Folger Consort, Palestrina and Monteverdi

Also on Ionarts: Baroque Christmas with the Folger Consort (December 23, 2005) Opera Lafayette at La Maison Française (December 19, 2005) Folger Consort, Isaac and Josquin (October 8, 2005)

Washington National Cathedral is a beautiful place to hear a concert, especially when early music is involved, so it was no surprise that the Folger Consort's latest program drew a nearly full audience to this vast space. From my perch by one of the crossing piers, the sound was very good but never particularly powerful, which may have made things hard to hear from the general seating area. The Folger Consort hosted a dream team of six singers, five of whom sang together for many of the evening's selections, because the pairing of composers this time combined two giants of vocal music, Palestrina and Monteverdi. This combination is innately unfair to the former, who although supremely influential on the traditions of contrapuntal composition, produced mostly sacred music in a fairly uniform style. Monteverdi, having composed sacred music on par with Palestrina's as well as genre-transforming examples of madrigals and operas, clearly has the upper hand, although Palestrina is the undisputed master of the Mass. What the program shows is the distinction between the highest achievement of the Renaissance, the prima prattica, and the new sound of the Baroque period, the secunda prattica. The two composers' lives actually overlap chronologically, but their respective, mature musical styles are radically different.

The program began with a tribute to recorder player Scott Reiss, whose death last month shocked the Washington music scene. It was an instrumental performance of a 14th-century Benedicamus Domino setting that Reiss "loved and performed with us many times," according to the Folger Consort's program. Next were three 5-voice motets from Palestrina's Motettorum liber quartus ex Canticis canticorum -- Surge amica mea, Quam pulchra es, and Descendi in hortum meum -- published in Rome in 1583 or 1584. The Song of Songs is a love poem interpreted by Christian theologians in allegorical ways. I imagine that the group chose these pieces because they are different, in their almost secular nature, from the rest of Palestrina's work. I was a little disappointed that the group did not seize this opportunity to perform some of Palestrina's secular madrigals -- little known and few in number -- as a conservative comparison to the daring madrigals of Monteverdi. The group performed the Palestrina pieces without instruments and one on a part. A collection of solo singers does not necessarily make an ensemble, but this group had a rather good balance. Soprano Rosa Lamoreaux's restraint on the highest part was a model. This set was rounded out with two instrumental pieces in two parts by Orlando di Lasso.

The best Palestrina selections were the Mass excerpts at the end of the first half, beginning with the Sanctus movement from the earlier of Palestrina's two Ordinary settings based on the medieval tune L'Homme armé, from the fourth book of Masses (à 5, 1570), of an astounding thirteen books. There is a great moment at the end of the Hosanna part of this movement, where the end of the cantus firmus ("On a fait partout crier, / Que chascun se viengne armer / D'un haubregon de fer"), the highest and most identifiable part of the tune, is set quite audibly to the words "Hosanna in excelsis." The Kyrie movement of the 6-voice Missa Papae Marcelli -- perhaps Palestrina's most famous composition because of its alleged and probably legendary role in saving polyphony as an approved form of composition at the Council of Trent -- was exquisitely performed, with tenor Philip Cave who finally joined the group. The Gloria got off to a rough start, due to a disagreement about the tempo, but Rosa Lamoreaux's directional nods righted the performance.

Probably to make a good match with the Palestrina first half, the group focused largely on Monteverdi's sacred music in the second half. The Pianto della Madonna is from the late collection Selva morale e spirituale, from 1641, and is a contrafactum -- in the voice of Mary addressed to Jesus -- of the famous lament of Arianna, the only part of his early opera Arianna to survive. Countertenor Drew Minter negotiated the dramatic monodic style fairly well, although his handling of the Latin was at times either unclear or mistaken. As far as the quality of the voice, it is cool and accurate, but I would have preferred a feminine, more maternal sound for this piece. The text reminded me somewhat of another Marian monologue, Antonia Bembo's solo cantata spirituale, Per il Natale: In braccio di Maria, performed by the Folger Consort at their last concert.

