Author: letterv13

After a false start four years ago, the New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center have launched a $550 million project to rebuild the orchestra’s venue, David Geffen Hall, long derided as a cavernous space with mediocre acoustics.

The new plan calls for extension of a terraced stage into a hall with about 2,200 seats (500 fewer than the present capacity) surrounding the stage, all seats less than 100 feet from the orchestra. Deborah Borda, the philharmonic’s president, says the reconfiguration will produce “a much more real, visceral reaction” of listeners to performances.

The projected completion date is March 2024, The New York Times’ Michael Cooper and Robin Pogrebin report (the picture is an artist’s rendering of the redesigned hall):

Mariss Jansons, whose work with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam cemented his reputation as one of the leading conductors of the past generation, has died at 76.

Jansons, the son of musicians, born in Latvia under Nazi occupation during World War II, emerged in the 1970s as a protégé of Herbert von Karajan and Yevgeny Mravinsky. He was chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic for 21 years (1979-2000), and served as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1997-2004). He was named chief conductor of the Concertgebouw in 2002, remaining in that post until 2015. He took over direction of the Bavarian Radio Symphony in Munich in 2003.

A prolific recording artist, Jansons was especially praised for his interpretations of Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Bruckner and Richard Strauss, although his discography ranges from Mozart and Haydn to modern and contemporary repertory.

An obituary by Barry Millington for The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/01/mariss-jansons-obituary

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: The Richmond Philharmonic presents its annual free holiday pops concerts, Dec. 2 at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and Dec. 16 at McGuire Medical Center. . . . The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart presents the Richmond Symphony and guest artists in the “Holiday Festival of Music,” a benefit for Commonwealth Catholic Charities, on Dec. 2, and the Festival of Lessons and Carols, benefitting the Ryan White Program of the Capital Area Health Network, on Dec. 13. . . . In holiday programs by the Richmond Symphony and Symphony Chorus, George Manahan conducts Handel’s “Messiah, with a quartet of guest vocal soloists, on Dec. 6, and Chia-Hsuan Lin conducts the “Let It Snow!” pops concerts, with guest star Natalie Prass, on Dec. 7 and 8, all at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center. . . . The Richmond Choral Society presents its annual Christmas program, Dec. 8 at Trinity Lutheran Church. . . . Bon Air Presbyterian Church stages its annual “Messiah” sing-along on Dec. 8, with an open rehearsal on Dec. 7. . . . The University of Richmond’s Schola Cantorum and Women’s Chorale sing in the 46th annual Festival of Lessons and Carols in two performances on Dec. 8 at UR’s Cannon Memorial Chapel. . . . The Chancel Choir of River Road Church, Baptist, samples American Christmas music from the 18th century to the current day, on Dec. 8. . . . The James River Singers perform works by Roland de Lassus, Francesco Durante, Henryk Górecki and John Tavener and carol arrangements by Oja Gjeilo, Dec. 13 at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church and Dec. 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church. . . . The Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale, with organist Daniel Stipe and a chamber orchestra, perform Vivaldi’s Gloria, choral works by Richmond native Zachary Wadsworth and University of Richmond-based Benjamin Broening, and concertos by Bach and Vivaldi, Dec. 13 at Grace Baptist Church and Dec. 15 at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Ashland. . . . The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia presents a cast of musicians in ““The Berlin Salon of Sara Levy,” a musical grande dame who formed the link between Bach and Mendelssohn, in a free program on Dec. 14 at the Gellman Room of the Richmond Public Library’s downtown main branch, violinist Johnny Gandelsman performing arrangements of four of Bach’s solo-cello suites, Dec. 15 at the Wilton House Museum (sold out, but there’s a waiting list for tickets), and an ensemble playing three of Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concertos and the premiere of Zachary Wadsworth’s “Palaces of Memory,” Dec. 16 at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church.

