)

Dohnányi:
Piano Quintet in C minor,
Op. 1
Wu Han, piano
Alexander Sitkovetsky & Nicolas Dautricourt, violins
Paul Neubauer, viola
David Finckel, cello
(ArtistLed)

Nikolai Medtner:
Sonata in A minor, Op. 30
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
(Hyperion)

Past Masters:
Wagner:
“Tristan und Isolde” – 
Prelude & “Liebestod”
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
(recorded 1976)
(MMG)

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: Concerto for Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra/
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
(Reference Recordings)

Past Masters:
Ravel: “Pavane pour une infante défunte”
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
(recorded 1974)
(Mobile Fidelity)

Britten:
Serenade for
tenor, horn and strings
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Radek Baborák,
French horn
Berlin Philharmonic/
Simon Rattle
(EMI Classics)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor
Philippe Graffin, violin
Johannesburg Philharmonic/Michael Hankinson
(Avie)

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (1923-2017)

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, who was music director of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the Minnesota Orchestra) for 19 years (1960-79) and led Britain’s Hallé Orchestra of Manchester and the German Radio Orchestra of Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern for lengthy tenures, has died at 93.

He had been among the oldest still-active conductors, routinely working on lengthy and demanding scores such
as the symphonies of Bruckner and Shostakovich, until suffering a stroke in November and another earlier this month.

Skrowaczewski, born in Lwów, Poland, was chief conductor of a succession of Polish orchestras in the 1940s and ’50s. He first worked in the US in 1958, invited by George Szell to conduct the Cleveland Orchestra, after winning the Santa Cecilia Competition for Conductors in Rome two years earlier.

As music director, then conductor laureate, in Minneapolis, he conducted the Minnesota Orchestra each year for 56 seasons.

During and after his Minnesota years, he guest-conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, among them the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. He also conducted at the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera.

From the ’40s onward, Skrowaczewski frequently programmed works by contemporary composers, and was himself an accomplished composer.

He amassed a large discography. Among his most celebrated recordings was a cycle of the Bruckner symphonies with the Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern orchestra.

An obituary by Jenna Ross from the Star Tribune of Minneapolis:

http://www.startribune.com/stanislaw-skrowaczewski-minnesota-musical-giant-dead-at-93/414391273/#1

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 22
noon-3 p.m. EST
1700-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

J.C. Bach: Sinfonia in G minor, Op. 6, No. 6
Akademie für
alte Musik Berlin/
Stefan Mai
(Harmonia Mundi)

Charles Ives:
“The Unanswered Question”
Michael Sachs, trumpet
Cleveland Orchestra/
Christoph von Dohnányi
(Decca)

Past Masters:
Beethoven:
Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam/
George Szell
(recorded 1966)
(Philips)

Past Masters:
Mozart:
Quartet in D minor,
K. 421
Quartetto Italiano
(recorded 1966)
(Philips)

Anton Webern:
“Langsammer Satz”
Emerson String Quartet
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Joseph Martin Kraus:
Symphony in C sharp minor
Concerto Köln/
Werner Ehrhardt
(Phoenix Edition) 

Shostakovich:
Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
Kronos Quartet
(Nonesuch)

Schumann:
Symphony No. 2 in C major
Vienna Philharmonic/
Giuseppe Sinopoli
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Review: Shanghai Quartet

with Wu Man, pipa
Feb. 19, University of Richmond

Wu Man, the most widely recognized player of the pipa, the Chinese lute, joined the Shanghai Quartet in a program of traditional and contemporary music from China, and several works by Chinese-American composers.

The pentatonic musical scale used in most Chinese music, as well as the country’s instruments and expressive techniques, differ from those of European and American music, but don’t sound as exotic or alien to Westerners as they did several generations ago.

That’s not just due to the rapid recent growth of multiculturalism. Western curiosity about Asian cultures, including Asian music, dates back centuries. Plus, some families of instruments are similar regardless of their countries of origin. Lutes look and sound much like one another, whether they’re called lutes, mandolins, balalaikas, ouds or pipas.

How they’re played also can vault over continents and centuries. As Wu Man played the traditional Chinese “Xi Yang Xiao Gu” (“Flute and Drum Music at Sunset”) and the Central Asian “Kui: Song of Kazakhstan,” it was not too much of a stretch to imagine those pieces adapted for an Appalachian stringband – assuming you could find a mandolinist nimble enough to pull off her speedy fingering and exceptionally light touch at the quietest volume.

Regrettably, they were the program’s only samples of her solo playing. Playing with the Shanghai, as she did in Tan Dun’s Concerto for pipa and string quartet, a suite from Zhao Jiping’s film score for “The Red Lantern” and two folk-song arrangements by Yi-Wen Jiang, the quartet’s second violinist, the pipa virtuoso became part of an ensemble, often playing a supportive or coloristic role.

Both the film-score suite, arranged by the composer’s son, Zhao Lin, and Jiang’s arrangements of “Butterfly Lovers” (perhaps the most familiar of all Chinese folk songs in the West) and “Yao Dance,” are substantially Westernized.

The rhythms and phrasing of the Chinese melodies are moderated for Western ears, and the tone of bowed strings, singly and collectively, is much the same as one would hear in a European-romantic string quartet. The lead violin parts, played by Weigang Li, sounded especially lush and lyrical – probably thanks in equal parts to the arrangers and to the string-friendly acoustic of Camp Concert Hall in the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center.

The Chinese accents of Tan Dun’s concerto are less diluted, but still show the influences of Western modernist-classical style. Zhou Long’s “Song of the Ch’in,” in which the string quartet evokes the sound of a Chinese zither, is even more authentically Chinese in character. Long’s quartet was securely under the players’ fingers – it has been part of the Shanghai’s repertory for two decades. Interestingly, the foursome’s only non-Chinese member, cellist Nicholas Tzavaras, sounded especially expert in producing zither-like tones and figures.

Wu Man and two members of the quartet, violinist Jiang and violist Honggang Li, were music-school classmates in their youths, and the five players’ mutual regard and respect for one another’s musicianship was audible throughout the program.

The more idiomatically Chinese the music sounded, though, the better they played.

Review: Richmond Symphony

with James Jacobson, timpani
Feb. 19, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland

Many authoritative figures have made ill-considered remarks about Beethoven’s music. The prize-winner may be Robert Schumann’s characterization of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B flat major as “a slender Greek maiden between two Norse giants.”

While slender in length aside Beethoven’s nearly hour-long Third (“Eroica”) Symphony, slender in portent compared with the Fifth Symphony, even conceivably Greek in terms of its classical symmetry (à la Mozart and Haydn), the Fourth is no maiden. Short, sturdy, hard-hitting and fast on its feet, it’s more like a ninja.

