Author: letterv13

Jazz musicians adopt classical forms, and classical composers return the favor.

1-3 p.m. EST
1800-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Milhaud: “Le boeuf sur le toit”
Orchestre national de Lille/Jean-Claude Casadesus
(Naxos)

James P. Johnson: Concerto “Jazz A Mine”
Leslie Stifelman, piano
Concordia Orchestra/Marin Alsop
(Nimbus)

Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Anthony McGill, clarinet
New York Philharmonic/Jaap van Zweden
(Decca)

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier
(Chandos)

Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F major
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Kazuki Yamada
(Pentatone)

I am medically advised to avoid crowded public events, and so cannot attend concerts. The Richmond Symphony is making video streams of its mainstage concerts available to ticket-holders. The stream of this program became accessible on March 1.

Valentina Peleggi conducting
with María Dueñas, violin
Feb. 25, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center

María Dueñas, the 18-year-old Spanish violinist who was the senior-level winner of the 2021 Richmond round of the Menuhin Competition for young violinists, chose an ideal showcase for her technique and interpretive inclinations to play in her return to the Richmond Symphony: Edouard Lalo’s “Symphonie espagnole.”

Written in 1874 for the Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, the Lalo is a curious hybrid, part violin concerto, part romantic tone poem, in which an elaborately violinistic, almost operatically rhetorical solo violin weaves in and out of a rather dark, bluntly expressive orchestration.

The violin soloist is unmistakably the star of the piece, and Dueñas was stellar in the role. Her performance was a near-ideal combination of technical precision and impulsive spontaneity, both effectively underscored by her lean, highly focused and pitch-perfect tone.

She delivered more of the same, plus dollops of wit and swing, in an encore, Alexei Igudesman’s “Applemania.”

Valentina Peleggi, the orchestra’s music director, burnished her credentials as an interpreter of Brahms in a performance of the composer’s Symphony No. 3 in F major. This is the shortest, yet most challenging, of the four Brahms symphonies, starkly contrasting lyricism and dramatic intensity, full of precarious balances between long-limbed tunes and tricky details of solo and ensemble voicings and rhythms.

Peleggi set a measured pace for the symphony, leaving space and time for those contrasts and details to sound clearly. String tone was enriched by violin sections seated in old-style classical fashion, firsts to the conductor’s left, seconds to the right, with violas and cellos in the center of the string ensemble.

The program opened with “MeChicano” by the Mexican-American composer Juan Pablo Contreras, commissioned by six orchestras in New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices, a project promoting works by Black, Hispanic and Asian-American composers.

Introducing his piece, Contreras described it as a homage to the varied, often surprising, mixture of musical styles heard in the borderlands of Mexico and the US. Compact and colorful, mostly brassy and percussive but with significant cameos for lushly voiced string writing, “MeChicano” is an attractive, energetic curtain-raiser.

The stream of this program remains accessible until June 30, Dueñas’ performance until March 31. Access: $30 Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX); http://richmondsymphony.com

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 ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Service fees may be added.

Contact presenters or venues for health and safety protocols.

March 1 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Myssyk directing
Weber: “Oberon” Overture
Otar Gordeli: Concertino, Op. 8, for flute & orchestra
flutist TBA
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor – I: Allegro maestoso
violinist TBA
Jeff Scott: “Paradise Valley”
VCU Faculty Wind Quintet
Mussorgsky: “A Night on Bald Mountain”
free
(804) 828-1169
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

March 2 (7 p.m.)
Reveille United Methodist Church, 4200 Cary Street Road, Richmond
Reveille Chancel Choir & orchestra
Daniel Banke conducting
Tom Bailey, organ
Reveille Ringers
Alicia Romeo, harp
Fauré: Requiem
Brahms: “A German Requiem” – “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place”
donations benefit Building Walls to Take Down Walls Campaign
(804) 359-6041
http://reveilleumc.org

March 2 (7 p.m.)
March 4 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska conducting
Jessie Montgomery: “Hymn for Everyone”
Shostakovich: Concerto in C minor for piano, trumpet & strings
Conrad Tao, piano
William Gerlach, trumpet
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major
$15-$109
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 2 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Christian Reid conducting
Elizabeth Ogoneck: new work TBA
Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor
Jonathan Carney, violin
Dariusz Krzyzewskis, cello
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

March 3 (8 p.m.)
March 4 (7:30 p.m.)
March 5 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Brandie Sutton (Violetta)
Won Whi Choi (Alfredo)
Grant Youngblood (Germont)
Fran Daniel Laucerica (Gastone)
Jeremy Harr (Doctor Grenville)
Taylor-Alexis DuPont (Flora)
Kaileigh Riess (Annina)
Ryan Lustgarten (Giuseppe)
Kyle White (Flora’s servant)
Erik Grendahl (Baron Douphol)
Conner Grieff (Marchese d’Obigny)
Tara Faircloth, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$130
(866) 673-7282
http://vaopera.org