Noteworthy elsewhere: Pianist Jeffrey Kahane plays Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” Dec. 1 at the Barns at Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia. . . . Leonard Slatkin, the outgoing music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and former maestro of Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, marks his 75th birthday by rejoining the NSO, with pianist Olga Kern, in works by Rachmaninoff, Copland and others, Dec. 5 and 7 at the Kennedy Center. . . . Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott is joined by her string-playing siblings and soprano Susanna Phillips in chamber music and Lieder of Clara Schumann, Dec. 6 at the Library of Congress in Washington. . . . The Vienna Choir Boys’ Richmond concert, Dec. 18 at First Baptist Church, is sold out, but tickets are still available for the choristers’ performances on Dec. 13 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax, Dec. 14 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville and Dec. 20 at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk. . . . The Miró Quartet, one of this country’s finest, plays Mozart, Schubert and more, Dec. 18 at the Library of Congress. . . . Among the many “Messiahs” in the region, the most noteworthy may be Andrew Davis’ Victorian-style, big-band version, which he’ll lead with the National Symphony, Washington Chorus and soloists, Dec. 19, 20, 21 and 22 at the Kennedy Center.

Dec. 1 (3 p.m.)
The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
J.S. Bach: “Goldberg Variations,” BWV 988
$42
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
wolftrap.org

Dec. 1 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix,” film with live orchestral accompaniment
$29-$99
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 2 (7 p.m.)
Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Arthur Ashe Boulevard at Kensington Avenue, Richmond
Dec. 16 (7 p.m.)
McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard, Richmond
Richmond Philharmonic
Peter Wilson conducting
Holiday Pops Concerts
program TBA
free
(804) 556-1039
richmondphilharmonic.org

Dec. 2 (7 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
conductor TBA
“Holiday Festival of Music”
program TBA
$50-$175
(804) 359-5651
cccofva.org/christmas

Dec. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Chamber Ensembles
program TBA
free
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Young Concert Artists:
Randall Goosby, violin
Zhu Wang, piano
Tomaso Antonio Vitali: Chaconne in G minor
Debussy: Violin Sonata in G minor
William Grant Still: Suite for violin and piano
Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata in E flat major, Op. 18
$20-$45
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Kordzaia conducting
Rossini: “The Italian Girl in Algiers” Overture
Glière: Harp Concerto in E flat major
Azalea Ginete, harp
Falla: “La vida breve” – “Spanish Dance” No. 1
free
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 4 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony
Daniel Myssyk conducting
program TBA
$10
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Dec. 5 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 7 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin conducting
“Celebrating Slatkin at 75”
Joseph Schwantner, Joan Tower, Claude Baker, Donald Erb, William Bolcom & Leonard Slatkin: “Yet Another Set of Variations (on a Theme of Paganini)”
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor
Olga Kern, piano
Copland: Symphony No. 3
$15-$99
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 6 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Music Department artists TBA
VCU Holiday Gala
choral & instrumental program TBA
$10; proceeds benefit The Doorways
(804) 828-1169
arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
George Manahan conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Suzanne Karpov, soprano
Sarah Mesko, mezzo-soprano
Alexander McKissick, tenor
Aleksey Bogdanov, baritone
Jonathan Mayer, harpsichord
Richmond Symphony Chorus
$20-$60
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 6 (6 p.m.)
Dec. 7 (6 p.m.)
Lee Grand Dining Room, Dorrill Dining Hall, Longwood University, Farmville
Longwood Music Department artists TBA
44th annual “Longwood Holiday Sinner & Concert”
program TBA
$45
(434) 395-2000
longwood.edu/events

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 7 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Symphony
University Singers
Michael Slon conducting
Sharin Apostolou, soprano
“Family Holiday Concerts”
works TBA by Handel, John Williams, Leroy Anderson, others
$10-$47
(434) 924-3376
cvillesymphony.org

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 7 (3:39 p.m.)
St. Paul’s Memorial Church, 1700 University Ave., Charlottesville
Virginia Women’s Chorus
Katherine (KaeRenae) Mitchell directing
“Candlelight Concerts”
program TBA
$20
(434) 924-3376
music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard
Roanoke Symphony Pops
Roanoke Symphony Chorus
Virginia Tech Chorus
Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir
Hollins Choir
David Stewart Wiley conducting
“Holiday Pops Spectacular”
program TBA
$32-$65
(540) 343-9127
rso.com