The Richmond Symphony’s performance of the Fourth in its latest Metro Collection concert certainly punched above its weight. Conductor Steven Smith drew from the chamber-scaled orchestra a forceful, flexible and propulsive reading that made the piece sound as big in sound and spirit as the better-known, odd-numbered Beethoven symphonies.

The Beethoven Fourth followed two novelties, Bruce Adolphe’s “Tryannosaurus Sue: A Cretaceous Concerto,” a musical fable with narration on the life and times of a dinosaur, and Johann Carl Christian Fischer’s Symphony in C major.

Fischer’s opus would be a garden-variety mid-18th century rococo sinfonia were it not scored with eight obbligato kettle drums, played in this performance by the orchestra’s timpanist, James Jacobson.

Wielding period-appropriate hard-headed sticks, which produce real drumbeats rather than the percussive rumbles that timps so often contribute to 19th-century orchestrations, Jacobson stylishly and exuberantly amplified the martiality of Fischer’s score, a rather well-mannered member of the family of “battle” music that stretches from the late Renaissance to modern times. Jacobson added some extra rambunctious merriment in a couple of cadenzas.

“Tyrannosaurus Sue,” the imagined biography of a critter whose skeleton greets visitors to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, set to music by the composer best-known for his “Piano Puzzler” features on public radio’s “Performance Today,” is fancifully noisy as its protagonist, played by a trombonist (here, the symphony’s Zachary Guiles) squabbles at mealtimes and fights to the death with other prehistoric carnivores, portrayed in turn by clarinet (David Lemelin), bassoon (Thomas Schneider) and French horn (James Ferree).

Fight scenes aside, the piece is a sophisticated homage to musical modernism, indebted especially to Stravinsky but also nodding toward other 20th-century masters and the melange of atonalism, neoclassicism, impressionism, primitivism, dada, cabaret and jazz, plus a few other exotic spices, in the musical stew cooked by composers over the past century.

The symphony’s performance was suitably savory.

Review: Montrose Trio

Feb. 18, Virginia Commonwealth University

In the latest Rennolds Chamber Concerts program at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center, the Montrose Trio gave one of the finest chamber-music performances in recent Richmond seasons in a delectable if debatable interpretation of an early masterpiece by Brahms.

The Piano Trio in B flat major, Op. 8, is an early masterpiece that was substantially reworked in middle age, Brahms in his 50s reining in some of the excesses of Brahms in his 20s. But only some: The revised trio is still the expressively volatile work of a young composer, venting the same passions, with the same kinds of musical mood swings, as he did in his early piano sonatas.

The Montrose – pianist Jon Kimura Parker and two alumni of the now-retired Tokyo String Quartet, violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith – treated this moderated Brahms to further moderation.

Like many musicians today, they read the composer’s tempo markings as carrying the unwritten addendum “but slower,” turning allegro con brio into a pace more like allegro ma non troppo, adagio more like largo. They planed off rough edges, smoothed transitions, tamed outbursts.

They did all this as beautifully as it could be done. Individual playing was as close to faultless as you’ll ever hear in a live performance. Instruments sounded in perfect balance. Parker pulled off one of the toughest feats in chamber music, rendering Brahms’ piano part with clarity and robust tone but without overpowering string sound. Greensmith summoned lyrical warmth and projective impact from a cello that has the woodsy, soft sonority of a period instrument, yet held his own alongside Beaver’s markedly more brilliant-sounding violin.

The Montrose produced a collective sound that was refined but not homogenized. The listener was always conscience of three instruments wielded by three distinct musical personalities, in close accord but in their own spaces.

Their individuality was most pronounced, by design, in the brief but eventful Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 8, written by the 17-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. This piece casts the three instruments in high relief, carrying on an animated conversation, frequently conversing on different subjects in different tones of voice and style. Parker, Beaver and Greensmith sounded eager to share those mixed trains of thought, and eavesdropping on them was a pleasure from start to finish.

Between the Op. 8s (as Parker characterized them in his introductory remarks), Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3, came across as an agreeable if occasionally turbulent interlude.

The composer, in his early 20s when he wrote the
Op. 1 trios, couched this music more or less in the style of his principal teacher, Joseph Haydn, and a Haydnesque decorous playfulness prevails. Hints of the later C minor Beethoven of the “Pathétique” Sonata and Fifth Symphony are subtle, at least until the final movement, and the Montrose gave those pre-echoes no more than their due.

Review: David Goode

Feb. 17, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

David Goode, one of the brightest stars in the constellation of British organists, displayed a keen ear for tone color and a sure grasp of the English style of impressionism in a recital presented by the Richmond chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

That style more commonly
is termed “pastoral,” as it seems to evoke green fields, soft breezes, larks ascending and other aspects of nature. Its outdoorsiness, however, is more suggestive than illustrative – rarely do you hear water sonically represented as vividly by a Brit as it is by Debussy, for example; and in the English style there’s a deeply ruminative quality bordering on reverence, closer to nature worship (or worship amid nature) than nature sound-painting.

That was my impression as I heard Goode play Herbert Howells’ Rhapsody, Op. 17, No. 3, and Frank Bridge’s Adagio in E major. Goode’s treatment of both pieces brought out their kinship (Howells’ closer than Bridge’s) to the early 20th-century English pastoral/
impressionist style.

A third English selection, the Prelude in E flat major of the prominent church musician William H. Harris, is firmly rooted in the Anglican liturgical tradition. It served as a useful interlude of decompression after Goode’s intense performance of an organ transcription of the Chaconne from J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, originally for solo violin.

In The Bach, which opened the recital, Goode both established his virtuoso bona fides and signalled his intent to explore all the dynamic and coloristic potential of the Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. Stephen’s, recently refitted with a console that can be moved into the view of listeners.

Goode masterfully traced the rising, then receding arc of volume and expression in the Chaconne, perhaps not with the same visceral immediacy and spiritual impact that the best violinists can bring to the piece, but with much greater effect than can be heard and felt in the familiar piano transcription by Feruccio Busoni.

The organist applied comparable skill in sound-sculpting to César Franck’s Choral No. 1 in E major –  a work whose contours might sound extremely subtle, going on indistinguishable, in lesser hands – and exercised his coloristic sensibilities in Liszt’s Concert Study “Waldesrauschen” (“Forest Murmurs”); Goode’s own Prelude “One thing I ask” (from Psalm 27); and “Mozart Changes” (1995), a semi-jazzy takeoff on the theme of the finale of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in D major, K. 576, by the Hungarian composer Zsolt Gárdonyi.