March 3 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, 10 First St. SE, Washington
Escher Quartet
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Guitar Quintet, Op. 143
Pat Metheny: “Four Paths of Light” – movement II
J.S. Bach: Violin Sonata in G minor, BWV 1001 – Siciliano & Presto
Boccherini: Guitar Quintet in D major, G. 448 (“Fandango”)
free; reservation required via http://blackbaud.com
(202) 707-5502
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

March 5 (4 p.m.)
Beacon Theater, 401 N. Main St., Hopewell
Petersburg Symphony Orchestra
Naima Burrs conducting
program TBA
free
(804) 732-0999
http://petersburgsymphony.org

March 5 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
The Virginia Consort & Festival Chorus
Deke Polifka conducting
Haydn: Mass in D minor (“Nelson Mass”)
soloists TBA
$35
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

March 6 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Rafael Payare conducting
Dorothy Chang: “Precipice”
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
$30-$110
(202)785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://washingtonperformingarts.org

March 9 (6:30 p.m.)
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Overbrook Road at Ownby Lane, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
program TBA
$30 (seating limited)
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://richmondsymphony.com

March 9 (7:30 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
March 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
March 12 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Richard Strauss: “Death and Transfiguration”
Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K. 626
Nola Richardson, soprano
Susan Platts, mezzo soprano
Spencer Britten, tenor
Darren Stokes, bass-baritone
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus
$25-$114
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

March 10 (7 p.m.)
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducting
Bellini: “Norma” Overture
Respighi: “Trittico Botticelliano” – II: “L’Adorazione dei Magi”
Valerie Coleman: “Seven O’clock Shout”
Carlos Simon: “Tales – A Folklore Symphony” – “Flying Africans”
Akira Ifukube: “Japanese Suite for Orchestra” – “Bon Festival Dance”
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major – I: Allegro
Markus Osterlund, French horn
George Walker: “Lyric for Strings”
Astor Piazzolla: “Libertango”
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor (“Organ”) – II: Maestoso – più allegro – molto allegro
organist TBA
free
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 10 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Berhesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Fabian Gabel conducting & speaking
“Off the Cuff: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5”
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

March 11 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First & Franklin streets
Magdalena Adamek, piano
“Central European Landscapes”
works TBA by Schubert, Chopin, Bartók, Juliusz Zarębski, Zygmunt Noskowski, Henryk Gorecki
free
(804) 646-7223
http://rvalibrary.org/events/gellman-concerts/

March 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Historic Academy Theater, 600 Main St., Lynchburg
Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra
David Glover conducting
Still: “Danzas de Panama”
Stravinsky: “Pulcinella” Suite
Sarasate: “Zigeunerweisen”
Ava Pakiam, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major
$30-$100
(434) 845-6604
http://lynchburgsymphony.org

March 11 (8 p.m.)
March 12 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Brandie Sutton (Violetta)
Won Whi Choi (Alfredo)
Grant Youngblood (Germont)
Fran Daniel Laucerica (Gastone)
Jeremy Harr (Doctor Grenville)
Taylor-Alexis DuPont (Flora)
Kaileigh Riess (Annina)
Ryan Lustgarten (Giuseppe)
Kyle White (Flora’s servant)
Erik Grendahl (Baron Douphol)
Conner Grieff (Marchese d’Obigny)
Tara Faircloth, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$45-$115
(866) 673-7282
http://vaopera.org

March 11 (8 p.m.)
Harris Theater, Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Ives: “Country Band March”
Rodrigo: “Concierto de Aranjuez”
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Ibert: Divertissement
Silvie Bodorová: “Bruromano”
Aaron Clay, double-bass
$45-$70
(703) 563-1990
http://fairfaxsymphony.org

March 11 (7 p.m.)
March 13 (7 p.m.)
March 17 (7:30 p.m.)
March 19 (2 p.m.)
March 22 (7:30 p.m.)
March 25 (7 p.m.)
Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Washington National Opera
Joseph Young & Jonathan Taylor Rush conducting
Jeanine Tesori & Tazewell Thompson: “Blue”
Kenneth Kellogg (the Father)
Briana Hunter (the Mother)
Aaron Crouch (The Son)
Joshua Conyers (the Reverend)
Tazewell Thompson, stage director
in English
$35-$199
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 12 (3:30 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Second Sunday South of the James:
artists TBA
“Annual Members & Friends Concert”
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 272-7514
http://bonairpc.org/wp/ministries-block/music-ministry-2/concert-series/