Dec. 6 (9 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Mulligan conducting
DECLASSIFIED: Ben Folds Presents:
Jamey Johnson, Emily King & Gaby Moreno, guest stars
Dvořák: “Carnival” Overture
Gabriela Lena Frank: “Metizo” Waltz
Moreno: “ ’Til Waking Light,” “Illusion,” “Cucurrucucu Paloma”
Debussy-Gould: Reverie
King: “Distance for Her,” “Off Center,” “Radio”
Copland: Symphony No. 3 – II: Allegro molto
Johnson: “In Color,” “Even the Skies Are Blue,” “Lead Me Home”
$25-$75
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, East Capitol Street at First Street NE, Washington
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Kerry McDermott, violin
Maureen McDermott, cello
Susanna Phillips, soprano
Clara Schumann: “Three Romances,” Op. 21
Clara Schumann: “Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann,” Op. 20
Clara Schumann: “Soirées musicales,” Op. 6 – Toccatina, Nocturne
Clara Schumann: Scherzo No. 1 in D minor, Op. 10
Clara Schumann: Scherzo No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14
Clara Schumann: “Three Romances,” Op. 22, for violin and piano
Clara Schumann: selected Lieder
Clara Schumann: Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17
free; tickets required (via eventbrite.com)
(202) 707-5502
loc.gov/concerts

Dec. 7 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Richmond Boys Choir
Craig Matthews directing
holiday program TBA
free
(804) 646-7223
rvalibrary.org/events

Dec. 7 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 8 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Pops
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Natalie Prass, guest star
“Let It Snow!”
Leroy Anderson: “A Christmas Festival”
Williams: “Merry Christmas Merry Christmas”
Martin-Dragon: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Todd: “My Lord Has Come”
Berlin-Moss: “White Christmas”
trad.-Shaw-Bennett: “Many Moods of Christmas” Suite No. 1
Handel: “Messiah” – “Hallelujah!”
trad.-Sebesky: “A Christmas Scherzo”
trad.-Wilberg: “Ding Dong Merrily on High”
Tormé-Dragon: “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)”
Prass: “No Better Time”
Herman-Wendel: “We Need a Little Christmas”
Anderson: “Sleigh Ride”
Tchaikovsky-Ellington-Strayhorn: “Nutcracker” Suite – Overture
Wendel: “Caribbean Sleigh Ride”
Prass-Pollard: “It Is You”
trad.-Norris: “Christmas Pops Sing-along”
trad.-Amundson: “Joy to the World”
$10-$82
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 7 (1:30 and 3 p.m.)
Dec. 8 (1:30 and 3 p.m.)
Kimball Theatre, Merchants Square, Williamsburg
Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra
conductor TBA
Holiday Pops Concert
program TBA
$30
(757) 229-9857
williamsburgsymphony.org

Dec. 7 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Dec. 14 (8 p.m.)
St. Paul’s Memorial Church, 1700 University Ave., Charlottesville
UVa Glee Club
Frank Albinder directing
79th annual Christmas Concert
program TBA
$15
(434) 924-3376
music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 8 (4 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
Richmond Choral Society
Markus Compton directing
Christopher Martin, organ
Keith Tan, piano
string quartet
“Christmas with the Richmond Choral Society”
program TBA
$15 in advance, $18 at door
(804) 353-9582
richmondchoralsociety.org

Dec. 8 (4 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Anne Carr Regan directing
Handel: “Messiah” sing-along
soloists TBA
scores available
rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. Dec. 7 at church
(804) 272-7514
bonairpc.org

Dec. 8 (5 and 8 p.m.)
Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond
UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale
Jeffrey Riehl & David Pedersen directing
46th annual Festival of Lessons and Carols
free; seating limited
(804) 289-8980
modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 8 (7 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program:
Youth Concert Orchestra
Sandy Goldie conducting
Camerata Strings
Rebecca Jilcott conducting
String Sinfonietta
Christ-Jo Adams conducting
Wind Ensemble
Christopher Mosely directing
classical and holiday program TBA
free
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 8 (7:30 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River and Ridge roads, Richmond
River Road Chancel Choir
orchestra
Robert Gallagher conducting
“Christmas with American Composers”
William Billings: “Methinks I See an Heavenly Host”
Ives: “A Christmas Carol”
William Dawson: “Mary Had a Baby”
Randall Thompson: “Glory to God in the Highest”
Morten Lauridsen: “O Magnum Mysterium”
Stanford Scriven: “Christ the Apple Tree”
Richard Dirksen: “Chanticleer”
Jay Wilcox: “Welcome All Wonders”
Glenn Rudolph: “The Dream Isaiah Saw”
Daniel Pinkham: “Christmas Cantata”
Randall Z. Stroope: “Hodie”
free; tickets required via eventbrite.com
(804) 288-1131
rrcb.org

Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Opera:
Craig Schulman, Keith Buterbaugh & Gary Mauer, actor-vocalists
“Three Phantoms in Concert”
Andrew Lloyd Weber: “The Phantom of the Opera” (selections)
$29-$250
(434) 979-1333
theparamount.net

Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Michael Slon directing
“Messiah” Sing-In
scores available
$10
(434) 924-3376
music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vocal Arts DC:
Michelle Bradley, soprano
Ken Noda, piano
works TBA by Verdi, Wagner, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Duparc, Barber
$55
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 11 (8 p.m.)
The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
conductor TBA
“Ugly Sweater Holiday Concert”
program TBA
$15-$35
(202) 467-4600 (Instant Charge)
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 12 (6 p.m.)
Heurich House Museum, 1307 New Hampshire Ave. NW (Dupont Circle), Washington
The String Queens
“Holidays with the String Queens”
classical, jazz works TBA
$15
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts)
washingtonperformingarts.org

Dec. 12 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Reineke conducting
Leslie Odom Jr., guest star
Choral Arts Society of Washington
“Notes of Honor”
program TBA honoring service members and their families
free; ticket reservations required via access@kennedy-center.org
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 13 (7 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Dec. 14 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
James River Singers
David Pedersen directing
Roland de Lassus: “Prophetiae Sibyllarum”
Francesco Durante: Magnificat
Henryk Górecki: “Totus tuus”
John Tavener: “The Lamb”
Oja Gjeilo: carol arrangements TBA
$15
(757) 814-5446
thejamesriversingers.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
musicians of Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Daniel Sañez directing
annual Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols
donation requested; proceeds benefit Ryan White Program of Capital Area Health Network
(804) 359-5651
richmondcathedral.org/concerts

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Grace Baptist Church, 4200 Dover Road, Richmond
Dec. 15 (3 p.m.)
Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, 201 Henry St., Ashland
Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale
orchestra
Ryan J. Tibbetts conducting
Vivaldi: Gloria
Zachary Wadsworth: “Benedicite”
Benjamin Broening: “Wit Wonders”
J.S. Bach: Organ Concerto in D minor, BWV 596
Daniel Stipe, organ
Vivaldi: Concerto in D major, RV 563, for oboe and trumpet
oboist & trumpeter TBA
$10 in advance, $15 at door
(800) 838-3006
cvamc.org

Dec. 13 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Dec. 14 (8 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Dec. 15 (7 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Pops
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Robert Shoup conducting
Aundi Marie Moore & Nick Ziobro, vocalists
Holiday Pops
program TBA
$25-$100 (Newport News)
$25-$100 (Norfolk)
$25-$110 (Virginia Beach)
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Academy of Music Theatre, 600 Main St., Lynchburg
Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra
David Glover conducting
LSO Festival Chorus
Hurt Elementary School Children’s Choir
Adelaide Trombetta, soprano
“Happy Holidays with the LSO”
program TBA
$25-$82
(434) 846-8499
lynchburgsymphony.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Cave Spring United Methodist Church, 4505 Hazel Drive, Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony Brass
Jay Crone directing
“Holiday Brass!”
program TBA
$34-$52
(540) 343-9127
rso.com

Dec. 13 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Vienna Choir Boys
“Christmas in Vienna”
program TBA
$38-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
cfa.gmu.edu

Dec. 13 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 14 (2 and 8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Leslie Odom Jr., guest star
“A Holiday Pops!”
program TBA
$29-$109
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 14 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Christina Day Martinson, violin
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Jason Amos, viola
James Wilson, cello
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Nina Stern, recorder
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
“The Berlin Salon of Sara Levy”
works by J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, others
free
(804) 304-6312
cmscva.org