For an encore, Goode played a dazzlingly speedy arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.”

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 15
noon-3 p.m. EST
1700-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Berlioz: “Benvenuto Cellini” Overture
Montreal Symphony Orchestra/
Charles Dutoit
(Decca)

Past Masters:
Stravinsky: “Pulcinella” Suite
Academy of St. Martin
in the Fields/
Neville Marriner
(recorded 1967)
(Decca)

Janáček:
“The Cunning Little Vixen” Suite
(arrangement by Vaclav Talich)
Czech Philharmonic/Charles Mackerras
(Supraphon)

Ravel:
“Le Tombeau de Couperin”
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Mozart:
Piano Concerto No. 19
in F major, K. 459
András Schiff, piano
Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg/
Sándor Végh
(Decca)

Rimsky-Korsakov: “Capriccio espagnol”
Berlin Philharmonic/Lorin Maazel
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Beethoven:
Quartet in C minor,
Op. 18, No. 5
Cypress String Quartet
(Avie)

Schubert:
Symphony No. 2
in B flat major
Anima Eterna Orchestra/
Jos van Immerseel
(Zig Zag Territories)

Classical Grammy awards

Cellist Zuill Bailey’s disc of works by Michael Daugherty with Giancarlo Guerrero conducting the Nashville Symphony, LA Opera’s recording of John Corigliano’s “The Ghosts of Versailles” and a collection of three Shostakovich symphonies from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons conducting, are the highest-profile classical winners in this year’s Grammy Awards.

Bailey’s set of Daughtery’s “Tales of Hemingway,” “American Gothic” and “Once upon a Castle” (Naxos) won in the Best Classical Compendium category, with “Tales of Hemingway” named the Best Classical Instrumental Solo and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

“The Ghosts of Versailles,” conducted by James Conlon (Pentatone), won awards for Best Opera Recording and Best Engineered Classical Album. The Boston Symphony set of Shostakovich’s Fifth, Eighth and Ninth symphonies (Deutsche Grammophon) was named Best Orchestral Performance.

Other winners of classical Grammy Awards:

* Best Choral Performance: Penderecki: “Dies Illa,” “Psalms of David,” “Hymn to St. Danill,” “Hymn to St. Adalbert” – Warsaw Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Krzysztof Penderecki (Warner Classics).

* Best Chamber/Small Ensemble Performance: Steve Reich: “Mallet Quartet,” Sextet, “Nagoya Marimbas,” “Music for Pieces of Wood” – Third Coast Percussion (Çedille).

* Best Classical Solo Vocal Album (tie): Schumann: “Liederkreis,” “Frauenlieben und Leben;” Berg: “Seven Early Lieder” – soprano Dorothea Röschmann with pianist Mitsuko Uchida (Decca); Britten, Finzi, Korngold, Schubert, Stravinsky, Warlock, et al.: Shakespeare songs – tenor Ian Bostridge with pianist Anthony Pappano & others (Warner Classics).

* Best Surround Sound Album: Dutilleux: “Sur le même accord,” “Les Citations,” “Mystère de l’instant,” “Timbres, Espace, Mouvement” – Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Ludovic Morlot (Seattle Symphony Media).

* Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost, for nine recordings on various labels.

Estonian Philharmonic choir reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, performing on Feb. 12 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_e64d286f-9abe-5a51-8f0e-a880000bc416.html

Gerson to the rescue

On Nov. 14, 1943, Leonard Bernstein, the 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, was called on short notice and with no rehearsal to replace an ailing Bruno Walter in a philharmonic concert.

History repeated itself, sort of, on Feb. 9, when Joshua Gerson, the orchestra’s 32-year-old assistant conductor, replaced Semyon Bychov in a program of Tchaikovsky’s “Francesca da Rimini” and “Pathétique” Symphony
(No. 6). Bychkov, stricken by a stomach virus, left the podium halfway through a rehearsal; so Gerson was able to work with the musicians – in “Francesca,” but not the symphony – before taking over the concert, and a subsequent performance.

In Bernstein’s case, a star was born. His subbing date was broadcast nationally on CBS Radio, and was front-page news in The New York Times.

Gerson’s concert rescue earned a brief plaudit – “impassioned and incisive” – and this post-concert interview, from The Times’ Anthony Tommasini:

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/arts/music/surprise-joshua-gersen-youre-about-to-conduct-the-new-york-philharmonic.html

Art as resistance

In his book “The Rest Is Noise” and elsewhere, Alex Ross, The New Yorker’s music critic, has addressed the roles that artists play, often with unintended results, in times of social and political upheaval. He revisits that theme in an essay on artistic gestures of protest against the Trump administration.

He warns against engaging in “agitprop,” an old communist abbreviation for agitation propaganda by literary and artistic means. By taking that route, artists cede their only real power, free artistic expression, to politicians and political activists.

“To create a space of refuge, to enjoy a period of respite, is not necessarily an act of acquiescence,” Ross writes. In an environment that produces “an emergency of the soul,” artists’ most potent response may not be overt protest, but performance that “forbids the indifference of routine. Art becomes a model for the concerted action that can only happen outside its sphere.”

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/making-art-in-a-time-of-rage

Ross’ advice is not likely to satisfy the resistance, but it’s artistically wise and tactically smart.

This president came to power by attacking “the elites.” The arts are by definition elite; artists are perfect foils for populists. (The long fight over the National Endowment for the Arts testifies to that.) When performers or poets or painters – especially those whose work is provocative – go after a populist leader, it serves as confirmation for his followers that he is hitting the right targets.

Ross’ prescription is to combat political and social toxicity by espousing compassionate humanity with a passion that can summon, in Abraham Lincoln’s memorable phrase, “the better angels of our nature.”

If the resistance succeeds, it will do so by persuading people that “this is not who we are.” Artists are best able to contribute to the cause by showing in their work who we can be.

Richmond Symphony 2017-18

A season-opening performance featuring the Chinese piano star Lang Lang playing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 in E flat major (“Emperor”) on Sept. 14, and the premiere and recording of a new choral-orchestral work by the Richmond-bred composer Mason Bates in May, highlight the Richmond Symphony’s 2017-18 season, the orchestra’s 60th.

The symphony’s diamond-anniversary season also will revive another work by a composer from Central Virginia, “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr,” a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Undine Smith Moore (1904-89), a longtime professor at Virginia State University noted for her arrangements of African-American spirituals. Moore’s oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra, introduced in 1981, will be the climax of “Remembering 1968: a Tribute to MLK” on Feb. 3-4. The performances will feature members of the Richmond Symphony Chorus and choristers from Virginia
colleges and universities.

