Author: letterv13

In its 2020-21 season, Virginia Opera will stage Jennifer Higdon’s “Cold Mountain,” a music drama based on the Charles Frazier novel and 2003 film on the struggle of a Confederate veteran, wounded during the siege of Petersburg, to return home to his wife. The production will be the second in the company’s “From Screen to Stage” series.

The season also will feature productions of Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta “The Pirates of Penzance.”

Casting will be announced later.

Dates and venues for the coming season:

“Rigoletto” – Oct. 2, 4 and 6 at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk; Oct. 9 and 11 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center in Richmond; Oct. 17 and 18 at the Center for the Arts of George Mason University in Fairfax.

“The Pirates of Penzance” – Nov. 13, 15 and 17 in Norfolk; Nov. 20 and 22 in Richmond; Dec. 4 and 5 in Fairfax.

“Cold Mountain” – Feb. 5, 7 and 9 in Norfolk; Feb. 13 and 14 in Fairfax; Feb. 19 and 21 in Richmond.

“The Marriage of Figaro” – March 12, 14 and 16 in Norfolk; March 20 and 21 in Fairfax; March 26 and 28 in Richmond.

Subscription packages – $68.20 to $400 in Norfolk, $51.40 to $269.16 in Richmond – are now on sale. Fairfax subscription availability and prices will be announced later.

For more information, call Virginia Opera’s box office at (866) 673-7282 or visit http://vaopera.org/experience/subscriptions

Anton Coppola, the longtime opera conductor and composer and eldest member of the creative clan that includes filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, his nephew, and actors Talia Shire, his niece, and Nicholas Cage, his grandnephew, has died at 102.

Coppola, who as a boy chorister sang in the US premiere of Puccini’s “Turandot” in 1926, and years later wrote a completion of the opera left unfinished by its composer, pursued a musical career of more than 80 years, still working after he turned 100.

He conducted at a number of opera companies – notably the New York City Opera and Opera Tampa, which he founded in 1995 and led until 2012 – and several Broadway shows, composed several operas (the best-known was “Sacco and Vanzetti,” introduced in Tampa in 2001), and taught for many years at the Manhattan School of Music. He appeared as conductor of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” toward the end of his nephew’s “Godfather III.”

Coppola will be remembered locally for conducting the Richmond Symphony and Symphony Chorus in Verdi’s Requiem in 1997. “This is as close as you’ll get today to hearing [Arturo] Toscanini,” George Manahan, a Coppola pupil who at the time was the symphony’s music director, said in an interview published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch before his old teacher’s performances.

An obituary by The New York Times’ Daniel J. Wakin:

Valentina Peleggi conducting
with Angela Chang, piano
March 7, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center

Technicolor, the film coloring process, was introduced in 1916. That same year, Ottorino Respighi completed “Fountains of Rome,” the first of his “Roman trilogy” of orchestral tone poems. What Technicolor did for movies, Respighi did for symphonic music – especially symphonic film scores.

So, when Valentina Peleggi, fourth of the conductors auditioning to become the Richmond Symphony’s next music director, concluded her Masterworks program with “Pines of Rome,” the second (vintage 1924) and sonically most spectacular of Respighi’s trilogy, listeners left with a kind of exhilaration not unlike that felt by moviegoers after seeing a film with extra helpings of primary colors and vivid special effects.

Visual blockbuster films are rarely great dramas. Similarly, it’s hard to make a case for Respighi’s score as great music. In both cases, though, so what? Technical mastery, lavishly applied, produces a great sensory experience.

Peleggi and the orchestra, its regular roster supplemented with extra brass, percussion and keyboards, on- and offstage, gave “Pines of Rome” full blockbuster treatment, Technicolorized from the finest details of woodwind solos and lyrical string playing to the thunderous militancy of the score’s final section, “The Pines of the Appian Way,” evoking Roman legions on the march.

The Italian conductor, lately based in São Paulo, Brazil, and London, gave comparably high-contrast, colorful treatment to the overture to Rossini’s comic opera “La gazza ladra” (“The Thieving Magpie”), giving more than the usual attention to its witty instrumental characterizations and quirky accents without underplaying the sweeping grandeur of its great waltz tune.

Peleggi’s attention to detail proved less successful in Tchaikovsky’s “Francesca da Rimini,” a tone poem inspired by the story of adulterous lovers consigned to the second circle of hell in Dante’s “Inferno.” In this performance, the turbulence of Tchaikovsky’s music was slighted by carefulness. Steady tempos, step-by-step gradations of volume, clear deliniation of sectional voices – qualities one craves in performances of a lot of music – sapped this piece of the seething expressive tone it needs. Hell shouldn’t sound so well-ordered.