Dec. 14 (5 p.m.)
Regency Mall, Parham and Quioccasin roads, Richmond
Dec. 15 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hal, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Central Virginia Wind Symphony
Mike Goldberg directing
Kevin Taylor, xylophone (Dec. 15)
15th annual “Holiday Spectacular”
program TBA
free
richmondforecast.com/central-virginia-wind-symphony.html

Dec. 14 (7 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Vienna Choir Boys
“Christmas in Vienna”
program TBA
$29.75-$44.75
(434) 979-1333
theparamount.net

Dec. 14 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Anthony Maiello conducting
guest artists TBA
Holiday Pops
program TBA
$33-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
cfa.gmu.edu

Dec. 14 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
The Washington Chorus
National Capital Brass
Christopher Bell conducting
“A Candlelight Christmas”
program TBA
$29-$79
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

Dec. 15 (4 p.m.)
Wilton House Museum, 215 S. Wilton Road, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012
(arrangements for solo violin)
SOLD OUT (waiting list)
(804) 304-6312
cmscva.org

Dec. 15 (3 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, 403 Garth Newel Lane, Hot Springs
Allegheny Mountain Strings Orchestra
conductor TBA
Winter holiday concert
program TBA
free; reception follows
(540) 839-5018
garthnewel.org

Dec. 15 (4 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Blacksburg Master Chorale
orchestra
Meredith Y. Bowen conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
$20-$45
(540) 231-5300
artscenter.vt.edu

Dec. 15 (1 and 4 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
The Washington Chorus
National Capital Brass
Christopher Bell conducting
“A Candlelight Christmas”
program TBA
$19-$82
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 15 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 16 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 21 (1 p.m.)
Dec. 24 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Choral Arts Youth Choir
Scott Tucker & Brandon Straub directing
Kristina Lewis, mezzo-soprano
“Songs of the Season”
program TBA
$15-$72
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Johnny Gandelsman, Fiona Hughes & Christina Day Martinson, violins
Jason Amos, viola
James Wilson, cello
Jessica Powell Eig, double-bass
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Nina Stern, recorder
Sarah Schilling, oboe and recorder
Mary Bowden, trumpet
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Zachary Wadsworth: “Palaces of Memory” (premiere)
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049
$30
(804) 304-6312
cmscva.org

Dec. 17 (7 p.m.)
Thrasher United Methodist Church, 707 E. Washington Ave., Vinton
Roanoke Symphony Baroque Orchestra
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Handel: “Messiah” – Part 1 & “Hallelujah!”
Adelaide Trombetta, soprano
Samantha Miller, alto
John Hugo, tenor
Wayne Kompelein, bass
Roanoke Symphony Chorus
$39-$56
(540) 343-9127
rso.com

Dec. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
St. Bede Catholic Church, 3686 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg
Dec. 19 (7 p.m.)
Chesapeake Conference Center, 700 Conference Center Drive
Dec. 20 (7 p.m.)
Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts, 100 Finney Ave.
Dec. 21 (7 p.m.)
Zeiders American Dream Theater, 4509 Commerce St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Brass
“Holiday Brass”
program TBA
$25-$65 (Williamsburg)
$32-$37 (Suffolk)
$30-$45 (Virginia Beach)
free (Chespeake)
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 18 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, East Capitol Street at First Street NE, Washington
Miró Quartet
Mozart: Quartet in B flat major, K. 458
Glière: Quartet in A major, Op. 2 – III: Scherzo: Vivace
Franck: Quartet in D major – II: Scherzo: Vivace
Adrian-François Servais: “Fantaisie sur deux Airs Russes,” Op. 13
Schubert: Quartet in D minor, D. 810 (“Death and the Maiden”)
free; tickets required (via eventbrite.com)
(202) 707-5502
loc.gov/concerts

Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, Virginia Beach
Dec. 20 (8 p.m.)
First Baptist Church, Newport News
Dec. 21 (8 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Mulligan conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Maria Valdes, soprano
Allegra De Vita, mezzo-soprano
Carlos Enrique Santelli, tenor
Calvin Griffin, bass-baritone
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus
$25-$50 (Virginia Beach)
$25-$76 (Newport News)
$25-$10 (Norfolk)
(757) 892-6366
virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 19 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 20 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 21 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (1 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis conducting
Handel: “Messiah” (Davis orchestration)
Andriana Churchman, soprano
Daniela Mack, mezzo-soprano
Alek Shrader, tenor
Sidney Outlaw, bass
The Washington Chorus
$15-$99
(800) 444-1324
kennedy-center.org