The as-yet untitled piece for chorus, orchestra and electronica by Bates, who has become one of the most widely performed living American composers, was commissioned by the symphony for the anniversary season. It will be performed by the orchestra and Symphony Chorus on May 11-12, with recording sessions following the concerts. A recording is tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2018. (The symphony’s last commercial recording was issued in 1989.)

While the orchestra’s 50th-anniversary season (2007-08) was largely retrospective, with a re-creation of its first concert and appearances by former music directors, the diamond-anniversary lineup is decidedly present- and future-tense.

Along with the Bates premiere, the season’s 12 classical programs will feature 10 other works written in the past 50 years, by composers ranging from Ulysses Kay and Arturo Marquez to Steven Stucky and Tobias Picker to Chris Brubeck, the jazz bandleader and composer (son of Dave Brubeck) whose “Travels in Time for Three” will be played by Time for Three, the classical-crossover string trio – violinists Nick Kendall and Charles Yang and double-bassist Ranaan Meyer – for whom the piece was written. The group also will present its “Evening with Time for Three” program in the symphony’s Rush Hour casual-concert series and conduct a residency at Virginia Commonwealth University during its Richmond visit in October.

Other works in 2017-18 programs that emphasize the modern: Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, Britten’s “Sinfonia da Requiem,” Honegger’s “Pacific 231,” Milhaud’s “Le Boeuf sur le toit,” a suite from William Walton’s “Façade,” and pieces by the pioneering female composers Rebecca Clarke and Ruth Crawford Seeger.

The symphony also will perform late-19th and early 20th-century works that heralded modernism in style or orchestration: selections from Mahler’s song cycle “Des Knaben Wunderhorn,” Richard Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben,” Debussy’s “La Mer,” Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Classical”), and Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Piano Concerto in G major, the latter featuring the Canadian pianist Ian Parker as soloist.

Another 20th-century work on the schedule, which Steven Smith, the orchestra’s music director, says may be receiving its American orchestral premiere, is “Suita Rustica” written in 1938, originally for piano, by the short-lived Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová.

In addition to the Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto, classical and romantic repertory for the Masterworks and Metro Collection series includes Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”), Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D major (“Prague”) Haydn’s Symphony No. 83 in G minor (“The Hen”), Wagner’s Prelude to “Tristan und Isolde” and “Siegfried Idyll,” Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture, and Brahms’ Concerto in A minor for violin and cello, the latter featuring the orchestra’s concertmaster, Daisuke Yamamoto, and its principal cellist, Neal Cary.

Other symphony principals performing as soloists during the season are violist Molly Sharp, playing Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Concerto, and trombonist Zachary Guiles, playing Norman Boulter’s “IOURS,” both in Metro Collection and Rush Hour programs.

The Symphony Pops season will open on Sept. 23 with “The Broadberry Presents: RVA Live!” a showcase of key talents in Richmond’s pop/rock/folk/jazz indie-music scene – Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass, Clair Morgan, Tim Barry and Bio Ritmo – performing with the orchestra at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center, with an after-concert party at The Broadberry, a popular nightspot near Richmond’s Fan and Museum districts.

Other pops programs include the “Let It Snow!” holiday concerts by the symphony, Symphony Chorus and another popular Richmond performer, vocalist-guitarist Susan Greenbaum; a tribute to Billy Joel, starring Michael Cavanaugh; and “Motown’s Greatest Hits,” featuring the Motortown All-Stars, a male vocal quartet of members and alumni of the Miracles, Temptations and Capitols.

The symphony’s two casual-concert series will continue, with four Casual Fridays mini-concerts with talks previewing works and artists on subsequent Masterworks programs, at Dominion Arts Center; and four Rush Hour mini-concerts, excerpting Metro Collection programs, on Thursday evenings at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.

Smith will conduct most of the classical concerts, with Danail Rachev guest-conducting a Masterworks program in March and Chia-Hsuan Lin, the symphony’s associate conductor, leading the final Rush Hour and Metro Collection concerts in May. Lin also will conduct next season’s performance of Handel’s “Messiah” and Symphony Pops and LolliPops programs, except for “Let It Snow!” which will be led by Erin Freeman, director of the Symphony Chorus and director of choral activities at VCU.

The Symphony Chorus also will be featured in performances of Mozart’s “Great” Mass in C minor and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy,” with a piano soloist
to be announced, and will participate in “New Year in Vienna,” all in the Masterworks series.

The symphony’s 2017-18 plans for performances under its Big Tent outdoor concert stage will be announced later this month.

Subscriptions for 2017-18 concert series are now available, with single tickets scheduled to go on sale on Aug. 1.

Discount subscription packages are offered for youths (ages 3-17) and for college students. Discounts for seniors (65 and older) and members of the military will be offered when single tickets go on sale.

To obtain a season brochure or more information, call the symphony’s patron services office at (804) 788-1212, or visit http://www.richmondsymphony.com

The coming season’s series, programs and adult ticket prices:

MASTERWORKS
8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets
Subscriptions: $180-$562 (8 Saturday concerts), $90-$270 (4 Sunday concerts)
Single tickets: $30-$125 (Sept. 14), $10-$80 (other dates)

SEPT. 14
Steven Smith conducting
Ulysses Kay: “Theater Set” (Overture)
Richard Strauss: “Ein Heldenleben”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major (“Emperor”)
Lang Lang, piano

OCT. 28
Steven Smith conducting
Steven Stucky: “Jeu de timbres”
Chris Brubeck: “Travels in Time for Three”
Time for Three, string trio
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

NOV. 11-12
Steven Smith conducting
Wagner: “Tristan und Isolde” Prelude
Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture
Mozart: Mass in C minor, K. 427 (“Great”)
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing

JAN. 13-14
Steven Smith conducting
“New Year in Vienna”
Suppé: “Poet and Peasant” Overture
Mahler: “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” (selections)
Virginia Opera Emerging Artists
Johann Strauss II: “The Gypsy Baron” Overture
Johann Strauss II: “Voices of Spring”
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing
Johann Strauss II: “Pleasure Train” Polka
Johann Strauss II: “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”

FEB. 3-4
Steven Smith conducting
“Remembering 1968: a Tribute to MLK”
Mary Watkins: “Five Movements in Color” (excerpts)
Jonathan Bailey Holland: “Equality”
Beethoven: “Choral Fantasy”
pianist TBA
Undine Smith Moore: “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr” (excerpts)
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus members
choristers from Virginia colleges and universities
Erin Freeman directing

