modern composers

Concert Roundup Up and Away

Good morning, campers! Are you ready to find out what you’re doing this weekend?

• Option number one: the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is cheating. No, wait, that’s not true; it’s Sarasate who cheated with his fantasy on Bizet’s Carmen. Next time you write your own fantasy, young man; none of this downloading scores off the internet. Also on the menu: MacMillan‘s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie and Prokofiev’s fifth symphony. February 23 & 26 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• Or if you want to hang with the BSO but feel that only Prokofiev is worth your time (that’s a little snobby, sir, but I see where you’re coming from), Marin Alsop will help deconstruct and contextualize the piece in another one of those snappy Off the Cuff concerts. It’s like a music history lecture with a live orchestra, and Alsop’s pretty funny! February 24 at Strathmore and February 25 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• Maybe just music isn’t enough for you anymore. Maybe you need acrobatics to catch your interest. If so, the National Symphony Orchestra has you covered with one of those crazy Cirque de la Symphonie performances. The NSO Pops will play as circus performers of all stripes performing feats of daring. Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Khachaturian are all promised. February 23 – 25. [ See it! ]
• A smattering of upcoming Strathmore performances: a cello and piano duet, a Bach concert, a jazz vocalist. [ Check out the full schedule! ]

Remember, if you’d like me to include your upcoming concert in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

Concert Roundup: The Beginning

Hello and welcome to the first concert roundup of 2012! Are you seated comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

• This week at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, ITZHAK MOTHEREFFIN’ PERLMAN IN THE HOOOOOOOOOOOOOUSE! He’ll be conducting (and apparently playing, but I’m not sure on which pieces) the “Winter” and “Summer” portions of Vivaldi‘s Four Seasons plus Mozart‘s Symphony No. 25 and Brahms‘ Symphony No. 4. But who cares? It’s ITZHAK MOTHEREFFIN’ PERLMAN. January 12 & 15 at the Meyerhoff; January 14 at Strathmore. [ See it! ]
• Meanwhile, over at the National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Hannu Lintu (remember him? Boy was he mad) leads violinist Leila Josefowicz and company in Debussy‘s Preludes, a piece by Mackey, and the Sibelius Symphony No. 5. Mm, Debussy. January 12 – 14. [ See it! ]
• Or if you prefer to cater to your small children, ya weirdo, the NSO is offering two children’s concerts this weekend. One is about a bear who likes to wear hats while listening to Haydn, apparently (January 14), while the other features a cellist who likes linking music to language (January 15). My money’s on the dress-up teddy bear, but to each their own. [ See the bear! ] [ See the cellist! ]
• Reader Pam Burovac informed me that the Seattle Philharmonc was performing on January 15. What she did not tell me was that the program includes Beethoven‘s sixth symphony. Also some stuff by Miller and Strauss and Handel‘s Music for the Royal Fireworks but let’s not lose sight of what’s important here: BEETHOVEN. [ See it! ]

We’ll take the road before us and sing a chorus or two

There are classical arrangements of Christmas songs, but for the most part no real classical Christmas songs. Well, except maybe “Greensleeves” if you’re asking Holst.

Sorta kinda not really but yes exception: Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” Anderson is a composer and American institution, no? So here’s a Disney rendition straight out of my childhood, as each year my brother and I would fight over how early was too early to watch the Christmas Sing-along-songs tape. (My opinion: September = fair game.)

A Concert Roundup Carol

Looking for some respite from the relentless holiday cheer? Well, you’re not getting any. Suck it up, Mr. Scrooge.

• Speaking of Mr. Scrooge, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra premiers a musical version of A Christmas Carol this week, from the composer of the ever-popular Too Hot to Handel Bob Christianson, whom I believe will be there. The Baltimore City College Choir joins a handful of soloists in all your favorite roles, from Tiny Tim to an assortment of chronology-obsessed ghosts. December 16 & 17 at the Meyerhoff. Oh, and there’s a party afterward. [ See it! ] [ Party time! ]
• Miss the BSO’s Messiah last week? No problem — this week the National Symphony Orchestra tackles Handel’s Christmas oratorio. This one has different people — like the University of Maryland Concert Choir — and is in D.C. instead of Baltimore, but I’m pretty sure the basic principle is the same. [ See it! ]

Concert Roundup and the Sundance Kid

Good morning, collective sunshine! It’s… well, it’s rainy and uniformly gray over here. And it’s supposed to be cold over the weekend, which is why you’ll want to forgo any sort of outdoor activity and stay within the safe confines of the concert hall. Take your pick:

• This week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra puts on quite a production with an old school-style oratorio by Arthur Honnegar — Joan of Arc. Marin Alsop is at the podium for this vocal and orchestral production, with Caroline Dhavernas in the title role. It promises to be quite a spectacle. November 17 & 18 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• Over at the National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Christoph Eschenbach has put together a program featuring Leonidas Kavakos playing the famous Brahms violin concerto and, more importantly, Beethoven‘s sixth symphony, the “Pastoral.” I practically cut my classical teeth on the “Pastoral;” great stuff. November 17 – 19. [ See it! ]
• Although this alternative NSO family concert aimed at kids sounds so interesting that I really wish I were a small child again (this, admittedly, is not the only reason). NSO musician Glenn Donnellan made an electric violin out of a Louisville Slugger. How cool is that? So cool that he’s going to play Van Halen on it. Well, also Vivaldi and what have you. November 19. [ See it! ]

Not Without My Concert Roundup

But first! A personal plea.