Dec. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Arts Festival:
Vienna Choir Boys
“Christmas in Vienna”
program TBA
$21-$85
(757) 282-2822
vafest.org

Dec. 21 (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Oratorio Society of Virginia
Michael Slon directing
“Christmas at the Paramount”
Vaughan Williams: “Fantasia on Christmas Carols”
Gerald Finzi: “In terra pax”
other works TBA
$10-$52
(434) 979-1333
theparamount.net

Dec. 21 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Berhesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Stan Engebretson conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Esther Heideman, soprano
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Smith, tenor
Hunter Enoch, baritone
National Philharmonic Chorale
$39-$79
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

Dec. 31 (7 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
members of Bon Air Presbyterian Church & friends
New Year’s Eve concert
program TBA
donation requested
(804) 272-7514
bonairpc.org

Dec. 31 (7 p.m.)
Herter Hall, Garth Newel Music Center, 403 Garth Newel Lane, Hot Springs
Garth Newel Piano Quartet members
“New Year’s Eve: the Muse in Music”
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50
Chopin: Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2
$25 (concert); $110 (concert, dinner & dancing)
(540) 839-5018
garthnewel.org

Dec. 31 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Strauss Symphony Orchestra of America
Alastair Willis conducting
Peggy Steiner, soprano
Michael Heim, tenor
Kiev Aniko Ballet of Ukraine
International Champion Ballroom Dancers
“Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert”
Johann Strauss II: works TBA
other works TBA
$49-$130
(301) 581-5100
strathmore.org

Sampling some of the season’s new recordings, including Thomas Zehetmair’s cycle of the solo-violin sonatas and partitas of Bach, Jonathan Biss’ ongoing cycle of the Beethoven piano sonatas, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra from Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Dohnányi’s Piano Quintet No. 2 played by pianist Marc-André Hamelin and the Takács Quartet, and a “La Mer” not by Debussy.

noon-3 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.net

J.S. Bach: Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006, for solo violin
Thomas Zehetmair, violin
(ECM)

Beethoven: Sonata in D major, Op. 10, No. 3
Jonathan Biss, piano
(Orchid Classics)

Wagner: “Parsifal” – Prelude
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Andris Nelsons
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Victorin Joncières: “La Mer”
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto
Choeur de l’Opéra national de Bordeaux
Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine/Paul Daniel
(Erato)

Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 2 in E flat minor, Op. 26
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Takács Quartet
(Hyperion)

Vaughan Williams: “The Lark Ascending”
(arrangement by Paul Drayton)
Jennifer Pike, violin
Swedish Chamber Choir/Simon Phipps
(Chandos)

Bruch: Adagio appassionato, Op. 57
Jack Liebeck, violin
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Howard Griffiths
(Sony Classical)

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard
(Chandos)

Richard Strauss: “Salome” – “Dance of the Seven Veils”
Lucerne Festival Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly
(Decca)

Stephen Cleobury, director of music at King’s College, Cambridge, from 1982 until his retirement in July, has died at 70.

Cleobury was most widely known for leading the Kings College Choir of men and boys in the British university’s annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, broadcast worldwide and frequently issued on recordings. His last performance of the festival in 2018 marked the centenary of the event. He also led celebrated recordings of Handel’s “Messiah,” J.S. Bach’s passions and the requiems of Mozart and Fauré, and recorded varied repertory as an organist.