MARCH 10
Danail Rachev conducting
Britten: “Sinfonia da Requiem”
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Ian Parker, piano
Mussorgsky-Ravel: “Pictures at an Exhibition”

APRIL 21-22
Steven Smith conducting
Vítězslava Kaprálová: “Suita Rustica”
Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Neal Cary, cello
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)

MAY 12
Steven Smith conducting
Honegger: “Pacific 231”
Mason Bates: work TBA (premiere)
Mason Bates, electronica
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing
Tobias Picker: “Old and Lost Rivers”
Debussy: “La Mer”

* * * 

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

OCT. 8
Steven Smith conducting
Beethoven: “Coriolan” Overture
Rebecca Clarke: Viola Concerto
Molly Sharp, viola
Peter Maxwell Davies: “Carolisima”
Haydn: Symphony No. 83 in G minor (“The Hen”)

JAN. 21
Steven Smith conducting
Antonio Salieri: “Sinfonia Veneziana” in D major
Norman Boulter: “IOURS”
Zachary Guiles, trombone
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Andante for strings
Ruth Crawford Seeger: “Rissolty Rossolty”
Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 (“Prague”)

FEB. 25
Steven Smith conducting
Schubert: “Overture in the Italian Style”
Roussel: Concerto for small orchestra
Handel: Water Music” Suite No. 2
Walton: “Façade” Suite No. 2
Arturo Marquez: Danzon No. 4
Milhaud: “Le Boeuf sur le toit”

MAY 6
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
J.C. Bach: Sinfonia in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 2
Wagner: “Siegfried Idyll”
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Classical”)

* * * 

POPS
8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 3), Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center
Subscriptions: $90-$270
Single tickets: $10-$80

SEPT. 23
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“The Broadberry Presents: RVA Live!”
Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass, Tim Barry, Clair Morgan & Bio Ritmo, guest stars

DEC. 2-3
Erin Freeman conducting
“Let It Snow!”
Susan Greenbaum, guest star
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing

JAN. 27
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“Music of Billy Joel”
Michael Cavanaugh, guest star

MARCH 24
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
“Motown’s Greatest Hits”
Motortown All-Stars, guest stars

* * *

LOLLIPOPS
11 a.m. Saturdays, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center
Subscriptions: $45 (adult), $34 (child)
Single tickets: $20 (adult), $10 (child)

Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting

OCT. 21
“A Superhero Halloween”

NOV. 25
“The Snowman,” animated film with orchestral accompaniment

JAN. 20
“An American in Paris”
School of the Richmond Ballet

MARCH 17
“Peter and the Wolf”
Really Inventive Stuff’s Michael Boudewyns

* * * 

CASUAL FRIDAYS
6:30 p.m. Fridays, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center
Subscriptions: $36-$180
Single tickets: $10-$50

SEPT. 15
Steven Smith conducting & speaking
Richard Strauss: “Ein Heldenleben”

OCT. 27
“An Evening with Time for Three”
Time for Three, string trio

MARCH 9
Danail Rachev conducting & speaking
Mussorgsky-Ravel: “Pictures at an Exhibition”

MAY 11
Steven Smith conducting & speaking
Mason Bates performing & speaking
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing
Mason Bates: work TBA (premiere)

* * * 

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

OCT. 5
Steven Smith conducting
Molly Sharp, viola
music by Beethoven, Haydn, Rebecca Clarke, Peter Maxwell Davies

JAN. 18
Steven Smith conducting
Zachary Guiles, trombone
music by Mozart, Salieri, Norman Boulter, Ruth Crawford Seeger

FEB. 22
Steven Smith conducting
music by Schubert, Roussel, Handel, Walton, Milhaud, Arturo Marquez

MAY 3
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
music by J.S. and J.C. Bach, Wagner, Prokofiev

* * *

SPECIAL

DEC. 1
7:30 p.m., Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center
Single tickets: $20-$50

Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing

Letter V Classical Radio this week

Feb. 8
noon-3 p.m. EST
1700-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Wagner: “The Flying Dutchman” Overture
MET Orchestra/
James Levine
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Mozart: Horn Quintet
in E flat major, K. 407
Berlin Soloists
(Apex)

Tchaikovsky:
“Francesca da Rimini”
Royal Philharmonic/
Yuri Temirkanov
(RCA Red Seal)

Sibelius:
“Karelia” Suite
Raumo Laukka, baritone
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/
Osmo Vänskä
(BIS)

Past Masters:
Beethoven:
Symphony No. 7 in A major
Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig/
Franz Konwitschny
(recorded 1959)
(Berlin Classics)
 
John Adams: “Harmonium”
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/
John Adams
(Nonesuch)

Schubert:
Fantasy in C major, D. 934
Jennifer Koh, violin
Reiko Uchida, piano
(Çedille)

Richmond Symphony reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Richmond Symphony’s Masterworks program, featuring guitarist Jason Vieaux playing Dan Visconti’s new concerto, “Living Language,” Feb. 5 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_729b644c-bf14-5c2f-bb37-251c6d2d4158.html

Philip Glass reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of Philip Glass and colleagues, playing the composer’s piano etudes on Feb. 4 at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_1cc4f588-e33c-5602-ae26-5db260267965.html

The 'Enigma' decoded?

One of the most enticing and durable mysteries in classical music is theme of Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” (Hardly anyone refers to the piece using Elgar’s title, “Variations on an Original Theme.”) The composer, writing at the time of the premiere in 1899, called his theme a “dark saying” that “must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the [connection] between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played . . . ”

Bob Padgett, a violinist and teacher in Plano, Texas, believes he has cracked the code. Elgar scholars doubt it. Daniel Estrin, writing for The New Republic, chronicles the sleuth’s hunt for the enigma:

http://newrepublic.com/article/139816/breaking-elgars-enigma

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: Composer Philip Glass, who celebrated his 80th birthday on Jan. 31, joins four colleagues, including eighth blackbird’s Lisa Kaplan, to play his complete piano études, Feb. 4 at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center. . . . Guitarist Jason Vieaux joins Steven Smith and the Richmond Symphony in Dan Visconti’s “Living Language,”
a new concerto co-commissioned by the symphony, in a Masterworks program also featuring works by Rossini and Beethoven, Feb. 4-5 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center. . . . The symphony’s timpanist, Jim Jacobson, is featured in J.C.C. Fischer’s rarely heard Symphony in C major with eight obbligato timpani, alongside works of Beethoven and Bruce Adolphe, in a Rush Hour casual concert on Feb. 16 at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and a Metro Collection matinee on Feb. 19 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. . . . The internationally lauded Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir sings works by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis, Feb. 12 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. . . . David Goode, the celebrated young English organist, performs on Feb. 17 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. . . . Virginia Opera brings its “Magic Marksman,” an English-language production of Weber’s “Der Freischütz,” to Dominion Arts Center on Feb. 17 and 19, following performances the previous weekend at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax. . . . The Montrose Trio – pianist Jon Kimura Parker and two alumni of the Tokyo String Quartet, violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith – plays piano trios of Shostakovich, Beethoven and Brahms, Feb. 18 in a Rennolds Chamber Concerts program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . The Shanghai Quartet and pipa (Chinese lute) virtuoso Wu Man play Chinese and Chinese-American chamber works, Feb. 19 at UR’s Modlin Center. . . . The Ron McCurdy Quartet brings “The Langston Hughes Project,” featuring Hughes’ “Ask Your Mama” Suite, to VCU’s Singleton Center on Feb. 21.
. . . The Richmond Symphony accompanies “Windborne’s Music of David Bowie,” Feb. 25 at the Altria Theater.

* Noteworthy elsewhere: Washington’s Kennedy Center celebrates the Lunar New Year on Feb. 6 with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and guests performing Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” and Chinese compositions.
. . . Violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Yuja Wang play Janáček, Schubert, Debussy and Bartók, Feb. 7 at Strathmore in the Maryland suburbs of DC. . . . Violinist Joshua Bell plays and conducts in a Kennedy Center mini-residency, with a recital of Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Sarasate and more on Feb. 10, a National Symphony Orchestra program of Beethoven and Lalo – a new choreographed version of the “Symphonie espagnole” – on Feb. 11, and “The Man with the Violin,” a National Symphony family program, on Feb. 12. . . . The Venice Baroque Orchestra samples Vivaldi, Geminiani, Locatelli and more on Feb. 13 at the Kennedy Center, and is joined by violinist Nicola Benedetti in Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” on Feb. 14 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. . . . Violinist Hilary Hahn joins Cornelius Meister and the National Symphony for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, on a progam also featuring works by Dvořák, Janáček and Richard Strauss, Feb. 16-18 at the Kennedy Center. . . . The contemporary orchestra A Far Cry is joined by the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, Feb. 18 at the Moss Arts Center of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. . . . Johannes Moser, the celebrated young German cellist, plays the Dvořák Concerto in B minor with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Feb. 19 at Strathmore. . . . Trumpeter-composer Wynton Marsalis, with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, choirs and symphony orchestra, performs “All Rise,” his ode to New Orleans and the blues, Feb. 24 and 26 at Strathmore. . . . Kate Lindsey, the Richmond-born mezzo-soprano, stars in “Dead Man Walking” by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, a Washington National Opera production opening at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 25 and 27, with more performances in March. . . . Pianist Nikolai Lugansky joins Yuri Temirkanov and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in a program of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich, Feb. 27 at the Kennedy Center.


Feb. 2 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Feb. 3 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Pops
Benjamin Rous conducting
“Classical Mystery Tour: a Tribute to the Beatles”
$25-$100
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 2 (7 p.m.)
Feb. 4 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach conducting
Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major
Christopher Rouse: Trombone Concerto
Craig Mulcahy, trombone
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major
$25-$99
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 2 (8 p.m.)
Theater of the Arts, University of the District of Columbia, Washington
Danish String Quartet
Beethoven: Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
Alfred Schnittke: Quartet No. 3
Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130
Beethoven: “Great Fugue,” Op. 133
$47
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 2 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Markus Stenz conducting
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Gabriela Montero, piano
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (“Romantic”)
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 3 (7 p.m.)
Family Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Renée Fleming VOICES:
Rinde Eckert, vocalist-instrumentalist
“RIN – Tales from the Life of a Troubadour”
$29
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Philip Glass, composer & pianist
Maki Namekawa, Aaron Diehl, Timo Andres & Lisa Kaplan, pianists
Glass: études (complete)
$50
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 4 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 5 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Rossini: “Semiramide” Overture
Dan Visconti: “Living Language”
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major
$10-$80
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 4 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Mimi Stillman, flute
Charles Abramovic, piano
program TBA
free
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar conducting
Dvořák: “Carnival” Overture
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Alexei Grynyuk, piano
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
$25-$55
(540) 231-5100
http://artscenter.vt.edu

Feb. 4 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 5 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Weber: “Der Freischütz” (“The Magic Marksman”)
Andrew Paulson (Prince Ottokar)
Kevin Langan (Cuno)
Corey Bix (Max)
Joseph Barron (Caspar)
Trevor Neal (Kilian)
Jake Gardner (Hermit/Samiel)
Kara Shay Thomson (Agathe)
Katherine Polit (Ännchen)
Stephen Lawless, stage director
in English, English captions
$52-$110
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 5 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Richard Becker, piano
works TBA by Chopin, Becker, others
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 5 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
St. Olaf Choir
Anton Armstrong directing
program TBA
$10-$50
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Chrysler Museum of Art, 1 Memorial Place, Norfolk
Feldman Chamber Music Series:
Trio Tremonti
Mozart: Piano Trio in B flat major, K. 502
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67
Dvořák: Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 26
$30
(757) 552-1630
http://www.feldmanchambermusic.org

Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Beijing Symphony Orchestra
Muhai Tang conducting
“Lunar New Year at the Kennedy Center”
Mahler: “Das Lied von der Erde”
Kang Wang, tenor
Huiling Zhu, mezzo-soprano
Huang Ruo: “Wind Blows . . . ”
Liang Wang, oboe
Qigang Chen: “Eloignement”
“The Imperial Concubine in Tang Dynasty” – “Ode to Pear Blossom”
Xinyue Zhang, vocalist
$15-$39
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 7 (8 p.m.)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland St.
Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg:
Trio Tremonti
Mozart: Piano Trio in B flat major, K. 502
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67
Dvořák: Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 26
$15 (waiting list)
(757) 220-0051
http://www.chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