The program’s theme, “Tribute to Uncommon Women,” refers inferentially to Tchaikovsky’s doomed heroine, explicitly to works by two female composers: Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 2” and Clara Wieck Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor.

The concerto is the product of the teenaged Clara Wieck, a budding piano virtuoso whose performing career would span much of the 19th century, but whose compositional work largely ceased after she married Robert Schumann and gave birth to eight children.

In the first of two weekend performances of the concerto, the estimable Canadian pianist Angela Chang seized every opportunity to play up its virtuoso qualities, and made fine work of its lyrical passages – notably in the central slow section, hinging on a lovely duet by Chang and the symphony’s principal cellist, Neal Cary.

The pianist, however, could make only so much of a piece whose commonplace themes, predictably worked, then overworked, produce little more than a tepid echo of the early romantic concerto style of Hummel and Chopin.

Tower’s fanfare, one of a set of six “answers” to Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare the Common Man,” is a brightly colored, at times unpredictably rhythmic miniature for a large brass-and-percussion ensemble. Peleggi and the symphony ensemble gave it an energetic reading that didn’t slight its occasional nuances.

The program repeats at 3 p.m. March 8 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $10-$82. Valentina Peleggi and the symphony, with dancers from the School of the Richmond Ballet, perform Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” in a Lollipops concert at 11 a.m. March 14 at the Carpenter Theatre. Tickets: $10-$20. Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX); http://www.richmondsymphony.com

7-10 p.m. EDT
0100-0400 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.net

Richard Strauss: “Don Juan”
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden & Freiburg/François-Xavier Roth
(SWR Music)

Poulenc: Concerto in G minor for organ, strings and timpani
Kåre Nordstoga, organ
Norwegian Radio Orchestra/Peter Szilvay
(LAWO Classics)

Hindemith: Viola Sonata in F major, Op. 11, No. 4
Kim Kashkashian, violin
Robert Levin, piano
(ECM)

Schubert: Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
Shai Wosner, piano
(Onyx)

Bloch: Suite No. 1 for solo cello
Pieter Wispelwey, cello
(Onyx)

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

J.S. Bach:
“Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo,” BWV 992
Olivier Cavé, piano
(Aeon)

UPDATE: On March 12, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency because of the coronavirus outbreak. Subsequently, Northam announced a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. A running list of local and regional cancellations can be found under the heading “Cancellations and closures,” originally posted on March 12 and updated as information comes in. (Note that these listings are limited to classical-music performances. Other events also may be canceled or postponed.) Check with presenters or venues on the status of performances before heading out.

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, military, group and other discounts may be offered.

In and around Richmond: Martin Schmeling, the eminent German organist, plays works by Vierne, Saint-Saëns, Dupré, Rachmaninoff and others, March 3 at St. James’s Episcopal Church. . . . Brazilian pianist Sonia Rubinsky returns to town to play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Daniel Myssyk and the VCU Symphony, in a program also featuring Elgar’s “Enigma Variations,” March 4 at VCU’s Singleton Arts Center. . . . Valentina Peleggi, fourth of the five candidates auditioning to become music director of the Richmond Symphony, conducts a Masterworks program featuring pianist Angela Chang in the rarely performed Concerto in A minor of Clara Wieck Schumann, alongside works by Tchaikovsky, Respighi, Rossini and Joan Tower, March 7 and 8 the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center; Peleggi, with the School of the Richmond Ballet, leads a LolliPops series performance of Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” on March 14 at the Carpenter Theatre. . . . Double-bassist Aaron Clay joins Peter Wilson and the Richmond Philharmonic in a program of Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Nino Rota and Enrico Morricone, March 15 at Clover Hill High School in Midlothian. . . . Virginia Opera stages its final production of the season, Verdi’s “Aïda,” with Adam Turner conducting the Richmond Symphony, March 27 and 29 at the Carpenter Theatre, following performances on March 20, 22 and 24 at Norfolk’s Harrison Opera House. . . . Markus Compton leads the Richmond Choral Society, with an instrumental ensemble, in “Music of the British Isles,” March 22 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. . . . Bruce Stevens, the University of Richmond’s resident organist, plays works by Buxtehude, J.S. Bach, Nicolaus Bruhns and Georg Böhm, March 30 at UR’s Cannon Memorial Chapel. . . . Flutist Mary Boodell, harpist Sivan Magen and violist Melissa Reardon play works by Rameau, Dowland, Debussy, Prokofiev, Britten and others in a Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia program, March 31 in Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court, at UR.