March 12 (4 p.m.)
Ryan Recital Hall, St. Christopher’s School, 711 St. Christopher Road, Richmond
Richmond Philharmonic
Peter Wilson conducting
Still: Symphony No. 1 (“Afro-American”)
Gershwin: “An American in Paris”
Copland: “Quiet City”
John Williams: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (selections)
free
(804) 556-1093
http://richmondphilharmonic.org

March 12 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Fabian Gabel conducting
Noah Bendix-Balgley: “Fidl-Fantazia: a Klezmer Concerto” (Samuel Adler orchestration)
Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

March 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court, University of Richmond
Christoph Wagner, cello
Joanne Kong, piano
works TBA by Paganini, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Martinů
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

March 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Kaufman Theater, Chrysler Museum of Art, 1 Memorial Place, Norfolk
Feldman Chamber Music Society:
Dover Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2 (“The Joke”)
George Walker: Quartet No. 1
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 44, No. 3
$30
(757) 552-1630
http://feldmanchambermusic.org

March 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland St.
Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg:
Dover Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2 (“The Joke”)
George Walker: Quartet No. 1
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 44, No. 3
$30 (waiting list)
(757) 741-3300 (Williamsburg Regional Library)
http://chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

March 14 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Kaleidoscopia Trio
Gideon Klein: String Trio
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Movement for string trio
Karim Al Zand: “Canticle and Caprice”
Grace-Evangeline Mason: “Into the Abyss, I Throw Roses”
Victoria Bond: “Dancing on Glass”
free
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

March 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts:
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
J.S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 – V: Ciaccona (Ferrucio Busoni arrangement)
Schumann: Fantasy in C major, Op. 17
Ravel: “Le Tombeau de Couperin”
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83
$65
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court, University of Richmond
Peter D’Elia, piano
Chopin: Etude, Op. 25, No. 1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
Chopin: Etude, Op. 10, No. 3 (“Tristesse”)
Chopin: Etude, Op. 10, No. 12 (“Revolutionary”)
Rachmaninoff: preludes, Op. 10, Nos. 5, 4, 2
Beethoven: Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”)
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

March 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Williamsburg Community Chapel, 3899 John Tyler Highway
Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra
Michael Butterman conducting
Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto in D major
Rodrigo: “Concierto de Aranjuez”
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major
$60
(757) 229-9857
http://williamsburgsymphony.org

March 17 (7:30 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River & Ridge roads, Richmond
Freeman Concert Series:
Isabelle Demers, organ
J.S. Bach: “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” in D minor, BWV 903
J.S. Bach: “The School of Trio-Playing” (Max Reger arrangement)
Reger: “Fantasy on the Chorale ‘Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,’ ” Op. 27
Reger: 52 Choralvorspiele, Op. 67
Reger: Fugue in E major, Op. 65, No.12
Reger: “Fantasy and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H,” Op. 46
free; tickets requireed via http://eventbrite.com
(804) 288-1131
http://rrcb.org/e-carl-freeman-concert-series/

March 17 (8 p.m.)
March 19 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth & Grace streets, Richmond
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Verdi: “La Traviata”
Brandie Sutton (Violetta)
Won Whi Choi (Alfredo)
Grant Youngblood (Germont)
Fran Daniel Laucerica (Gastone)
Jeremy Harr (Doctor Grenville)
Taylor-Alexis DuPont (Flora)
Kaileigh Riess (Annina)
Ryan Lustgarten (Giuseppe)
Kyle White (Flora’s servant)
Erik Grendahl (Baron Douphol)
Conner Grieff (Marchese d’Obigny)
Tara Faircloth, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$22.95-$130
(866) 673-7282
http://vaopera.org

March 18 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
March 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
Paul Ghun Kim conducting
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major
Brandon Elliott, violin
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)
$10-$45
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

March 18 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
J.S. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Esther Heideman, soprano
Magdalena Wor, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Smith, tenor
Trevor Scheunemann, baritone
National Philharmonic Chorale
$19-$99
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

March 19 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Doris Wylee-Becker, piano
works TBA by J.S. Bach, Rachmaninoff
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

March 19 (7 p.m.)
Gallery5, 200 W. Marshall St., Richmond
Classical Revolution RVA:
artists TBA
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 678-8863 (Gallery5)
http://classicalrevolutionrva.com/events

