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15.8.14

Classical Music Agenda (October 2014)

The classical music season in Washington gets fully under way in the month of October, meaning that there are definitely more than ten performances on my calendar. Here are the Top Ten that you definitely do not want to miss. The rest of the calendar follows after the jump.

VOCAL:
Opera Lafayette returns to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. Its staging of Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour (The Celebrations of Marriage and Love, or the Gods of Egypt), the last of Rameau's large-scale opéras-ballets to be revived in the modern era (October 6, 7:30 pm). The dances of the Egyptians, Amazons, and the gods of the Nile will be performed by dancers from the New York Baroque Dance Company, Kalanidhi Dance, and Seán Curran Company.

One of my favorite tenors, Mark Padmore, will give a song recital with pianist Jonathan Biss at the Clarice Smith Center in College Park (October 10, 8 pm). The program features the op. 24 Liederkreis and op. 90 Sechs Gedichte und Requiem by Robert Schumann, Tippett's Boyhood’s End, and Fauré's La Bonne Chanson.

The Choir of Westminster Abbey comes to Washington for the British Choirs Festival at Washington National Cathedral (October 22, 7:30 pm), a space made for a group like them.

Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton made quite an impression a few years ago, as a young singer with Wolf Trap Opera and Santa Fe Opera. Having won the Marian Anderson Award, Opera International’s Young Artist Award, and the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, her star is on the rise, and she returns to the Barns at Wolf Trap for a recital with Wolf Trap Opera's general director Kim Pensinger Witman at the piano (October 24, 8 pm). The program will include songs and Lee Hoiby’s comic chamber opera Bon Appétit.

CHAMBER MUSIC:
The Dover Quartet swept all the prizes at the Banff String Quartet Competition in 2013, and we were the only media outfit to cover their concert in Washington last year. The group returns for a Fortas Chamber Music concert in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater (October 8, 7:30 pm). The program includes Glazunov's Five Novelettes, Mozart's Hoffmeister Quartet, and Schubert's Rosamunde Quartet.


The new piece we most want to hear this season, so far, is Serbian-born Aleksandra Vrebalov's Beyond Zero: 1914–1918, to be given its world premiere by the Kronos Quartet as part of its residency at the Clarice Smith Center in College Park (October 25, 8 pm). The score incorporates music by Bartók and Byzantine hymns, as well as live music, all to accompany a film by Bill Morrison, to mark the centenary of World War I.

When pianist Adam Laloum (pictured) won the Clara Haskil Competition in 2009, we wondered when we would be able to hear him play live. We have a chance when he plays a recital at the Phillips Collection (October 26, 4 pm).

We have reviewed the Belcea Quartet all over the world, including here in Washington. They return to the area for a recital at Shriver Hall in Baltimore (October 26, 5:30 pm), where they were last in 2009, playing Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.

ORCHESTRAL:
Pianist Angela Hewitt comes to Washington in October, to play Mozart's 22nd piano concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra (October 9 to 11). Conductor David Zinman, whose time with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra we remember so fondly and who has just stepped down from the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, also leads Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra and Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra.

Let me not sound like Doktor Döhring, the thorn in Richard Strauss's side, and heartily recommend the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's concerts at the end of the month (October 23 in Baltimore, October 26 at Strathmore), combining Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, Scriabin's Poème de l'extase, and Christopher Rouse's Rapture.

The rest of the calendar follows after the jump.


COMPLETE CALENDAR:
Last month | Next month
Classical Month in Washington is a monthly feature. If there are concerts you would like to see included on our schedule, send your suggestions by e-mail (ionarts at gmail dot com). Happy listening!

October 1, 2014 (Wed)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Matthew Halls (conductor), Paul Jacobs (organ)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 2, 2014 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Matthew Halls (conductor), Paul Jacobs (organ)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 3, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
Heggie, Three Decembers
UrbanArias
Artisphere

October 4, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Matthew Halls (conductor), Paul Jacobs (organ)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 4, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Heggie, Three Decembers
UrbanArias
Artisphere

October 5, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Phillips Camerata
Phillips Collection

October 6, 2014 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Rameau, Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour
Opera Lafayette
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 7, 2014 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Washington Bach Consort [FREE]
Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138
Church of the Epiphany

October 8, 2014 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Dover Quartet
Fortas Chamber Series
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 8, 2014 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
Music by Khachaturian, Hristic, Sibelius
Music Center at Strathmore

October 9, 2014 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With David Zinman (conductor), Angela Hewitt (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 9, 2014 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Ray Chen (violin) and Julio Elizalde (piano)
WPA
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 10, 2014 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Oleh Kaskiv (violin) and Oksana Skidan (piano)
Embassy Series
Embassy of Ukraine

October 10, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
Mark Padmore (tenor) and Jonathan Biss (piano)
Clarice Smith Center

October 10, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With David Zinman (conductor), Angela Hewitt (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 10, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Barns at Wolf Trap

October 10, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
UMd Symphony Orchestra
Music by Musorgsky
Clarice Smith Center

October 11, 2014 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Axelrod String Quartet
National Museum of American History

October 11, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With David Zinman (conductor), Angela Hewitt (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 11, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
UMd Wind Orchestra: Double Percussion Concerto
Clarice Smith Center

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
2 pm
Kennedy Center Chamber Players
Music by Ives, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Beethoven
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
3 pm
Sean Chen, piano [FREE]
Smithsonian American Art Museum

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
3 pm
Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Akropolis Reed Ensemble
Phillips Collection

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
4:30 pm
City Choir of Washington
Music by Mozart, Tarik O'Regan
National Presbyterian Church