Noteworthy elsewhere: Washington National Opera stages Saint-Saëns’ “Samson et Delila” in six performances from March 1 to 21; Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in seven performances from March 2 to 22; and “Blue,” Jeanine Tesori’s and Tazewell Thompson’s contemporary chamber opera on a family’s struggle after a teenager is shot by police, in five performances from March 15 to 18, at the Kennedy Center. . . . The famed soprano Renée Fleming performs in recital on March 3 at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater. . . . Russian piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov plays Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” and Bach transcriptions by Brahms, Liszt and Rachmaninoff, March 4 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Britain’s King Singers survey “Love Songs” in a March 6 date at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax. . . . Seong-Jin Cho, the celebrated young pianist, plays Brahms, Franck, Liszt and Berg, March 8 at the Kennedy Center. . . . JoAnn Falletta, nearing the end of her final season as music director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, leads a program of Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Ina Boyle, with horn soloist Jacob Wilder, March 13 at Regent University Theater in Virginia and March 14 at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, and conducts the orchestra, with pianist Prisca Benoit, in a program of Schumann, Richard Strauss and Granville Bantock, March 27 at Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Arts Center in Newport News, March 28 at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk and March 29 at Sandler Arts Center in Virginia Beach. . . . The Kronos Quartet and Choral Arts Chamber Singers perform Terry Riley’s “Sun Rings,” March 13 at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in DC. . . . British cellist Steven Isserlis, with pianist Ya-Fei Chuang, plays Beethoven, Schumann, Shostakovich and more, March 22 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. . . . The Kennedy Center’s SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras presents the Jacksonville Symphony, with Anthony McGill playing Copland’s Clarinet Concerto on March 24; Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony playing works by Florence Beatrice Price, Osvaldo Golijov and others on March 25; the Knoxville Symphony with soprano Julia Bullock in Barber’s “Knoxville, Summer of 1915” on March 27; and New York’s conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with the Classical Theater of Harlem in “A Meditation on Harlem Midsummer,” with music by Mendelssohn, on March 28.

March 1 (7:30 p.m.)
Hofheimer Loft, 2818 W. Broad St., Richmond
Classical Revolution RVA:
artists TBA
“Classical Incarnations at the Hof”
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 342-0012
classicalrevolutionrva.com

March 1 (2 p.m.)
March 4 (7:30 p.m.)
March 7 (7 p.m.)
March 13 (7:30 p.m.)
March 16 (7 p.m.)
March 21 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
John Fiore conducting
Saint-Saëns: “Samson et Delila”
Roberto Aronica (Samson)
J’Nai Bridges (Delila)
Noel Bouley (High Priest)
Peter Volpe (Old Hebrew)
Tómas Tómasson (Abimelech)
Peter Kazaras, stage director
in French, English captions
$45-$299
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 1 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
José-Luis Novo conducting
Beethoven: “Leonore” Overture No. 3
Adam Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
$15-$32
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

March 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Ukrop Auditorium, Robins School of Business, University of Richmond
Neumann Lecture on Music:
Tammy L. Kernodle, speaker
“Cry No More: Black Music and Mythology of Post-Racial America”
free
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

March 2 (7 p.m.)
March 6 (7:30 p.m.)
March 8 (2 p.m.)
March 11 (7:30 p.m.)
March 14 (7 p.m.)
March 19 (7:30 p.m.)
March 22 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Evan Rogister conducting
Mozart: “Don Giovanni”
Ryan McKinny (Don Giovanni)
Kyle Ketelsen (Leporello)
Vanessa Vasquez (Donna Anna)
Kery Alkema (Donna Elvira)
Alek Shrader (Don Ottavio)
Peter Volpe (Commendatore)
E. Loren Meeker, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$45-$299
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 3 (7 p.m.)
St. James’s Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin St., Richmond
Martin Schmeding, organ
Vierne: “Pieces de fantaisie,” Op. 53 – “Hymn au Soleil,” “Feux Follets”
Sigfrid Karg Elert: “Voices of the Night,” Op. 142, No. 1
Dvořák-Szathmáry: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”) – IV. Allegro con fuoco
Calvin Hampton: “Five Dances” – “The Primitives,” “At the Ballet”
Saint-Saëns-Lemare: “Danse macabre”
Rachmaninoff-Federlein: Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5
Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross: “Sportive Fauns (after Böcklin)”
Dupré: “Symphonie-Passion,” Op. 23 – I. “Le Monde dans L‘attente du Sauveur”
Leo Sowerby: “Pageant”
donation requested
(804) 355-1779
doers.org

March 3 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Sonia Rubinsky, piano & speaking
on Bach and Scarlatti
free
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

