If it ain't Baroque…
take my viola — please!
oratorios
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! ]