March 19 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Kennedy Center Chamber Players:
Ricardo Cyncynates, violin
David Hardy, cello
Aaron Goldman, flute
Nicholas Stovall, oboe
Lin Ma, clarinet
Sue Heineman, bassoon
Abel Pereira, French horn
Lambert Orkis, piano
Lutosławski: Partita for violin and piano
Valerie Coleman: Tzigane for wind quintet
George Crumb: “Vox Balanae” for electric flute, cello, and amplified piano
Beethoven: Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16, for piano & winds
$36
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Ukrop Auditorium, Robins School of Business, University of Richmond
Neumann Lecture on Music:
Sherry D. Lee
“Music after Oil”
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

March 20 (8 p.m.)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 301 A St. SE, Washington
Library of Congress Concerts:
Ars Nova Copenhagen
Pelle Gudmundsen Holmgreen: “Three Stages (The Cries of Copenhagen)”
Guillaume de Machaut: “Ma fin est ma commencement”
Gavin Bryars: “And so ended Kant’s travelling in this world”
Orlando Gibbons: “The Cries of London” (Paul Hillier arrangement)
Gibbons: “What is our life?”
Per Nørgård: “Wie ein Kind”
Caroline Shaw: “How to fold the wind”
free; reservation required via http://blackbaud.com
(202) 707-5502
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

March 21 (8 p.m.)
March 23 (8 p.m.)
March 25 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Victory Hall Opera
UVa Chamber Singers
Christine Brandes conducting
“Orpheus & Erica: a Deaf Opera”
play in American Sign Language by Miriam Gordon-Stewart with Willy Conley & Gregory Orr
incorporating Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice”
Alek Lev & Miriam Gordon-Stewart, stage directors
in Italian & ASL, English captions
$35
(434) 924-3376
http://www.victoryhallopera.org/orpheus-erica

March 21 (8 p.m.)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 301 A St. SE, Washington
Library of Congress Concerts:
Stephen Hough, piano
Federico Mompou: “Cants mágìcs”
Scriabin: Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Debussy: “Estampes”
Hough: Partita
Liszt: “Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième Année – Italie,” S. 161 –
“Sonetto 47 del Petrarca”
“Sonetto 104 del Petrarca”
“Sonetto 123 del Petrarca”
“Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata”
free; reservation required via http://blackbaud.com
(202) 707-5502
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

March 23 (7 p.m.)
March 24 (11:30 a.m.)
March 25 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Stanislav Kochanovsky conducting
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor
Stephen Hough, piano
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathétique”)
$15-$129
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 23 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Young Concert Artists:
Risa Hokamura, violin
pianist TBA
Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 3 in D minor (“Ballade”)
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
Toshio Hosokawa: Elegy for solo violin
Chausson: Poème, Op. 25
Saint-Saëns: “Introduction and Rondo capriccioso,” Op. 28
$20-$45
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
March 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
March 26 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Eric Jacobsen conducting
Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A minor
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor
Gil Shaham, violin
Dvořák: Slavonic dances TBA
$25-$114
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

March 25 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Neave Trio
Gabriela Lena Frank: “Four Folk Songs”
Reena Esmail: Piano Trio
Ethel Smyth: Piano Trio in D minor
$35
(804) 828-1169
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

March 25 (7 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River & Ridge roads, Richmond
Freeman Concert Series:
William & Mary Choir
Daniel Parks directing
program TBA
free; tickets requireed via http://eventbrite.com
(804) 288-1131
http://rrcb.org/e-carl-freeman-concert-series/

March 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Ryan Recital Hall, St. Christopher’s School, 711 St. Christopher Road, Richmond
March 26 (3 p.m.)
Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, 205 Henry St., Ashland
Richmond Symphony
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
J.S. Bach: Double Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043 – I: Vivace
Vivian Fung: Double Concerto
Adrian Pintea & Ellen Cockerham Riccio, violins
James Lee III: “Emotive Transformations”
Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major (“London”) – IV: Finale: Spiritoso
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major
$25
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://richmondsymphony.com

March 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Berglund Performing Arts Theatre, 710 Williamson Road NE, Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Richard Strauss: “Also sprach Zarathustra”
John Psathas: “The All-Seeing Sky”
Annie Stevens & Andrea Venet, percussion
Nielsen: “Helios” Overture
Holst: “The Planets” (excerpts)
$34-$56
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

March 25 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Oksana Lyniv conducting
Janáček: “The Cunning Little Vixen” Suite (Václav Talich arrangement)
Barber: “Knoxville, Summer of 1915”
Terence Blanchard: “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” (selections)
Angel Blue, soprano
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

March 26 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Series:
Seamus McDaniel, guitar
program TBA
free
(804) 828-1169
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