March 3 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Renée Fleming, soprano
Gerald Martin Moore, piano
Handel: “Agrippina” – “Bel piacere”
Handel: “Serse” – “Ombra mai fu”
Handel: “Semele” – “Endless Pleasure”
Schubert: “Suleika”
Schubert: “Lied Der Mignon”
Schubert: “Die Vögel”
Schubert: “Rastlose Liebe”
Duparc: “Testament”
Duparc: “Extase”
Duparc: “Sérénade”
Duparc: “Le Manoir de Rosemonde”
Liszt: “O quand je dors”
Liszt: “S’il est un charmant gazon”
Kevin Puts: “Letters from Georgia” – “Canyon”
Bernard Hermann: “Wuthering Heights” – “I Have Dreamt”
John Kander: “The Visit” – “Love and Love Alone,” “Winter”
Harry Warren/Alexandre Desplat: “The Shape of Water” – “You’ll Never Know”
Rodgers & Hammerstein: “The Sound of Music”
$49.75-$250
(434) 979-1333
theparamount.net

March 4 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony
Daniel Myssyk conducting
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major
Sonia Rubinsky, piano
Elgar: “Variations on an Original Theme” (“Enigma”)
$10
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

March 4 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Washington Performing Arts:
Daniil Trifonov, piano
J.S. Bach-Brahms: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 – Ciaccona, for piano left-hand
J.S. Bach-Rachmaninoff: Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 – Prelude, Gavotte and Gigue
J.S. Bach-Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
J.S. Bach: “The Art of Fugue,” BWV 1080
$35-$110
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
washingtonperformingarts.org

March 6 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
March 7 (8 p.m.)
L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center, Norfolk State University
March 8 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Fawzi Haimor conducting
Joshua Cerdenia: “Feuertrunken” (“Fire Drunk”)
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor
Leonard Elschenbroich, cello
Einojuhani Rautavaara: “Cantus Arcticus” (“Concerto for Birds and Orchestra”)
Stravinsky: “The Firebird” Suite
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

March 6 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
The King’s Singers
“Love Songs”
program TBA
$38-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
cfa.gmu.edu

March 7 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Sarah Wendt, mezzo-soprano
Hope Armstrong Erb, piano
program TBA
free
(804) 646-7223
rvalibrary.org

March 7 (8 p.m.)
March 8 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Valentina Peleggi conducting
Rossini: “La gazza ladra” (“The Thieving Magpie”) Overture
Tchaikovsky: “Francesca da Rimini”
Joan Tower: “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” No. 2
Clara Wieck Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor
Angela Chang, piano
Respighi: “The Pines of Rome”
$10-$82
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
richmondsymphony.com

March 7 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan conducting & harpsichord
Haydn: Symphony No. 80 in D minor
Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C major
Vivaldi: Lute Concerto D major
Avi Avital, mandolin
Bizet: Symphony No. 1 in C major
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
strathmore.org

March 8 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Virginia Consort & orchestra
Judith Gary conducting
Mozart: “Vesperae solennes de confessore,” K. 339
Vivaldi: Magnificat
soloists TBA
$35
(434) 244-8444
music.virginia.edu/events

March 8 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Seong-Jin Cho, piano
Brahms: “6 Klavierstücke,” Op. 118
Franck: Prélude, Choral et Fugue
Berg: Sonata in B minor, Op. 1
Liszt: Sonata in B minor
$45
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
washingtonperformingarts.org

March 8 (4 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras
Strathmore Children’s Chorus
conductor TBA
Ola Gjeilo: “Sunrise Mass”
choral works TBA by J.S. Bach, Beethoven
$25
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

March 12 (8 p.m.)
March 14 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
University of Maryland Concert Choir
Peabody Children’s Chorus
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
strathmore.org

March 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, Virginia Beach
March 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Jamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Ina Boyle: Symphony No. 1 (“Glencree”)
Richard Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major
Jacob Wilder, horn
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major (“Pastoral”)
$25-$65
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

March 13 (8 p.m.)
Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington
Kronos Quartet
Choral Arts Chamber Singers
Terry Riley: “Sun Rings”
$30-$50
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
washingtonperformingarts.org

March 14 (11 a.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Lollipops
Valentina Peleggi conducting
School of the Richmond Ballet
Copland: “Appalachian Spring”
$20 (adult); $10 (child)
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
richmondsymphony.com

March 14 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major
Philippe Bianconi, piano
“Beethoven: Symphony of Symphonies” (excerpts of symphonies Nos. 3, 5, 7)
$30-$70
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
cfa.gmu.edu

March 15 (4 p.m.)
Clover Hill High School, 13301 Kelly Green Lane, Midlothian
Richmond Philharmonic
Peter Wilson conducting
Rossini: “La gazza ladra” (“The Thieving Magpie”) Overture
Nino Rota: Divertiment concertante for double-bass and orchestra
Aaron Clay, double-bass
Rota: “The Godfather” Suite
Enrico Morricone: “Cinema Paradiso” – “Gabriel’s Oboe”
Tchaikovsky: “Capriccio Italien”
$8
(804) 556-1039
richmondphilharmonic.org