The highlights of the Monteverdi selections included, first and foremost, the solo motet Laudate dominum omnes gentes (not the Laudate dominum in sanctis ejus text listed incorrectly in the program) in an excellent performance by bass-baritone François Loup. After largely controlling his sound while singing with the ensemble, here Loup -- accompanied only by Webb Wiggins on the organ (who had a less satisfying solo himself, on a Claudio Merulo toccata that lacked fluidity) -- was able to sing in his full, velvety voice, extending down to a very low note (perhaps D?) for the conclusion. The duet of Rosa Lamoreaux and Barbara Hollinshead, Cantate Domino canticum novum (à 2, with text continuing "cantate et benedicite nomini ejus: quia mirabilia fecit," again not what was printed in the program), was also well performed. This piece ends with an extended section on the words "mirabilia fecit" (wondrous things he has done), featuring long, rapturous vocal lines. The concluding piece, the 6-voice Beatus vir qui timet Dominum was a delight, with great contributions from all six singers and all players.

Other Reviews: Cecelia Porter, Folger, Deft and Dulcet (Washington Post, January 9)

The guest artists were all in good form, although tenor Robert Petillo sometimes disappeared behind the other voices or instruments when he sang alone. Violinist David Douglass played well, including on his own set of divisions to the tune of Susanne ung jour (presented alongside those of Bassano and Dalla Casa). However, he did not impress with the same accuracy as Tim Haig at the Consort's last concert or the same flair as Ryan Brown with Opera Lafayette. The best instrumental pieces were Salamone Rossi's Sonata sopra la Bergamasca, a chaconne-type piece, and the two sonatas by Giovanni Battista Fontana. I enjoyed the two recercadas by Diego Ortiz more when I heard them played by the Baltimore Consort last summer. Christopher Kendall's contributions on lute and theorbo seemed more solid than the playing of Robert Eisenstein, which was occasionally a little rocky, most notably when he played second violin. This is one of the risks of playing several instruments, I suppose, rather than specializing in one.

The Folger Consort will return to the National Cathedral to repeat this program this evening, January 7, at 8 pm. Tickets are $27 to $40. It will be worth your time.

Classical Month in Washington (December)

Last month | Next monthClassical 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!

December 1, 2012 (Sat)
2 pm
Lukáš Vondrácek, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 1, 2012 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort
Music by Brehm, Ives, Rush, Stravinsky
Smithsonian American Art Museum

December 1, 2012 (Sat)
5 pm
Washington Bach Consort
Music by Bach for Advent, Christmas
National Presbyterian Church

December 1, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Jonathan Biss, piano
Kennedy Center Concert House

December 1, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Mario Venzago (conductor) and Sol Gabetta (cello)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
2 pm
Strauss, Die Fledermaus
Virginia Opera
GMU Center for the Arts

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
3 pm
Piano Society of Greater Washington [FREE]
Montgomery College Performing Arts Center (Silver Spring, Md.)

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
4 pm
Hermitage Trio
Phillips Collection

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Piotr Anderszewski, piano
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Reformation Lutheran Church Choir [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
7 pm
Cantus
Dumbarton Oaks

December 2, 2012 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Bella Hristova, violin
JCCGW (Rockville, Md.)

December 3, 2012 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
WPAS
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 3, 2012 (Mon)
8 pm
Cantus
Dumbarton Oaks

December 4, 2012 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 [FREE]
Washington Bach Consort
Church of the Epiphany

December 4, 2012 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra
WPAS
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 5, 2012 (Wed)
10 and 11:30 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Nutcracker (children's concert)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 5, 2012 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Nutcracker
Ballet West
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 5, 2012 (Wed)
8 pm
New Music at University of Maryland [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

December 6, 2012 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 6, 2012 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Nutcracker
Ballet West
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 6, 2012 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Amernet String Quartet
Pro Musica Hebraica
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 6, 2012 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Christmas in Luxembourg
Embassy Series
Embassy of Luxembourg

December 6, 2012 (Thu)
8 pm
University of Maryland Wind Orchestra
Clarice Smith Center