March 26 (7 p.m.)
Marburg House, 3102 Bute Lane, Richmond
Belvedere Series:
Jonathan Stinson, baritone
Ingrid Keller, piano
Beethoven: “An die ferne Geliebte,” Op. 98
Mahler: “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen”
Stinson: “Uncivil Relief” (premiere)
$33 (limited seating)
(804) 833-1481
http://belvedereseries.org

March 26 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVa Chamber Music Series:
I-Jen Fang, percussion
Christopher Deane: “The Bones of Chang Tzu”
Judith Shatin: “Adventure on Mt. Hehuan”
Hung Chien-Hui: “Dreaming of the Red Chamber”
Peter Klatzow: “Ambient Resonances (Echoes of Time and Place)”
Emmanuel Séjourné: “Calienta”
$15
(804) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

March 26 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vocal Arts DC:
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Kevin J. Miller, piano
“Rising”
songs TBA by Margaret Bonds, Jeremiah Evans, Robert Owens, Jasmine Barnes, Shawn E. Okpebholo, Carlos Simon, Damien L. Sneed, Brandon Spencer, Joel Thompson
$50
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond
Bruce Stevens, organ
Vincent Lübeck: Praeambulum in E major, LübWV 7
Dieterich Buxtehude: Chorale Fantasia, “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” BuxWV 223
Georg Böhm: Chorale Prelude, “Vater unser im Himmelreich”
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: Variations, “Unter der Linden grune,” SwWV 325
Johann Pachelbel: Ciacona in F minor
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 549
J.S. Bach: Organ Chorale, “An Wasserflüssen Babylon,” BWV 653
J.S. Bach: Trio super, “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr,” BWV 664
J.S. Bach: Concerto in A minor, BWV 593 (after Vivaldi)
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

March 28 (7:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Benedetti Elschenbroich Grynyuk Trio:
Nicola Benedetti, violin
Leonard Elschenbroich, cello
Alexei Grynyuk, piano
Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D. 929
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50
$12-$39
(424) 924-3376
http://tecs.org

March 30 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Miriam Fried, violin
Ravinia Steans Music Institute alumni
works TBA by Mendelssohn, Bartók, others
$30-$35
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

March 31 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
April 1 (7:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Pops
conductor TBA
“Broadway Rocks”
$25-$114
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

March 31 (8 p.m.)
April 1 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Kevin John Edusei conducting
Ravel: “Le Tombeau de Couperin”
Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major
Midori, violin
Ravel: “Pavane pour une infante défunte”
Samy Moussa: Nocturne
Ravel: “Daphnis et Chloé” Suite No. 2
$15-$109
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

April 1 (8 p.m.)
April 2 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth & Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Valentina Peleggi conducting
George Walker: “Icarus in Orbit”
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (“Resurrection”)
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus
$15-$85
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://richmondsymphony.com

April 1 (5 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
New Orchestra of Washington
Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez conducting
Étienne Méhul: Symphony No. 1 in G minor – IV: Allegro agitato
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major
Miray Ito, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
$30-$59
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

April 2 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Hope, violin & director
Copland: ”Rodeo” – Hoe-down
Copland: “Old American Songs” – “At the River”
Ellington: “Black, Brown and Beige” – “Come Sunday”
Florence Price: “Adoration”
Kurt Weill: “American Song Suite”
Barber: Adagio for strings, Op. 11
Philip Glass: “Echorus”
Gershwin: “Song Suite”
$33-$55
(703) 993-2787
http://cfa.gmu.edu

April 2 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Chopin: 2 nocturnes, Op. 27
Chopin: Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35
Chopin: 24 preludes, Op. 28
$60-$90
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://kennedy-center.org

April 2 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
José-Luis Novo conducting
Behzad Ranjbaran: “Esther”
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major
Esther Yoo, violin
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major
$29-$69
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

April 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
The Washington Chorus & orchestra
Eugene Rogers conducting
“Free at Last! A Musical Tribute to Dr. King’s Legacy”
Undine Smith Moore: “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr”
Duruflé: Requiem
Brandie Sutton, soprano
Rehanna Thelwell, mezzo-soprano
Demetrious Sampson Jr., tenor
Kenneth Overton, baritone
$15-$59
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

April 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Schubert: Sonata in A minor, D.784
Schumann: “Faschingsschwank aus Wien”
Esa-Pekka Salonen: “Sisar”
Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
$30-$75
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
http://kennedy-center.org

April 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Symphony Orchestra
Naima Burrs conducting
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

1-3 p.m. EST
1800-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Arthur Sullivan: “The Merchant of Venice” Suite
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Vivian Dunn
(Klavier)