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
6:30 pm
NGA Orchestra [FREE]
With Philippe Entremont, guest conductor
National Gallery of Art

October 12, 2014 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Axelrod String Quartet
National Museum of American History

October 13, 2014 (Mon)
8 pm
Tempo Fall Concert [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

October 14, 2014 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Vasily Popov (cello) and Jeffrey Chappell (piano) [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

October 14, 2014 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Hugo Kauder Trio
Embassy Series
Embassy of Hungary

October 14, 2014 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Yun-Chin Zhou, piano
Young Concert Artists
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 15, 2014 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Danish String Quartet
Bach, Art of the Fugue
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 15, 2014 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Marco Ciampi, piano
Kreeger Museum

October 15, 2014 (Wed)
8 pm
Jeremy Filsell, organ
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 17, 2014 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Andrea Edith Moore (soprano) and Ryan de Ryke (baritone)
Baltimore Lieder Weekend
An die Musik LIVE (Baltimore, Md.)

October 17, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
UMd Wind Ensemble: Characters
Clarice Smith Center

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
5 pm
A Fable and The Flood (Family concert)
Cantate Chamber Singers
St. Columba's Episcopal Church

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Kimberly Christie, soprano
Baltimore Lieder Weekend
An die Musik LIVE (Baltimore, Md.)

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Arild Remmereit (conductor), Emily Skala (flute)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic
Music by Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Dvorak
Music Center at Strathmore

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Menahem Pressler, piano
Candlelight Concert Society
Horowitz Performing Arts Center (Columbia, Md.)

October 18, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Falla, La Vida Breve
In Series
Gala Hispanic Theater

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
11 am
Andrea Edith Moore (soprano) and Ryan de Ryke (baritone)
Baltimore Lieder Weekend
An die Musik LIVE (Baltimore, Md.)

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
2 pm
Matthew Rose, bass
Vocal Arts D.C.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
2:30 pm
Falla, La Vida Breve
In Series
Gala Hispanic Theater

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Arild Remmereit (conductor), Emily Skala (flute)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
3 pm
National Philharmonic
Music by Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Dvorak
Music Center at Strathmore

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Odair Assad, guitar
Phillips Collection

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Wasmuth String Quartet
Saint Francis Church (Great Falls, Va.)

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Cathedral Choral Society
Music by Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms
Washington National Cathedral

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
5 pm
Inscape Chamber Orchestra
Music by Debussy, Honegger, Hindemith
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Bethesda, Md.)

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
6:30 pm
NGA Piano Trio [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

October 19, 2014 (Sun)
7 pm
Cecile Licad, piano
Dumbarton Oaks

October 20, 2014 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Vivaldi Project
JCCGW (Rockville, Md.)

October 20, 2014 (Mon)
8 pm
Cecile Licad, piano
Dumbarton Oaks

October 21, 2014 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Quarter Deck Consort [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

October 22, 2014 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Choir of Westminster Abbey
Washington National Cathedral

October 23, 2014 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Aleksey Semenenko (violin) and Inna Firsolva (piano)
Embassy Series
Embassy of Ukraine

October 23, 2014 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

October 24, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
Jamie Barton (mezzo-soprano) and Kim Pensinger Witman (piano)
Barns at Wolf Trap

October 24, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
St. Lawrence String Quartet [FREE]
Library of Congress

October 24, 2014 (Fri)
8:15 pm
Off the Cuff: Ein Heldenleben
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Music Center at Strathmore

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort: Aviary
Smithsonian American Art Museum

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
6 pm
Eugene Drucker (violin) and Diane Walsh (piano)
National Museum of Natural History

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
7 pm
Off the Cuff: Ein Heldenleben
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Music Center at Strathmore

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Yana Eminova (soprano), Anton Belov (baritone)
National Chamber Ensemble
Rosslyn Spectrum Theater

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Kronos Quartet
Music by Aleksandra Vrebalov, others
Clarice Smith Center

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Carmen Balthrop (soprano) and friends [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Bach, Mass in B Minor
Bach Sinfonia
Cultural Arts Center, Montgomery College (Silver Spring, Md.)

October 25, 2014 (Sat)
8 pm
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
GMU Center for the Arts

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
2 and 4 pm
NSO Family Concert: Halloween Whodunit
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
2:30 pm
Falla, La Vida Breve
In Series
Gala Hispanic Theater

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben
Music Center at Strathmore

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Adam Laloum, piano
Phillips Collection

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Anthony McGill (clarinet) and Christopher Shih (piano)
Mansion at Strathmore

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
4 pm
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
GMU Center for the Arts

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
5 pm
Vienna Boys Choir
St. John's, Georgetown Parish

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Belcea Quartet
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
6 pm
What Makes It Great? Schubert
With Yuliya Gorenman (piano), Rob Kapilow (lecturer)
National Museum of Natural History

October 26, 2014 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Alexander Shonert (violin) and Natalia Shonert (piano) [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

October 28, 2014 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Almava Trio [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

October 29, 2014 (Wed)
8 pm
Vox Luminis [FREE]
Library of Congress

October 30, 2014 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Midori (violin)
Music by Schumann, Mendelssohn, Mozart
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

October 30, 2014 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Hannu Lintu (conductor), Conrad Tao (piano)
Music Center at Strathmore

October 30, 2014 (Thu)
8 pm
Founders' Day Concert: Ensemble dal Niente [FREE]
Library of Congress

October 31, 2014 (Fri)
3:30 pm
Prague Philharmonic Choir [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

October 31, 2014 (Fri)
7 pm
University of Maryland Concerto Competition Finals [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

October 31, 2014 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Hannu Lintu (conductor), Conrad Tao (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

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