December 7, 2012 (Fri)
10 and 11:30 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Nutcracker (children's concert)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 7, 2012 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Nutcracker
Ballet West
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 7, 2012 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 7, 2012 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 7, 2012 (Fri)
8 pm
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
University of Maryland School of Music
Clarice Smith Center

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
11 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Nutcracker
Ballet West
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Vienna Boys Choir
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
A Palestrina Christmas
Chantry
St. Mary, Mother of God

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra
Clarice Smith Center

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
GMU Center for the Arts

December 8, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Nutcracker
Ballet West
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
3 and 7 pm
MCYO
With Nurit Bar-Josef and Jonathan Carney, violins
Music Center at Strathmore

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
3 pm
Festive Baroque
University of Maryland Chamber Singers
Clarice Smith Center

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
3 pm
Eclipse Chamber Orchestra
Music by Vivaldi, Bach
George Washington Masonic Temple (Alexandria, Va.)

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
4 pm
Jennifer Frautschi (violin) and John Blacklow (piano)
Phillips Collection

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
6 pm
What Makes It Great?
With Rob Kapilow, lecturer
Music by Dvořák
National Museum of Natural History

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Great Noise Ensemble [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
7 pm
Curtis On Tour
Jason Vieaux (guitar) and Roberto Diaz (viola)
Candlelight Concert Society
Smith Theatre, Howard Community College (Columbia, Md.)

December 9, 2012 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Kennedy Center Chamber Players
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 11, 2012 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Fine Arts Quartet
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 12, 2012 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Joseph Smith, piano [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 12, 2012 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Vinson Cole, tenor
Vocal Arts D.C.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 13, 2012 (Thu)
6:30 pm
Matthias Pintscher, composer
Phillips Collection

December 14, 2012 (Fri)
8 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 14, 2012 (Fri)
8 pm
Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna
GMU Center for the Arts

December 15, 2012 (Sat)
2 pm
The Paganini Project
Peter Sheppard-Skærved, violin [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 15, 2012 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort
The Passion of Scrooge or A Christmas Carol
Music by Britten, Jon Deak
Smithsonian American Art Museum

December 15, 2012 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 15, 2012 (Sat)
7 pm
U.S. Army Chorus
Châteauville Foundation (Castleton Farms, Va.)

December 15, 2012 (Sat)
8 pm
A Palestrina Christmas
Chantry
St. Bernadette's

December 16, 2012 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 16, 2012 (Sun)
4 pm
Shai Wosner, piano
Phillips Collection

December 16, 2012 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Empire Brass with Elisabeth von Trapp, soprano [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 16, 2012 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Axelrod String Quartet
Music by Haydn, Barber, Mendelssohn
National Museum of American History

December 18, 2012 (Tue)
8 pm
Miró Quartet and Ricardo Morales, clarinet [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 19, 2012 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Kenneth Slowik, fortepiano [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 19, 2012 (Wed)
7:30 pm
18th Street Singers: Christmas Concert
Mansion at Strathmore

December 19, 2012 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 20, 2012 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 21, 2012 (Fri)
2 and 7:30 pm
The Nutcracker
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Lyric Opera House (Baltimore, Md.)

December 21, 2012 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 21, 2012 (Fri)
8 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 22, 2012 (Sat)
2 and 7:30 pm
Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 22, 2012 (Sat)
2 and 7:30 pm
The Nutcracker
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Lyric Opera House (Baltimore, Md.)

December 22, 2012 (Sat)
2 and 5 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 23, 2012 (Sun)
2 pm
Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 23, 2012 (Sun)
2 pm
Folger Consort
Florence: Christmas Music of the Trecento
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 23, 2012 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Jennifer Lane (soprano) and Kenneth Slowik (fortepiano) [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 30, 2012 (Sun)
3 pm
Strauss Symphony
New Year's Concert
Embassy of Austria

December 30, 2012 (Sun)
6:30 pm
National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

Classical Month in Washington (December)

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!