Feb. 7 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Yuja Wang, piano
Janáček: Violin Sonata
Schubert: Fantasy in C major, D. 934
Debussy: Violin Sonata
Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1 in C sharp minor
$45-$80
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 10 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Feb. 11 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
Feb. 12 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Bernard Herrmann: “Vertigo” Suite
John Corigliano: “The Red Violin” – Chaconne
Massenet: “Thaïs” – Meditation
Elina Vähälä, violin
Copland: “The Red Pony” Suite
Gershwin: “An American in Paris”
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 10 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Joshua Bell, violin
Sam Haywood, piano
Beethoven: Sonata in D major, Op. 12
Brahms: “F.A.E.” Sonata – Scherzo in C minor, WoO 2
Brahms: Sonata in D minor, Op. 108
Aaron Jay Kernis: “Air”
John Lithgow, narrator
Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 27 (“Georges Enescu”)
Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
Sarasate: “Carmen Fantasy”
$50-$125
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 11 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Capital Opera Richmond
J.S. Bach: Cantata 140, “Sleepers Awake” – Prelude
Mozart: “Bastien and Bastienne”
free
(804) 646-7223
http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Feb. 11 (4 p.m.)
Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 8 N. Laurel St., Richmond
Elizabeth Melcher Davis & Cheryl Van Ornam, organ
James River Brass
program TBA
free
reception follows
(804) 359-5628
http://ghtc.org

Feb. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 12 (3 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave. SW, Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony
Janna Hymes conducting
Wagner: “Siegfried Idyll”
Haydn: Divertimento in C major, Hob. XIV:4
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 – II. Andante
David Stewart Wiley, piano
Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major
$29-$52
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

Feb. 11 (2 p.m.)
Theater of the Arts, University of the District of Columbia, Washington
Igor Levit, piano
Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues, Op. 24 –
No. 10 in C sharp minor
No. 4 in E minor
No. 12 in G sharp minor
Frederic Rzewski: “Dreams II”
Beethoven: “Diabelli Variations”
$47
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 11 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Joshua Bell & Michael Stern conducting
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major
Lalo: “Symphonie espagnole” (choreographed version)
Joshua Bell, violin
Dance Higinbotham
$59-$125
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 11 (8 p.m.)
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW, Washington
Colin Currie, percussion
Elliott Carter: “Figment V”
Per Nørgård: “I Ching” – “Fire over Water”
Toshio Hosokawa: “Reminiscence”
Bruno Montovani: “Moi, Jeu”
Iannis Xenakis: “Rebonds B”
Stockhausen: “Vibra-Elufa”
Rolf Wallin: “Realismos Magicos”
$30
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 12 (3 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kaspars Putniņš directing
Arvo Pärt: “Solfeggio”
Tchaikovsky: “Nine Sacred Choruses” –
III. “Cherubic Hymn”
VII. “Blessed Are They, Whom Thou Hast Chosen”
IX. “Now the Powers of Heaven”
Pärt: “Nunc dimitis”
Pärt: “The Woman with the Alabaster Box”
Pärt: “Dopo la vittoria”
Veljo Tormis: “Tower Bell of My Village”
Sibelius: “Six Partsongs” – VI. “Song of My Heart”
Sibelius: “Beloved”
Sibelius: “Fire on the Island”
Tormis: “Curse Upon Iron”
$45
(804) 359-5651
http://richmondcathedral.org

Feb. 12 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Michael Stern conducting
Joshua Bell, violin
“The Man with the Violin”
family program TBA
$29-$49
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 13 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Studio
“Music of the Renaissance”
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Theater Lab, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Series:
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Andrea Marcon directing
Corelli: Concerto grosso in D major, Op. 6, No. 4
Vivaldi: Concerto in A minor for cello, strings, and basso continuo, RV 419
Charles Avison: Concerto grosso No. 3 in D minor (after Scarlatti)
Vivaldi: Concerto in C major for sopranino recorder, strings, and basso continuo, RV 443
Locatelli: Concerto grosso in C minor, Op. 1, No. 11
Vivaldi: Concerto in G major for two violins and basso continuo, RV 516
Vivaldi: Concerto in B minor for four violins, cello, and basso continuo, RV 580
Geminiani: Concerto grosso in D minor (“La Follia”) (after Corelli)
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Andrea Marcon directing
Nicola Benedetti, violin
Galuppi: Concerto a quattro No. 2 in G major
John Avison: Concerto grosso No. 8 in E minor (after Scarlatti)
Geminiani: Concerto grosso in D minor (“La Follia”) (after Corelli)
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D major
Vivaldi: “The Four Seasons”
$12-$35
(434) 924-3376
http://tecs.org

Feb. 16 (6:30 p.m.)
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Overbrook Road at Ownby Lane, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Rush Hour
Steven Smith conducting
Jim Jacobson, timpani
music by Beethoven, Johann Carl Christian Fischer, Bruce Adolphe
$15
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 16 (7 p.m.)
Feb. 17 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 18 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Cornelius Meister conducting
Dvořák: “The Noonday Witch”
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor
Hilary Hahn, violin
Janáček-Talich: “The Cunning Little Vixen” Suite
Richard Strauss: “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks”
$15-$89
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 17 (7 p.m.)
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Grove Avenue at Three Chopt Road, Richmond
Richmond chapter, American Guild of Organists’ Repertoire Recital Series:
David Goode, organ
J. S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 – Chaconne (various arrangements)
William Harris: Prelude in E flat major
Franck: Choral No. 1 in E major
Herbert Howells: Rhapsody No. 3
David Goode: Prelude, “One thing I ask”
Frank Bridge: Adagio in E major
Liszt-Goode: Concert Study, “Waldesrauschen”
Zsolt Gárdonyi: “Mozart Changes”
donation requested
(804) 288-2867
http://richmondago.org

Feb. 17 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 19 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Weber: “Der Freischütz” (“The Magic Marksman”)
Andrew Paulson (Prince Ottokar)
Kevin Langan (Cuno)
Corey Bix (Max)
Joseph Barron (Caspar)
Trevor Neal (Kilian)
Jake Gardner (Hermit/Samiel)
Kara Shay Thomson (Agathe)
Katherine Polit (Ännchen)
Stephen Lawless, stage director
in English, English captions
$19-$114
(866) 673-7282
http://vaopera.org

Feb. 17 (8:15 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting & speaking
Johannes Moser, cello
“Off the Cuff: Dvořák’s Cello Concerto”
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 18 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Montrose Trio
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8
Beethoven: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3
Brahms: Piano Trio in B major, Op. 8
$34
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 18 (7 p.m.)
McLeod Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Virginia Glee Club
Virginia Gentlemen
Virginia Women’s Chorus
The Academical Village People
Hoos in Treble
Harmonious Hoo
The Virginia Belles
The Sil’hooettes
The New Dominions
The Flying V’s
“SingFest 2017: an A Capella Palooza”
$5; proceeds benefit Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 18 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Feb. 19 (3:30 p.m.)
Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Road
Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
Adam Boyles conducting
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D major
Bella Hristova, violin
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (“Inextinguishable”)
$8-$45
(434) 924-3376
http://cvillesymphony.org