Dvořák: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”)
Alexander Melnikov, piano
Isabelle Faust, violin
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
(Harmonia Mundi)

Debussy: “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”
Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth
(Harmonia Mundi)

Amy Beach: Theme and Variations, Op. 80
Emily Beynon, flute
Henk Rubingh & Marijn Mijnders, violins
Roland Krämer, viola
Daniël Esser, cello
(Channel Classics)

Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 (“Sinfonia espansiva”)
Nancy Wait Kromm, soprano
Kevin McMillan, baritone
San Francisco Symphony/Herbert Blomstedt
(Decca)

1-3 p.m. EST
1800-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Janáček: Sinfonietta
Czech Philharmonic/Charles Mackerras
(Supraphon)

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major
Gil Shaham, violin
London Symphony Orchestra/André Previn
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Mykola Lysenko: “Second Piano Rhapsody on Ukrainian Folk Themes,” Op. 18
(“Dumka-Shumka”)
Lada Valešová, piano
(Avie)

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Howard Shelley, piano & director
London Mozart Players
(Chandos)

Valentyn Sylvestrov: “The Messenger”
Borys Federov, piano
(Challenge Classics)

Beethoven: Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80 (“Choral Fantasy”)
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Esa-Pekka Salonen
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Four premieres, two major symphonies and a new concerto by Black composers and a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem highlight the 2023-24 Symphony Series, the mainstage programs of the Richmond Symphony.

In addition to the Verdi, familiar repertory in the coming season includes Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, Johannes Brahms’ Second Symphony, Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony (No. 6), Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, Maurice Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé” Suite No. 2 and George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

Concertos and soloists include the premiere of a Violin Concerto by the contemporary Italian composer Andrea Portera, featuring Daisuke Yamamoto, the symphony’s concertmaster; Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto, played by Paul Neubauer; the premiere of a Piano Concerto by the Virginia-based composer Adolphus Hailstork, played by Lara Downes; Ferrucio Busoni’s Violin Concerto in D major, played by Francesca Dego; Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, played by Dinara Klinton; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4, played by Dominic Rotella, the orchestra’s principal French horn player.

The premieres, in addition to the Portera and Hailstork concertos, are as as-yet untitled works by Zachary Wadsworth and Damien Geter, both natives of Chesterfield County. Geter is currently in residencies with the symphony and Virginia Opera.

The Hailstork concerto joins Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 and William Levi Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony” among works by Black composers on the season’s schedule.

Guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto will lead a program that presents the Gershwin tone poem and “Three Dance Episodes from ‘On the Town’ ” by Leonard Bernstein along with works by three Latin-American composers, Argentina’s Alberto Ginastera and Mexico’s Silvestre Revueltas and José Pablo Moncayo.

Ticket subscriptions for the 2023-24 Symphony Series are now open for renewal. For more information, call (804) 788-1212 or visit http://richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 30 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 1 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Andrea Portera: Violin Concerto (premiere)
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major

Oct. 21 (8 p.m.)
Oct. 22 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Richard Strauss: “Don Juan”
Bartók: Viola Concerto
Paul Neubauer, viola
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathétique”)

Nov. 11 (8 p.m.)
Nov. 12 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi & Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Roxanna Panufnik: “Across the Line of Dreams”
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Adolphus Hailstork: Piano Concerto (premiere)
Lara Downes, piano
William Levi Dawson: “Negro Folk Symphony”

Jan. 20 (8 p.m.)
Jan. 21 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Damien Geter: new work TBA (premiere)
Ferruccio Busoni: Violin Concerto in D major
Francesca Dego, violin
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major

Feb. 24 (8 p.m.)
Feb. 25 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor
Dinara Klinton, piano
Zachary Wadsworth: new work TBA (premiere)
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Ravel: “Daphnis et Chloé” Suite No. 2

April 6 (8 p.m.)
April 7 (3 p.m.)
Carlos Miguel Prieto conducting
Gershwin: “An American in Paris”
Silvestre Revueltas: “Redes” Suite
Bernstein: “Three Dance Episodes from ‘On the Town’ ”
Alberto Ginastera: “Estancia” Suite
José Pablo Moncayo: “Huapango”

May 4 (8 p.m.)
May 5 (3 p.m.)
Anthony Parnther conducting
Florence Beatrice Price: Symphony No. 3
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major, K. 495
Dominic Rotella, French horn
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major

June 1 (8 p.m.)
June 2 (3 p.m.)
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Verdi: Requiem
Jennifer Rowley, soprano
Guadalupe Barrientos, mezzo-soprano
Rodrick Dixon, tenor
David Leigh, bass
Richmond Symphony Chorus

Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor who became a worldwide celebrity leading the young musicians of Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, leading to the then-26-year-old’s appointment as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007, has been named music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic.