December 1, 2009 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata: Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 [FREE]
Washington Bach Consort
Church of the Epiphany

December 2, 2009 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Joel Fan, piano [FREE]
64th American Music Festival
National Gallery of Art

December 2, 2009 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Madrigal Singers from St. Alban's and NCS [FREE]
St. John's, Lafayette Square

December 2, 2009 (Wed)
8 pm
Sonny Rollins
WPAS
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 3, 2009 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang (premiere of Higdon piano concerto)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 3, 2009 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Trio Solisti
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 3, 2009 (Thu)
8 pm
Angela Hewitt, piano
WPAS
Music Center at Strathmore

December 3, 2009 (Thu)
8 pm
Nicolò Ceva, Trionfo per l'Assunzione della Santissima Vergine (1705)
Georgetown University
Wolfington Hall (Jesuit Residence)

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
1:30 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang (premiere of Higdon piano concerto)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Handel, M-Word
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Handel, M-Word
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Christmas Concert for Charity
Catholic University School of Music
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Handel, M-Word
Washington National Cathedral

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
St. Lawrence String Quartet [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
University of Maryland Symphony
Music by Strauss, Varèse, Rachmaninoff
Clarice Smith Center

December 4, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
Donizetti, Daughter of the Regiment
Virginia Opera
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
11 am
The Polar Express
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Meyerhoff Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
2 pm
Plamena Mangova, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
4 pm
Handel, M-Word
Washington National Cathedral

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort
Reynolds Center

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
7 pm
Georgetown University Concert Choir [FREE]
Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Georgetown University

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Great Noise Ensemble
Catholic University School of Music

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Yuja Wang (premiere of Higdon piano concerto)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 5, 2009 (Sat)
8 pm
Sinter Klass (music for St. Nicholas and Haydn anniversary)
Chantry with Modern Musick
St. Mary, Mother of God

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
2 pm
Donizetti, Daughter of the Regiment
Virginia Opera
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
3 pm
Georgetown University Orchestra
All-Mozart program
Gaston Hall, Healy Building

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
3 pm
Piano Concert and Reception, with Audrey Andrist (guest artist) [FREE]
Piano Society of Greater Washington
Calvary Lutheran Church (Silver Spring, Md.)

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Bates and Friends Ensemble [FREE]
Phillips Collection

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Handel, M-Word
Washington National Cathedral

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Juilliard Quartet
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
7 pm
Kennedy Center Honors
Honorees include Grace Bumbry
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 6, 2009 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Jens Elvekjaer, piano [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 8, 2009 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Ray Chen, violin
Young Concert Artists
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 9, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Shanghai String Quartet [FREE]
Music by Penderecki, Beethoven, Debussy
Freer Gallery of Art

December 9, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
New York City Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 10, 2009 (Thu)
7 pm
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
Washington Ballet (many performances, through December 27)
Warner Theater

December 10, 2009 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Jamie Barton (mezzo-soprano) and Kathleen Kelly (piano)
Vocal Arts Society
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 10, 2009 (Thu)
7:30 pm
New York City Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 10, 2009 (Thu)
8 pm
Diaz Trio with Rodrigo Ojeda (piano) [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 10, 2009 (Thu)
8 pm
University of Maryland Wind Ensemble
Music by Schuller, Enesco, Varèse
Clarice Smith Center

December 11, 2009 (Fri)
7:30 pm
New York City Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 11, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
12 noon
Joy of Christmas: Family Matinee
Cathedral Choral Society
Washington National Cathedral

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
New York City Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
4 pm
Joy of Christmas
Cathedral Choral Society
Washington National Cathedral

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
7 pm
Unsilent Night + BOOM!
Mobtown Modern
Parade starting at Penn Station
Ending at the Metro Gallery (Baltimore, Md.)

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
7:30 pm
New Juilliard Ensemble [FREE]
Music by Cage, Cowell, others
Freer Gallery of Art

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic: Handel's M-Word
Music Center at Strathmore

December 12, 2009 (Sat)
8 pm
Canadian Brass Christmas
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
New York City Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
3 and 4:30 pm
Hansel and Gretel
National Marionette Theater
Candlelight Concert Society
Smith Theater, Howard Community College (Columbia, Md.)