March 15 (4 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Brooklyn Rider
Maeve Gilchrist, harp
Celtic music program TBA
$20-$45
(540) 231-5100
artscenter.vt.edu

March 15 (2 p.m.)
March 18 (7:30 p.m.)
March 20 (7:30 p.m.)
March 23 (7 p.m.)
March 28 (7 p.m.)
Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Washington National Opera
John DeMain conducting
Jeanine Tesori & Tazewell Thompson: “Blue”
Kenneth Kellogg (The Father)
Briana Hunter (The Mother)
Aaron Crouch (The Son)
Gordon Hawkins (The Reverend)
Tazewell Thompson, stage director
in English
$35-$189
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Tuesday Evening Concerts:
Tabea Zimmermann, viola
Javier Perianes, piano
Schubert: Sonata in A minor, D. 821 (viola arrangement)
Brahms: Viola Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120, No. 2
Falla: “Suite canciónes populares españolas”
Albéniz-Kreisler: Tango, Op. 165, No. 2
Villa-Lobos-Primrose: “Bachianas brasileiras” No. 5 – Aria
Piazzolla: “Le Grand Tango”
$12-$39
(434) 924-3376
tecs.org

March 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Fifth Bridge electroacoustic trumpet quintet
Virginia Tech faculty artists TBA
“Big Data to Big Art II”
works TBA by Monteverdi, Christopher Stark, others
$15
(540) 231-5100
artscenter.vt.edu

March 17 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, East Capitol Street at First Street NE, Washington
Takács Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in C major, Op. 33, No. 3
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: Quartet in E flat major
Beethoven: Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131
free; tickets required (via eventbrite.com)
(202) 707-5502
loc.gov/concerts

March 18 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, East Capitol Street at First Street NE, Washington
Tabea Zimmermann, viola
Javier Perianes, piano
Schubert: Sonata in A minor, D. 821 (viola arrangement)
Brahms: Viola Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120, No. 2
Falla: “Suite canciónes populares españolas”
Albéniz-Kreisler: Tango, Op. 165, No. 2
Villa-Lobos-Primrose: “Bachianas brasileiras” No. 5 – Aria
Piazzolla: “Le Grand Tango”
free; tickets required (via eventbrite.com)
(202) 707-5502
loc.gov/concerts

March 20 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
March 21 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Pops
conductor TBA
Ann Hampton Callaway, guest star
“The Streisand Songbook”
$25-$100
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

March 20 (8 p.m.)
March 22 (2:30 p.m.)
March 24 (7:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Verdi: “Aïda”
Laquita Mitchell (Aïda)
Leah Heater (Amneris)
Brian Cheney (Radamès)
Joshua Jeremiah (Amonasro)
Ashraf Sewailam (Ramfis)
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$130
(866) 673-7282
vaopera.org

March 21 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
March 22 (3:30 p.m.)
Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, Charlottesvolle High School, 1400 Melbourne Road
Charlottesville Symphony
Paul Ghun Kim conducting
Liszt: “Les Préludes”
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major
Brendon Elliott, violin
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)
$10-$45
(434) 924-3376
music.virginia.edu/events

March 21 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Piotr Gajewski conducting
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622
Jon Manasse, clarinet
Mozart: Requiem in D minor
Suzanne Karpov, soprano
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
Norman Shankle, tenor
Kevin Deas, bass
National Philharmonic Chorale
$39-$89
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

March 22 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Doris Wylee-Becker, piano
works TBA by Schumann, Rachmaninoff
free
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

March 22 (4 p.m.)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 520 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond
Richmond Choral Society
Markus Compton directing
Keith Tan, piano
David Niethamer, clarinet
Patricia Werrell, flute
“Music of the British Isles”
works TBA by Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Vaughan Williams, John Rutter, others
$15 in advance, $18 at door
(804) 353-9582
richmondchoralsociety.org

March 22 (4 p.m.)
Virginia Hall, Virginia State University, Ettrick
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing
Virginia State University Concert Choir
Johnnella Edmonds directing
Ingrid Keller, piano
Brahms: “Warum ist das Licht Gegeben”
Caroline Shaw: “And the Swallow”
Jake Runstead: “A Silence Haunts Me”
Paul Mealor: Stabat mater
trad.-Moses Hogan: “Deep River”
trad.-Moses Hogen: “I’m Gonna Sing Till the Spirit Moves My Heart”
trad.-Moses Hogan: “I Can Tell the World”
other works TBA
$10
(804) 788-1212
richmondsymphony.com