The New York appointment is effective in the 2026-27 season, after Dudamel’s Los Angeles contract expires. (He will serve as the New York Philharmonic’s music director-designate in 2025-26.) He also is music director of Opéra national de Paris, contracted to lead the ensemble until 2027.

The son of musicians who took up the violin when he was 10 and began to study conducting at 14, Dudamel, now 42, has led the Venezuelan youth orchestra since 1999. He won the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in 2004, following a stint as Simon Rattle’s assistant when Rattle was chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Dudamel spent the 2007-08 season as principal conductor of Sweden’s Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and guest-conducted a number of major ensembles, including the Vienna Philharmonic and La Scala, the opera company in Milan, before his appointment in Los Angeles.

The New York Philharmonic’s president and CEO, Deborah Borda, who was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s administrative chief when Dudamel came to LA, had actively courted the conductor to take over in New York since Jaap van Zweden, the philharmonic’s current music director, announced that he would leave after the 2023-24 season, The New York Times’ Javier C. Hernández reports.

Dudamel’s work in Los Angeles has extended from its classical concert venues to performances at popular events such as the 2016 Super Bowl and in films, notably “Star Wars: the Force Awakens” and Stephen Spielberg’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.” He also built an LA analogue to El Sistema, the Venezuelan training and mentoring program for young musicians. (Dudamel is the program’s most prominent alumnus.)

The conductor said that in New York “he would champion new music and work to develop the orchestra’s sound,” Hernández writes. “There are no limits, especially in an orchestra with such a history,” Dudamel said. “I see an incredible infinite potential of building something unique for the world.”

Contemporary music, especially works by women and composers of color, swept most of this year’s classical Grammy Awards. In the eight awards categories, only one, a song recital by soprano Renée Fleming, featured music by dead Europeans (alongside those of live Americans).

Noteworthy winners include Terence Blanchard’s opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” staged by the Metropolitan Opera and issued on a DVD. Its cast includes baritone Will Liverman, currently in residence with Virginia Opera and returning to the Met in a fall 2023 production of Anthony Davis’ “X: the Life and Times of Malcolm X.”

Another composer with Virginia connections, Richmond-bred Mason Bates, is represented in an engineering Grammy for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording of his “Philharmonia Fantastique: the Making of an Orchestra.”

The most striking award may be for a disc by the teenagers of the New York Youth Symphony, who with pianist Michelle Cann recorded works by three Black female composers, Florence Price, Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery, winning in the best orchestral performance category.

Other classical awards went to collections with works by seven living composers: Caroline Shaw, Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon, Nico Muhly, Edie Hill, Michael Gilbertson and Kitt Wakeley.

The 2023 classical Grammy winners:

Orchestral performance: Florence Price: Piano Concerto, “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America;” Jessie Montgomery: “Soul Force;” Valerie Coleman: “Umoja – Anthem of Unity” – Michelle Cann, piano; New York Youth Symphony/Michael Repper (Avie).

Opera recording: Terence Blanchard: “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” – Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore & Walter Russell III, vocalists; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus/Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Metropolitan Opera, DVD).

Choral performance: “Born” (works by Michael Gilbertson & Edie Hill) – The Crossing/Donald Nally (Navona).

Chamber music/small ensemble performance: Caroline Shaw: “Evergreen” – Caroline Shaw, vocals; Attacca Quartet (Nonesuch).

Classical instrumental solo: “Letters for the Future” (works by Kevin Puts & Jennifer Higdon) – Time for Three; Philadelphia Orchestra/Xian Zhang (Deutsche Grammophon).

Classical solo vocal album: “Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene” (works by Liszt, Grieg, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn, Kevin Puts, Nico Muhly & Caroline Shaw) – Renée Fleming, soprano; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist (Decca).

Classical compendium: Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley: “An Adoption Story” – London Symphony Orchestra, et al. (independent EP).

Engineered classical album: Mason Bates: “Philharmonia fantastique: the Making of an Orchestra” – Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Edwin Outwater. Shawn Murphy, Charlie Post & Gary Rydstrom, engineers; Michael Romanowski, mastering engineer (Sony).

During his stay in the US in the 1890s, Antonín Dvořák said, “In the [N]egro melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music.” The country’s White musical establishment dismissed the idea, but Black composers took it to heart. In this program celebrating Black History Month, we’ll hear Dvořák’s observation realized by two generations of composers.