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
3 pm
National Philharmonic: Handel's M-Word
Music Center at Strathmore

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Raphael Trio [FREE]
Phillips Collection

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Etherea (vocal ensemble) (with Grace Cloutier, harp)
Britten, Ceremony of Carols, other holiday music
Châteauville Foundation (Castleton Farms, Va.)

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Joy of Christmas
Cathedral Choral Society
Washington National Cathedral

December 13, 2009 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Tine Thing Helseth (trumpet) and Steffen Horn (piano) [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 14, 2009 (Mon)
7 pm
Joyeux Noël
Choral Arts Society
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 16, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 16, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Waverly Consort: The Christmas Story
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 16, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Beethoven's Birthday
Ann Schein (piano), Earl Carlyss (violin), Jerome Barry (baritone)
Embassy Series
Embassy of Germany

December 17, 2009 (Thu)
7 pm
Handel, M-Word
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 17, 2009 (Thu)
7:30 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 18, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
Stradivari Anniversary: Parker Quartet [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 18, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 18, 2009 (Fri)
8 pm
Handel, M-Word
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 19, 2009 (Sat)
1 pm
Jean Renoir, La petite marchande d'allumettes [FREE]
Film screening with live music by Andrew Simpson, piano
National Gallery of Art

December 19, 2009 (Sat)
1 pm
Washington Chorus: Candlelight Christmas
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 19, 2009 (Sat)
2 and 5 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 19, 2009 (Sat)
4 pm
Joyeux Noël
Choral Arts Society
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 19, 2009 (Sat)
8 pm
Handel, M-Word
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
1 pm
Handel, M-Word
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort, with Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
2 and 4 pm
Choral Arts Society Family Christmas Concerts
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
3 pm
An International Christmas
Washington Bach Consort
National Presbyterian Church

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
4 pm
Erin Keefe (violin) and Lucille Chung (piano) [FREE]
Phillips Collection

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
6:30 pm
National Gallery Vocal Arts Ensemble: Christmas Concert [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 20, 2009 (Sun)
7 pm
Joyeux Noël
Choral Arts Society
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 21, 2009 (Mon)
7 pm
Washington Chorus: Candlelight Christmas
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 21, 2009 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Baltimore Consort: Bright Day Star
Basilica of the Assumption (Baltimore, Md.)

December 22, 2009 (Tue)
7 pm
Washington Chorus: Candlelight Christmas
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 23, 2009 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Washington Chorus: Candlelight Christmas
Music Center at Strathmore

December 23, 2009 (Wed)
8 pm
M-Word Sing-along
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 24, 2009 (Thu)
1 pm
Joyeux Noël
Choral Arts Society
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 27, 2009 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Sharon Isbin, guitar [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

December 31, 2009 (Thu)
8:30 pm
New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Classical Music Agenda: December 2013

In December, much of the concert schedule is taken over by performances of the "Ho ho ho" variety, of which more after the jump. First, for some music that will not specifically get you in the spirit of the season, there are two free performances of Bach cantatas this month. Members of the Washington Bach Consort presents Schwingt freudig euch empor (BWV 36), which is for the first Sunday of Advent (December 3, 12:10 pm), at the Church of the Epiphany. Musicians from the University of Maryland School of Music perform Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106) on their Bach Cantata Series (December 5, 1:30 pm) at the Clarice Smith Center. Both of these concerts are free and open to the public.

The Emerson String Quartet continues its season at the National Museum of Natural History (December 8), with string quartets by Mozart (K. 428, E-flat major), Beethoven (op. 59, no. 2), and Bartók (no. 2).

If the Emerson Quartet concerts are too expensive for your budget, try the Parker Quartet in a free concert at the Library of Congress (December 18). The group, with its new second violinist, Ying Xue, will be joined by violist Kikuei Ikeda.

The next installment of the Leading Composers Series at the Phillips Collection will be Slovenian composer Dušan Bavdek (December 12), with musicians from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana performing several of his pieces, including Awakening, String Quartet No. 1, Intermezzo, Dark Memory, and The Gestures of Dead Era.

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Classical Month in Washington (December)

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!