March 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Steven Isserlis, cello
Ya-Fei Chuang, piano
Beethoven: “Twelve Variations on ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’ from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte’ ”
Schumann: “Three Romances,” Op. 94
Kabalevsky: Cello Sonata, Op. 71
Monique Gabus: “Déploration pour une amie défunte” (US premiere)
Shostakovich: Cello Sonata, Op. 40
$29.75
(434) 979-1333
theparamount.net

March 24 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras:
Jacksonville Symphony
Courtney Lewis conducting
Dutilleux: “Métaboles”
Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Courtney Bryan: “Bridges”
Duke Ellington: “Celebration”
Stravinsky: Symphony in C major
$25
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 25 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Florence Beatrice Price: “The Oak”
Osvaldo Golijov: “Rose of the Winds”
David Krakauer, clarinet
Cristina Pato, bagpipes
Kayhan Kalhor, kamancheh
Michael Ward-Bergeman, hyper-accordion
trad.: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
trad.: “Goin’ Home”
Washington Performing Arts Men & Women of the Gospel Choir
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)
$25
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Vox Concordia
Commonwealth Singers
program TBA
$10
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

March 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Williamsburg Community Chapel, 3899 John Tyler Highway
Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra
Andrés Lopera conducting
Johann Strauss II: “Die Fledermaus” Overture
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
Eun Joo Chung, piano
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
$38-$58
(757) 229-9857
williamsburgsymphony.org/concerts

March 26 (7:30 p.m.)
The Mansion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Laura Colgate, violin
program TBA
$30
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

March 27 (8 p.m.)
March 29 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Virginia Opera
Adam Turner conducting
Verdi: “Aïda”
Laquita Mitchell (Aïda)
Leah Heater (Amneris)
Brian Cheney (Radamès)
Joshua Jeremiah (Amonasro)
Ashraf Sewailam (Ramfis)
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$25-$130
(866) 673-7282
vaopera.org

March 27 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
March 28 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
March 29 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Granville Bantock: “The Witch of Atlas”
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor
Prisca Benoit, piano
Richard Strauss: “Salome” – “Dance of the Seven Veils”
Richard Strauss: “Der Rosenkavalier” Suite
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

March 27 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras:
Knoxville Symphony
Aram Demirjian conducting
R.B. Morris, speaker
Michael Schachter: “Overture to Knoxville”
University of Tennessee Symphony Brass
Barber: “Knoxville, Summer of 1915”
Julia Bullock, soprano
Copland: “The Tender Land” Suite
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
$25
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 28 (7 p.m.)
Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road
Richmond Symphony
conductor TBA
Commonwealth Bluegrass Band
program TBA
$40
(804) 261-2787
artsglenallen.com/performances-and-special-events

March 28 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras:
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical Theater of Harlem
Peter Francis James directing
“A Meditation on Harlem Midsummer”
Mendelssohn-Tarkmann: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Incidental music
$25
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

March 29 (2:30 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River and Ridge roads, Richmond
Mary Brattskar, organ
program TBA
free; tickets required via http://eventbrite.com
(804) 288-1131
rrcb.org

March 29 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Guitar & Other Strings:
Nathan Mills, guitar
program TBA
$15
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

March 29 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
UVa faculty chamber ensembles:
Telemann: “Canonic Sonata” No. 5
Mozart: “The Marriage of Figaro” (excerpts)
Nathaniel Lee, trombone
Arthur Zanin, trumpet
Ingrid Stölzel: “The Voice of the Rain”
Kelly Sulick, flute
Adam Carter, cello
I-Jen Fang, percussion
Katherine Hoover: “Two Preludes”
Kelly Sulick, flute
I-Jen Fang, percussion
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
John Mayhood, piano
David Sariti, violin
Ayn Balija, viola
Adam Carter, cello
$15
(434) 924-3376
music.virginia.edu/events

March 29 (2 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave., Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Mozart: “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”
Mozart: “Ave verum corpus”
Mozart: Requiem in D minor
Amy Cofield, soprano
Jan Wilson, alto
Brian Thorsett, tenor
Daryl Duff, bass
Roanoke Symphony Chorus
$34-$56
(540) 343-9127
rso.com

March 29 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Anna Clyne: work TBA (premiere)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271 (“Jeunehomme”)
David Fray, piano
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: Overture in C major
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major (“Italian”)
$35-$90
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
strathmore.org

March 30 (7:30 p.m.)
Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond
Bruce Stevens, organ
Dieterich Buxtehude: Praeludium in G minor, BuxWV 149
Buxtehude: Chorale Prelude, “Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott” BuxWV 199
Nicolaus Bruhns: Praeludium in E minor (“Large”)
Georg Böhm: Chorale Partita, “Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig”
J.S. Bach: Organ Chorale, “O Lamm Gottes unschuldig” BWV 656
J.S. Bach: Trio Sonata in E flat major, BWV 525
J.S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
free
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