1-3 p.m. EST
1800-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Dvořák: Sonatina in G major, Op. 100
Randall Goosby, violin
Zhu Wang, piano
(Decca)

Harry T. Burleigh: “From the Southland” Suite
Rochelle Sennet, piano
(Albany)

Florence Beatrice Price: Violin Concerto No. 2
Rachel Barton Pine, violin
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Jonathon Heyward
(Çedille)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: “Hiawatha” Overture
RTE Concert Orchestra/Adrian Leaper
(Naxos)

Adolphus Hailstork: “Three Spirituals for Orchestra”
Virginia Symphony Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta
(Naxos)

William Grant Still: Symphony No. 2 (“Song of a New Race”)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi
(Chandos)

I am medically advised to avoid crowded public events, and so cannot attend concerts. The Richmond Symphony is making video streams of its mainstage concerts available to ticket-holders. The stream of this program became accessible on Feb. 2.

Valentina Peleggi conducting
with Inbal Segev, cello
Courtney Collier & Michael Dunton, dancers
Jan. 28-29, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center

“DANCE,” a cello concerto by the English composer Anna Clyne, written for and introduced in 2019 by the Israeli-American cellist Inbal Segev, was the centerpiece of the latest mainstage program by the Richmond Symphony – and quite a piece it was in this staging. Two dancers from the Richmond Ballet physically responded to Segev’s performance of Clyne’s music, which was inspired by a poem by the 13th-century Persian Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi:

Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.

The symbology and/or metaphysics of that verse seem rather open-ended, at least to a 21st-century Westerner, and may or may not be useful in assessing Clyne’s score or the choreography, by Malcolm Burn, for this performance. For what it’s worth, I saw the dance of “DANCE” as interactive between the two dancers (a physical realization of the ups and downs of a relationship?) and between them and the cello, which served as kind of sonic beacon.

Segev’s fluency in Clyne’s score and its expressive potential were audible throughout the concerto, whose five movements, each titled after a line of the poem, exploit most every technical resource of the cello and the wide range of lyrical and dramatic voices the instrument can produce.

Unusually for a contemporary piece that isn’t minimalist, “DANCE” is tuneful and traditionally tonal for most of its nearly half-hour duration. Until some orchestral dissonance arises in the final movement, listeners might imagine that the work was written around the same time, and from a similar stylistic vantage, as the piece it followed in this program, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,” which dates from 1910.

Like the Vaughan Williams, Clyne’s work is built on slow, somber melodies – but neither English nor Persian, sounding instead to emanate from the Balkan/Jewish/Romani/Turkic musical melting pot of southeastern Europe. The most memorable tunes, from the first and last movements, are among the most soulful given to a cello in the concerto repertory.

Segev’s and the orchestra’s treatment of more rhythmic and animated sections of the piece were earthy, with abundant and gritty double-stopping on the cello, weighty bass lines and bright interjections from the winds.

New and recent compositions typically don’t leave non-specialist listeners hankering for repeat performances. “DANCE” is an exception, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it enter the standard repertory of cello concertos sooner rather than later.

In the Vaughan Williams fantasia and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” Valentina Peleggi, the symphony’s music director, led accounts with measured tempos and rather soft-edged rhythms, emphasizing tonal beauty from the strings and highly expressive solo playing from the winds.

“Scheherazade” can benefit from this kind of interpretation – all kinds of enticing details emerge from Rimsky’s orchestration that might be barely noticed at a brisker pace. The score’s lyrical solos and lush orchestral sonorities are enhanced. More upbeat sections, especially in the final movement (“Festival at Baghdad” – “The Sea” – “The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman”) sounded more blunt than eruptive in this reading.

Daisuke Yamamoto, the orchestra’s concertmaster, nicely contrasted silver and bronze tone in the solo violin’s introductory and culminating solos in each movement, sensitively and colorfully partnered by harpist Alicia Romeo. Neal Cary, the symphony’s principal cellist, made richly lyrical work of the instrument’s less frequent but expressively potent solos.

Among the winds, standout solos came from bassoonist Thomas Schneider, clarinetist David Lemelin, flutist Mary Boodell and oboist Victoria Chung. The orchestra’s trumpets and trombones scored high both for massed sonority and pinpoint detailing, and did not overpower the strings (at least in the audio mix for the online stream). Percussion sounded a bit recessed.

The “Tallis Fantasia,” scored for a string orchestra and a separate string ensemble – originally situated at the opposite end of a cathedral nave, here placed in the hall’s balcony and led by Chia-Hsuan Lin, the symphony’s associate conductor – showcased rich tonal beauty, a gratifying approach to be sure, but at the expense of the more austere beauty of the 16th-century liturgical melody on which the fantasia is based.

The review has been revised to credit Alicia Romeo, the harpist in this program.