December 1, 2008 (Mon)
7 pm
Canadian Brass Holiday Concert
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 2, 2008 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata [FREE]
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61)
Washington Bach Consort
Church of the Epiphany

December 2, 2008 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Susan Platts (mezzo-soprano) and Brett Polegato (baritone)
Vocal Arts Society
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 2, 2008 (Tue)
8 pm
Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic: National Concert Party
Music Center at Strathmore

December 3, 2008 (Wed)
8 pm
New Music at University of Maryland [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

December 4, 2008 (Thu)
1:30 pm
Bach Cantata Series [FREE]
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140)
University of Maryland School of Music
Clarice Smith Center

December 4, 2008 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Itzhak Perlman, conductor and violinist
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Anne Midgette (Washington Post, December 5)

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
1:30 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Itzhak Perlman, conductor and violinist
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Juilliard String Quartet
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
American Creativity: Chamber Music of Charles Wuorinen [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, December 8)

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
University of Maryland Symphony
Project Petrushka
Clarice Smith Center
Review -- Anne Midgette (Washington Post, December 8)

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Donizetti, Elixir of Love
Virginia Opera
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
George Mason University Opera Recital
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 5, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Gospel Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Ronni Reich (Washington Post, December 6)

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
2 pm
Donizetti, Elixir of Love
Virginia Opera
George Mason University Center for the Arts

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
2 and 7:30 pm
Christmas Revels
Lisner Auditorium

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort: Natural Affinities
Music by Copland, Saariaho, and Augusta Read Thomas
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, December 8)

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
Gabriela Montero, piano
University of Baltimore Student Center
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 8)

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Itzhak Perlman, conductor and violinist
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 6, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic: Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
1 and 5 pm
Christmas Revels
Lisner Auditorium

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
3 pm
National Philharmonic: Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Ritz Chamber Players
With Jonathan Carney, violin
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Till Fellner, piano [FREE]
Beethoven sonatas
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 9)

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
7 pm
Brotherhood of the Star: A Hispanic Christmas
Boston Camerata
Dumbarton Oaks
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 11)

December 7, 2008 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Wonny Song, piano
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

December 8, 2008 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Young Concert Artists Composers Concert
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, December 11)

December 8, 2008 (Mon)
8 pm
Brotherhood of the Star: A Hispanic Christmas
Boston Camerata
Dumbarton Oaks

December 9, 2008 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Visnja Kosanovich (flute) and Dasha Gabay (piano) [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

December 9, 2008 (Tue)
7 pm
“A Labyrinth of Time” (2006) Elliott Carter documentary by Frank Scheffer [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 9, 2008 (Tue)
8 pm
Clytemnestra (music of Halim El-Dabh)
Martha Graham Dance Company
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Review -- Sarah Kaufman (Washington Post, December 11)

December 10, 2008 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Musicians of the Paris Opera
Olivier Messiaen and Elliott Carter Centennials
La Maison Française
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 13)

December 10, 2008 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Musicians from Marlboro I [FREE]
Music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Janáček
Freer Gallery of Art

December 10, 2008 (Wed)
8 pm
Clytemnestra (music of Halim El-Dabh)
Martha Graham Dance Company
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

December 11, 2008 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker
Joffrey Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Sarah Kaufman (Washington Post, December 13)

December 12, 2008 (Fri)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker
Joffrey Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 12, 2008 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Christmas Revels
Lisner Auditorium

December 12, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Sequitur - Elliott Carter Centennial Celebration [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Anne Midgette (Washington Post, December 15)

December 12, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 15)

December 12, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Review -- Sarah Kaufman (Washington Post, December 15)

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
12 noon and 4 pm
Cathedral Choral Society: Joy of Christmas
Washington National Cathedral

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker
Joffrey Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
2 and 7:30 pm
Christmas Revels
Lisner Auditorium

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Left Bank Concert Society: Music as Narrative
Music by Carter, Schoenberg, Schwendiger, Argento
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, December 15)

December 13, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker
Joffrey Ballet
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
2 pm
Christmas Revels
Lisner Auditorium

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
3 and 7:30 pm
Robert Shafer and Friends
Music of Brahms
Music Center at Strathmore