An obituary by Barry Millington for The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/24/sir-stephen-cleobury-obituary

noon-3 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.net

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in A minor, RV 461
Pauline Oostenrijk, oboe
Baroque Academy of Netherlands Symphony Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend
(Challenge Classics)

Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
Miró Quartet
(Pentatone)

Sibelius: “Tapiola”
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
(BIS)

Jacob ter Veldhuis (Jacob TV): Piano Concerto No. 2 (“Sky Falling”)
Ronald Brautigam, piano
Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic/Thierry Fischer
(Brilliant Classics)

Michael Colgrass: “Side by Side”
Joanne Kong, piano & harpsichord
Boston Modern Orchestra Project/Gil Rose
(BMOP/sound)

Ravel: “La Valse”
Beatrice Rana, piano
(Warner Classics)

Stravinsky: Symphony in C major
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée
(Fanfare Cincinnati)

Haydn: Symphony No. 86 in D major
Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Fey
(Hänssler Classic)

Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
with Eduardo Rojas, piano
Nov. 16, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center

Chia-Hsuan Lin, the Richmond Symphony’s associate conductor, whose work here generally is limited to pops and family programs, has made the most of opportunities that arose when Paolo Bortolameoli, one of the six aspirants to become the orchestra’s next music director, withdrew over the summer. Lin took over the concerts that he was to conduct this month.

After acquitting herself admirably in a Nov. 10 Metro Collection chamber-orchestra concert, Lin faced two formidable conducting challenges, Bartók’s “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta” and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor, in this subsequent Masterworks program. She rose to those challenges, and then some, in the first of two performances.

The Brahms Fourth is arguably the greatest – certainly the most interpretively daunting – symphony of the romantic era, an essay of extraordinary expressive gravity, full of complexities of form and gradations of pacing.

Romantic music has more than its share of tragedy – “oh, woe is me/she/he” is a pretty common mode of expression in the era’s concert and theatrical compositions; but the existentially tragic is rare. Not many composers treated “to be or not to be” as an open if not unanswerable question, as Brahms does in this work. Not many conductors and orchestras plumb its depths successfully, without overstating its emotions or glossing over its fine points of orchestration.

Lin, conducting from memory, and the orchestra’s musicians, playing with both passion and precision, brought out every quality one wants to hear in this music. Tempos were flexible, but the essential Brahmsian pulse never faltered. The internal details of the score, especially in its great outer movements, came through with clarity and in context. The slow movement’s poignant lyricism was fully voiced, and its continuity, which often eludes interpreters, was maintained. Stray small imperfections of execution or balance counted for little in a reading of intense concentration and unmannered sincerity.

I’ve heard the Brahms Fourth played in concert by half a dozen great orchestras, led by some of the most esteemed conductors of the past three generations. I’ve never heard a more compelling live performance than this one.

Much the same can be said of the orchestra’s treatment of the Bartók, at least technically. Lin and the ensemble of strings built the fugal theme that opens the piece with deliberation and inexorability, and gave its reprise appropriate weight at the close of the piece. In the inner sections, where percussion, piano, celesta and harp join strings voiced with spooky austerity, the musicians realized Bartók’s extraordinary range and variety of tone colors and textures, projecting the otherworldly, often ominous quality that has made this music a model for composers scoring supernatural and horror films. (Stanley Kubrick skipped the middlemen, using the adagio section in the soundtrack of “The Shining.”)

Lin ably guided the orchestra’s percussionists, celesta player Russell Wilson and pianist Daniel Stipe, as well as string sections divided and subdivided on either side of the stage, through Bartók’s complexities. The performance could have been a bit edgier, the music’s tension more overt, but technically it was all but faultless.

The Colombian pianist Eduardo Rojas, featured in Liszt’s Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, would qualify as the star of any other program. His treatment of what ordinarily comes across as a virtuoso warhorse very nearly made it a fitting companion of works as imposing as the Brahms and Bartók.

Pianists can play Liszt as a contemporary of Chopin, exploring nuances of tone and mood, or as a contemporary of Berlioz, reveling in rhetorical bursts and vivid, even garish, colors. Rojas generally took the Chopin route, playing Liszt’s lyrical material with delicacy and flexibilty, while applying the appropriate muscle and amplitude to the concerto’s big pianistic outbursts. He produced the momentum and waves of tone that listeners expect to hear in this showpiece, and illuminated its subtler eddies as well.

His encore, a solo-piano version of Astor Piazzolla’s famous tango “Oblivion,” similarly exposed subtleties of color and expression that too often are missed in this music.