March 31 (7:30 p.m.)
Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court, University of Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Mary Boodell, flute
Sivan Magen, harp
Melissa Reardon, viola
Rameau: Suite TBA
Chaiyu Hsu: “Huan” for solo harp
Debussy: Sonata for flute, viola and harp
John Dowland: “Flow My Tears”
Britten: “Lachrymae,” Op. 48a
Prokofiev: “Romeo and Juliet” Suite (arr. Gilad Choen)
$30
(804) 304-6312
cmscva.org

March 31 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Series:
A Far Cry
Arvo Pärt: “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten”
Mozart: Serenade in D major, K. 239 (“Serenata notturna”)
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major
$45
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

April 2 (7 p.m.)
April 3 (11:30 a.m.)
April 4 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Gustavo Gimeno conducting
Shostakovich: “Hamlet” Suite
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Liadov: “The Enchanted Lake”
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F minor
$15-$99
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

April 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
New River Valley Symphony
Danielle Talamantes, soprano
Virginia Tech Chorus
Blacksburg Master Chorale
Blacksburg Children’s Chorale
Dwight Bigler conducting
Bigler: “Mosaic for Earth”
$10
(540) 231-5100
artscenter.vt.edu

April 4 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Rennolds Chamber Concerts:
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
program TBA
$35
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

April 5 (2 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Jenny Lin, piano
“A Brief (and Modern) History of Piano Études”
works TBA by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, György Ligeti, Nikolai Kapustin, Philip Glass
$45
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
washingtonperformingarts.org

Feb. 28, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond

The string quartet, as formulated by Haydn and Mozart, begins with a sonata allegro, followed by an elaborated instrumental aria, followed by a dance (almost always a minuet), concluding with an upbeat, usually cheerful finale. Beethoven began to turn that formula on its ear in the sixth and last of his Op. 18 quartets.

That Quartet in B flat major was a starting point for the Takács Quartet, which in its latest visit to the University of Richmond explored the structural and spiritual enlargement of the string quartet through Beethoven’s body of works and in the sole quartet of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, the sister of Felix Mendelssohn.

Beethoven’s Op. 18, No. 6, starts off in tried-and-true classical form, but in its subsequent movements grows more explorative and more expansive in form, with abrupt changes of tempo and contrasts of mood. By its final movement, “La malincolia,” the composer speaks in a complex stream of consciousness.

His Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 133, written nearly 30 years after the Op. 18 set, compounds the complexity of form, at a vastly deeper spiritual and expressive level. Its seven sections, few of which are free-standing movements, form an epic soliloquy in tones ranging from quiet intensity to fevered animation.

The Takács – violinists Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes, violist Geraldine Walther and cellist András Fejér – played both Beethoven quartets with deep concentration and close attention to tonal, textural and dynamic details, while also giving listeners the sense that they were hearing music made in the moment, almost improvised.

That speaks to long immersion in this music – Beethoven has been a cornerstone of this ensemble’s repertory for a generation – and to close interaction among the musicians.

Familiar as Beethoven is to the foursome, they are not static interpretively. To the robust collective tone and middle-of-the-road pacing long characteristic of the Takács’ performances, these readings added more pronounced accenting that gave more nuance to the contours of the music, and more variety in tone coloration, especially from violist Walther and cellist Fejér. There were even a few passages in which the group played with minimal vibrato, quite unlike the Takács of past years.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Quartet in E flat major, dating from 1834, was a fascinating centerpiece, similar in its rather free-form construction and sobriety to the late Beethoven quartet. The continuity of mood and expression heard in its first three movements is broken in a finale that seems to be from another work – at times from another composer, her brother, whose incidental music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” sounds to be an inspiration.

The Takacs played this rarity with the same attention to detail and spontaneity heard in the Beethoven quartets.

7-10 p.m. EST
0000-0300 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.net

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Les Violons du Roy/Jonathan Cohen
(Analekta)

Beethoven: Sonata in C minor, Op. 111
Jeremy Denk, piano
(Nonesuch)

Villa-Lobos: “Bachianas Brasileiras” No. 2
Royal Philharmonic/Enrique Batíz
(Warner Classics)

Frank Bridge: “Oration” (“Concerto elegiaco”)
Steven Isserlis, cello
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Hugh Wolff
(BIS)

Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata in D minor, Op. 27, No. 3 (“Ballade”)
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
(BIS)

Rachmaninoff: “Variations on a Theme of Corelli,” Op. 42
Alessio Bax, piano
(Warner Classics)

Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
Yevgeny Sudbin, piano
Boris Brovtsyn & Hrachya Avanesyan, violins
Diemut Poppen, viola
Alexander Chaushian, cello
(BIS)

Marin Alsop has announced her departure from the financially troubled Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Alsop, who early in her career was associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony, has been music director of the Baltimore Symphony since 2007. At that time, she was one of only two female conductors leading major orchestras in the US. (The other was JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Falletta is leaving the Norfolk-based VSO at the end of this season.)