Feb. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
A Far Cry
Roomful of Teeth
Prokofiev: “Visions fugitives”
Ted Hearne: “Coloring Book”
Hearne: “Law of Mosaics”
Caroline Shaw: “Music in Common Time”
$20-$45
(540) 231-5100
http://artscenter.vt.edu

Feb. 18 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Brian Ganz, piano
“Chopin: a Young Genius”
Chopin: nocturnes, Op. 9
Chopin: études, Op. 10
Chopin: “Introduction and Variations on a German Air (‘Der Schweizerbub’),” Op. posth.
Chopin: Polonaise in A flat major, Op. posth.
Chopin: Polonaise in G sharp minor, Op. posth.
Chopin: Mazurka in G major, Op. posth.
Chopin: Mazurka in D major, Op. posth.
$34-$88
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 19 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Steven Smith conducting
Bruce Adolphe: “Tryannosaurus Sue: A Cretaceous Concerto”
Johann Carl Christian Fischer: Symphony in C major with eight obbligato timpani
Jim Jacobson, timpani
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major
$22
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 19 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Woodwind Ensembles
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Shanghai Quartet
Wu Man, pipa
Yi-Wen Jiang: “China Song” (selections)
Zhou Long: “Song of the Ch’in”
Zhao Lin: “Red Lantern”
Tan Dun: Concerto for pipa and string quartet
$36
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 19 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Jonathan Leshnoff: “Dancin’ Blue Crabs” (premiere)
Barber: Symphony No. 1
Copland: “A Lincoln Portrait”
Kwame Kwei-Armah, narrator
Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor
Johannes Moser, cello
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Neumann Lecture on Music:
Deborah Wong
“Listening to Pain”
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Feb. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Theater Lab, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Series:
Aizuri Quartet
Beethoven: Quartet in D major, Op. 18, No. 6
Webern: “Langsammer Satz”
Caroline Shaw: “Blueprint”
Mendelssohn: Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 21 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Ron McCurdy Quartet
“The Langston Hughes Project”
Hughes: “Ask Your Mama” Suite
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 22 (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
$10
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 22 (8 p.m.)
Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Mason Bates’ KC Jukebox:
Victor Gama, multi-instrumentalist
other artists TBA
“Music & Instruments of Victor Gama”
Gama: works TBA
Bates: “Difficult Bamboo”
Caroline Shaw: Valencia”
Mike Savino: works TBA
party follows concert
$19-$29
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 22 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Jules Buckley conducting
Snarky Puppy, guest stars
$25-$75
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 23 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony
Daniel Myssyk conducting
program TBA
$10
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/

Feb. 23 (8 p.m.)
Crosswalk Community Church, 7575 Richmond Road, Williamsburg
Feb. 25 (8 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
Benjamin Rous conducting
Mozart: “The Abduction from the Seraglio” Overture
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219 (“Turkish”)
Yun Zhang, violin
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D major
$25-$65
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Wygal Hall, Longwood University, Farmville
Lisa Kinzer & James Kidd, pianos
Carlos Guastavino: “Tres Romances Argentinos” – “Las Ninas”
Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 448
Brahms: “Variations on a Theme by Haydn,” Op. 56b
free
(434) 395-2504 

Feb. 23 (6:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
University Singers
Michael Slon directing
guest artists TBA
“An Evening with Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boublil”
selections TBA from Schönberg & Boubil musicals
free; ticket required
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 24 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
James River Brass
Daniel Stipe, organ
Craig Phillips: Suite for organ and brass
Sigfrid Karg-Elert: “Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals”
Carlyle Sharpe: “Confitemini Domino”
free
(804) 270-4626
http://www.trinityrichmond.net

Feb. 24 (7:30 p.m.)
St. Bridget Catholic Church, 6006 Three Chopt Road, Richmond
St. Bridget’s Chamber Choir
William Buckley directing
program TBA
free
(804) 282-9511
http://saintbridgetchurch.org

Feb. 24 (7 p.m.)
Roper Arts Center, 340 Granby St., Norfolk
Virginia Symphony
Benjamin Rous conducting
Mozart: “The Abduction from the Seraglio” Overture
Ravel: “Mother Goose” Suite – “Empress of the Pagodas”
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219 (“Turkish”)
Yun Zhang, violin
$9-$50
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Feb. 24 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 25 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Darin Atwater conducting
Ledisi & Mellow Tones, guest stars
$29-$99
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 24 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 26 (4 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
National Philharmonic
Morgan State University Choir
Choral Arts Society of Washington
William Eddins conducting
Marsalis: “All Rise”
$65-$175
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 25 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Lisa Edwards Burrs, Anne O’Byrne & Sharon Munz Spencer, sopranos
“Siren Songs”
works TBA by Gilbert & Sullivan, Gershwin, others; Irish folk songs; African-American spirituals
free
(804) 646-7223
http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Feb. 25 (8 p.m.)
Altria Theater, Main and Laurel streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Brent Havens conducting
“Windborne’s Music of David Bowie”
$20-$75
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 25 (7 p.m.)
Feb. 27 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Michael Christie conducting
Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally: “Dead Man Walking”
Kate Lindsey (Sister Helen Prejean)
Michael Mayes (Joseph De Rocher)
Susan Graham (Mrs. De Rocher)
Jacqueline Echols (Sister Rose)
Wayne Tigges (Owen Hart)
Francesco Zambello, stage director
in English, English captions
$45-$300
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Feb. 25 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan conducting
Rameau: “Dardanus” Suite
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216
Henning Kraggerud, violin
Schubert: “Overture in the Italian Style”
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major (“Italian”)
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Feb. 26 (7 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra
Steven Smith conducting
“Side by Side”
Brahms: “Academic Festival” Overture
Prokofiev: “Lieutenant Kijé” Suite
Liszt: “Les Préludes”
free
(804) 788-4717
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Feb. 26 (4 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar conducting
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
Dima Tkachenko, violin
Stravinsky: “The Firebird” Suite
$36-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu

Feb. 26 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Shawn Earle, clarinet
Rory Cowal, piano
“Canadian Vignettes”
Oskar Morawetz: Sonata for clarinet and piano
Elliott Wesgarber: “Empty Sky Ko Ku”
Lucio Agostini: “Trio Québecois”
Gordon Fitzell: “Bliss Point”
Omar Daniel: “Three Chambers”
Leon Zuckert: “Doina Romanian Fantasia”
Denis Gougeon: “Six Thèmes Solaires”
$15
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Feb. 27 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Yuri Temirkanov conducting
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
Nikolai Lugansky, piano
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
$40-$110
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.com

Feb. 28 (6 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Flute Studio
program TBA
free
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/