The nonprofit arm of my ballet studio, Performing Arts Repertory Company, is in a DC-area fundraising competition. For November 9 only, Give To The Max will track how much money is donated to PARC, as well as how many individuals donate. Depending on our ranking in both categories, we could win additional funds, which would go toward dance scholarships, workshops, and education and outreach programs, among other things. A noble cause — so you want to help, right? Donate now, before you forget — it’s tax-deductible!

I give you this concert recap in thanks for your donation. If you didn’t donate, I hope you feel really guilty right now.

• The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra likes to be in America — this week’s concert features Copland‘s Appalachian Spring, in addition to Old American Songs. A solid work, one people will come out for, except in this case what I’m sure they’re actually coming for is Gershwin‘s An American in Paris overture. Edward Collins‘ Tragic overture is also in the mix. Marin Alsop to conduct, William Sharp to baritonate; November 10 & 13 at the Meyerhoff.  [See it!]
• This week at the National Symphony Orchestra it’s The Return of Leonard Slatkin! On the conductor’s docket: Clyne, a Rachmaninoff symphony, and a Saint-Saen cello concerto performed by Gautier Capucon. November 10-12. [See it!]

Updated to add: Got this from Benevolent Dictator Jamie:

Emerson String Quartet
Baird Auditorium
Natural History Museum
November 19 at 6 PM

This concert offers an exclusive opportunity to hear the quartet
perform in an intimate setting with excellent acoustics.

Metro Stop: Federal Triangle
Walk south on 12th Street, and cross Constitution Avenue to the Natural History
Museum on the left. (NOT on the National Mall side.)

Ticket prices for students: $10*
Rush tickets are available for purchase starting at
5:30 p.m. on November 19th at the door.
*Valid student ID required when purchasing and redeeming tickets.  Two tickets per student ID, per concert.  No refunds or exchanges available.  Subject to availability.

Son of the Concert Roundup

No BSO concert this week, so let’s leap directly into the National Symphony Orchestra’s schedule. They’ve got two!

• Okay, unimportant stuff out of the way first: Shepherd‘s Wanderlust, Messaien‘s Le Réveil des Oiseaux, and Benjamin‘s Duet. Yes, I realize I just called three composers unimportant, but they will not be offended when they consider that the concert concludes with Stravinsky‘s Firebird suite. Yes. May I have this infernal dance? Oliver Knussen conducts, with Peter Serkin on the piano; November 3 through 5. [See it!]
• If you have a small child, or like to be addressed as if you were a small child (you should probably look into why that is), or you like your stuffed animal to accompany you wherever you go (ditto), there will be a family matinee on November 5 aimed at ages 3 to 5. The program includes a variety of kid-friendly pieces, including Baby Elephant Walk and The Swan. Teddy bears are invited. Honest. [See it!]

Concert Roundup: The Revenge

Let’s see what the musicians are up to this week, shall we?

• If you happen to be hopping about in D.C., the National Symphony Orchestra will be performing Mussourgsky‘s Night on Bald Mountain. So already you want to come. In addition, Gidon Kremer will perform the Sibelius violin concerto, plus Liadov‘s The Enchanted Lake and Nielsen‘s fifth symphony. That’s October 6 through 9. See it!
• Alternatively, if you happen to be hopping about Trafalgar Square, London (and why not?), @LMAorchestra tells me that The Gershwin Family (yes, some relation) will be performing a program of classical music from the movies, including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bach, Debussy, and a bunch more. It all goes down on October 6. See it!

Remember, if you have a concert coming up next week, you should let me know.

Turn the tide of blog posts!

Ah, yes. Fall is here. School starts, the weather gets nippy — it’s awful, isn’t it?

Good thing the BSO season gets rolling too, or we’d have nothing to lift our desolation. This week cellist Alisa Weilerstein joins Marin Alsop in her rightful place on the conductor’s podium in a program entitled “Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.” A little prosaic, but certainly descriptive — the program features Dvorak’s cello concerto and Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” symphony. Oh, and this: “Baltimore-based James Lee III’s Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan depicts Harriet Tubman’s yearning for emancipation, drawing on Negro Spirituals to express her journey from slavery to freedom.” Interesting! See it at the Meyerhoff on Friday, September 23 at 8 pm, at Strathmore on Thursday, September 24 at 8 pm, and then again at the Meyerhoff on Sunday, September 25 at 3 pm.

Okay, I’m rushing through this one a bit ’cause I have a question for you about these upcoming BSO concert posts. I’ve been doing them for almost two years now, and when I was an intern there it tied in perfectly and played right into my blog thesis project. Now that the scope has widened a bit, I want to know — do you like them? Do you read them? Do they interest you, even if you’re in no position to go? Tell me please!

Gala review (a conversation piece)

Note: The below post has been slightly modified from the text as it was originally published. If you’d like to see the full version, email me.

Last Saturday my dear friend Rebekah and I hiked over to the Meyerhoff to take in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening gala. I could just straight tell you what I thought, but I figured why not switch it up a bit? So here’s Rebekah and I indulging in a little post-concert discussion. Rebekah is a cello teacher and Peabody musicology grad student, so she’s more than qualified to weigh in. Two opinions for the price of one — how can you resist?

Jenn: First of all, I want to say that the absolute best part of the concert was when David Little almost knocked out Hilary Hahn by accident.

Rebekah: The surprise on her face was the best part because it was so genuine and she seems so nice.

J: Like a little elf!

R: I think she looks adorable!

J: The concert opened with Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, which is of course a seminal work, and it always kinda gets me. I’m a documented sucker for horns. Alsop took the opening a little fast for my liking, but those horns were gold.

R: I actually… well, when you say fast, you mean she took it fast or she started the concert fast?

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