Last year, when the Baltimore Symphony canceled its summer schedule and locked its musicians out of work amid chronic budgetary shortfalls threatened its continued existence, Alsop complained of lack of communication with its management and said she was “nearing the end” of her time in Baltimore.

Donors subsequently provided emergency funding, and the orchestra has embarked on a long-term plan to stablilize its finances.

Alsop has since been named chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in Austria and chief conductor and curator of the Ravinia Festival in Chicago.

As of fall 2021, Alsop will assume the title of music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony and continue her involvement in running OrchKids, the program that she launched in 2008 to offer music lessons and other assistance for children in impoverished neighborhhoods, The Baltimore Sun’s Mary Carole McCauley reports:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bs-fe-bso-alsop-20200226-hhiey2zfwrenbkcb5ymt2pnine-story.html

Plácido Domingo, the longtime star tenor, engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, “ranging from flirtation to sexual advances, in and outside of the workplace,” an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists has found.

The guild is the principal union for opera singers and other artists and theatrical technicians in the field.

Domingo responded to announcement of the investigation’s results with a statement apologizing for his behavior, reading in part: “I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I have grown from this experience. I understand now that some women may have feared expressing themselves honestly because of a concern that their careers would be adversely affected if they did so. While that was never my intention, no one should ever be made to feel that way.”

The charges against Domingo, first aired in Associated Press reports in summer 2019, led to his resignation as artistic director the Los Angeles Opera and cancellation of engagements with other US companies. The 79-year-old tenor continues to perform with major European houses.

The New York Times’ Michael Cooper reports on the latest chapter of the Domingo investigation:

Feb. 23, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University

Paul Watkins, best-known in this country as the cellist (since 2013) of the Emerson String Quartet, is also an active soloist in chamber and orchestral concerts, a conductor (music director of the English Chamber Orchestra, among other gigs) and teacher. It may seem that he’s overworked professionally, but he certainly showed no evidence of that in the latest installment of VCU’s Rennolds Chamber Concerts.

Performing with Alessio Bax, a widely lauded Italian-born pianist now based in New York, Watkins ranged from Bach and Beethoven to Rachmaninoff, with a substantial detour into the contemporary – a piece by his younger brother, the prominent Welsh composer Huw Watkins.

The cellist’s and pianist’s collaborative gifts were generously displayed in Beethoven’s Sonata in C major, Op. 102, No. 1, and Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor, Op. 19. While Beethoven is sometimes credited with inventing the cello sonata, his five do not consign the piano to accompanying roles; nor does Rachmaninoff in his one sonata for these instruments. Who would expect that of the piano titans of their times?

Both composers share the wealth of technical and expressive challenges, and provide plenty of interplay, between the two instruments. The two sonatas contrast in tone – Beethoven is rather gruffly cheerful, although with some outbursts; Rachmaninoff more darkly soulful and generally more refined – giving the performers the chance to adopt a wide range of voices and characters.

The cellist and pianist played both sonatas with unaffected brilliance, making especially fine work of the Rachmaninoff by not succumbing to the temptation to over-interpret it. Watkins and Bax kept the music’s full heart securely in its chest, never letting it migrate to their sleeves.

Watkins alone showed comparable range in J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008, and his brother’s Prelude for solo cello, written in 2007.

Bach’s six suites for solo cello are, collectively, considered the highest summit that cellists climb, and Watkins negotiated the D minor with near-faultness technique, exploiting every opportunity that the composer gives the performer to sing and dance with the instrument. He also gave full voice and expresive range to Huw Watkins’ deceptively titled prelude, no miniature but a sarabande scaled up to a tone poem.

Watkins and Bax opened their recital milking abundant good cheer from the young Beethoven’s set of variations on “Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen” (“Men who feel the call of love”) from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” and offered Rachmaninoff’s familiar Vocalise as an encore.

VCU’s new-ish Steinway, inaugurated two years ago by Leon Fleisher, is a marvelous-sounding instrument, and the university’s Vlahcevic Concert Hall is famously kind to piano sound. I can’t recall it sounding better than it did with Bax at the keyboard. His crystalline tone production and judiciously graded dynamism brought out all the instrument’s best qualities.

While he wasn’t underemployed in this program, VCU needs to bring Bax back for a solo recital, the sooner the better.