The program repeats at 3 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets. Tickets: $10-$82. Details: (800) 514-3849 (ETIX);

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with Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Nov. 15, Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond

The British violinist Daniel Hope is not affiliated with the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, being staged in Richmond next spring, and his performance at the University of Richmond was not part of the event, in which UR is one of the sponsors and venues.

Hope’s connection to Menuhin is more personal: As a youngster, he studied and performed with Menuhin. Eleanor Hope, his mother, was Menuhin’s assistant. In this concert, Hope was joined by Switzerland’s Zurich Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble long associated with Menuhin, in a program paying tribute to the old master, sampling a 3½-century range of repertory, from J.S. Bach and Antonio Vivaldi to Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt.

The program’s opening selection, Bach’s Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043, for two violins, strings and bass continuo, was recorded in 1932 by the teenaged Menuhin with his teacher, George Enescu, today remembered as a composer, but in his time a prominent violinist. This performance, with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra’s leader (concertmaster), Willi Zimmermann, joining Hope in the lead duo, clearly echoed the 87-year-old recording, with meaty, romanticized sonority and phrasing quite unlike the “historically informed” style of Bach performance today. The prominence of the orchestra’s lower strings thickened the sound texture so much that the continuo (rhythms) of the piece dominated through much of the performance.

A similar texture prevailed in Vivaldi’s Double Concerto in A minor, RV 522 (from the collection “L’estro armonico”), enhancing the melody of its slow movement and, gratifyingly, not sapping the energy of its feverishly energetic finale.

The interpretative stance of Hope and the sound of the 21-piece string orchestra, which he has served as music director since 2016, were much better suited to the Violin Concerto in D minor of the 12-year-old Felix Mendelssohn, a string orchestration of Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances,” and contemporary pieces by Pärt, Glass and the Lebanese-French composer Bechara El-Khoury.

Mendelssohn’s youthful works often echo Bach as clearly as they anticipate their composer’s later romantic style, and Hope and the orchestra struck that stylistic balance adeptly, the violinist emphaszing the lyricism of the solo part and the orchestra playing with a crispness and transparency of texture that had eluded the players in the Bach concerto.

Their rich, robust collective tone was applied to fine effect in Bartók’s short suite of six dances, and in their accompaniment of Hope in El-Khoury’s “Unfinished Journey,” an homage to Menuhin introduced in 2009 (its title borrowed from that of Menuhin’s autobiography). El-Khoury’s rhapsodic work, audibly reflecting the composer’s Arab-Levantine roots, is remarkably similar in mood and effect to Ernest Bloch’s Hebrew rhapsody “Schelomo.” In time, I suspect audiences may often hear them paired in concert programs.

Pärt’s “Darf ich” (“May I”) and Glass’ “Echorus” were written for Menuhin and his protégé, violinist Edna Mitchell, and first performed by them in the 1990s. Both are brief and characteristic of their composers’ styles – the Pärt austere and contemplative, the Glass driven by a simple chord progression over a syncopated rhythm. Hope and the Zurichers gave fluently stylish accounts of both works.

* * *

This was the second concert I’ve heard since the acoustical renovation of Camp Concert Hall in the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center, and the first of an orchestral performance. If the Zurich ensemble’s sound typifies that of massed strings in this space, this hall could a tricky environment. Bass string projection was very strong, while higher-register tones were prone to congestion and a rather glassy quality. The fabric baffles on the side walls were not in use in this concert; employing them could soften those higher registers, but also could make the sound even more bassy.

Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director who in September conducted the season-opening concerts of the Richmond Symphony (where she was associate conductor in the 1980s), sounds decidedly like she’s on the outs with Baltimore Symphony management and ready to leave the orchestra she has led since 2007.

“I’m nearing the end of my tenure here,” Alsop said during a session with a group seeking to stabilize the financially troubled orchestra. “I find this is a difficult institution to get air time in because we don’t talk about the art first. Nobody ever talks to me. Barely.”

Alsop, whose current Baltimore contract expires in 2021, said the orchestra has not exploited opportunities to fully develop artistic initiatives or expand its audience, The Baltimore Sun’s Mary Carole McCauley reports:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bs-fe-bso-alsop-speaks-out-20191113-4wcfkcjsazfsphtppvqwkuiwae-story.html

Letter V Classical Radio returns on Nov. 20.