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
4 pm
Cathedral Choral Society: Joy of Christmas
Washington National Cathedral

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
6:30 pm
New York Opera Society and Soloists from Norway [FREE]
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Washington Post, December 16)

December 14, 2008 (Sun)
7 pm
From Venice to Leipzig via Amsterdam: Bach and the Concerto
Clarice Smith Center

December 15, 2008 (Mon)
7 pm
Choral Arts Society: Christmas Music
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Rebecca J. Ritzel (Washington Post, December 17)

December 15, 2008 (Mon)
8 pm
Daniel Müller-Schott (cello) and Angela Hewitt (piano)
WPAS
Sydney Harman Hall
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, December 17)

December 15, 2008 (Mon)
8 pm
Hard As F#@!
Mobtown Modern
Contemporary Museum (Baltimore, Md.)

December 16, 2008 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Epiphany Choir: Christmas Benefit Concert [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

December 16, 2008 (Tue)
7:30 pm
[CANCELED]
Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Messiaen, Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
La Maison Française

December 17, 2008 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 18, 2008 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Anne Midgette (Washington Post, December 19)

December 18, 2008 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 18, 2008 (Thu)
8 pm
Harlem Quartet with Carter Brey (cello) - Stradivari Anniversary Concert [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Washington Post, December 20)

December 19, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 19, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 19, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Rejoice! Music for Christmas
City Choir of Washington
Schlesinger Hall (Alexandria, Va.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Washington Post, December 22)

December 19, 2008 (Fri)
8 pm
Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, December 22)

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
1 pm
Choral Arts Society: Christmas Music
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
3 pm
Rejoice! Music for Christmas
City Choir of Washington
Schlesinger Hall (Alexandria, Va.)

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
4 pm
Washington Chorus: Music for Christmas
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
Christopher Parkening (guitar) and Jubilant Sykes (baritone)
Holiday concert
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Review -- Grace Jean (Washington Post, December 22)

December 20, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
1 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
2 and 4 pm
Family Christmas Concert
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
Folger Consort: Spanish Christmas
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
3 pm
Washington Bach Consort
An International Christmas
National Presbyterian Church
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, December 23)

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
5 pm
Washington Chorus: Music for Christmas
Music Center at Strathmore

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Alessandra Marc (soprano) [FREE]
Christmas Concert with National Gallery Strings
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Washington Post, December 23)

December 21, 2008 (Sun)
7 pm
Master Chorale of Washington: Christmas Candlelight Concert
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 22, 2008 (Mon)
5 pm
Washington Chorus: Music for Christmas
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 22, 2008 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Washington Symphonic Brass: Holiday Celebration
Music Center at Strathmore

December 22, 2008 (Mon)
8 pm
Master Chorale of Washington: Christmas Candlelight Concert
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 23, 2008 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Sophia Vastek, piano [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

December 23, 2008 (Tue)
8 pm
Messiah Sing-Along [FREE]
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 24, 2008 (Wed)
1 pm
Choral Arts Society: Christmas Music
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 27, 2008 (Sat)
8 pm
Chanukah Feast in Concert
Music Center at Strathmore

December 28, 2008 (Sun)
6:30 pm
National Gallery Orchestra [FREE]
New Year Concert (Manfred Knoop, conductor)
National Gallery of Art

December 31, 2008 (Wed)
8:30 pm
NSO New Year's Concert
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Folger Consort's German Christmas

Read my review today on the Washington Post Web site:

Charles T. Downey, Folger Consort roughs it with German Christmas
Washington Post, December 14, 2009

The Folger Consort unveiled its new Christmas concert program Friday night in the Folger Shakespeare Library's festively decorated Elizabethan Theater. Recently this concert's theme has rotated through the early music of various European national traditions: After Italy and France, England (including a stunningly effective "Second Shepherds' Play" in 2007), and Spain, it was Germany's turn.

Disappointment with the results cannot be attributed to the programming. Both perpetual favorites and new discoveries were produced by pairing Michael Praetorius's vocal music with instrumental selections by Samuel Scheidt, Johann Schein and Heinrich Scheidemann. The Cantate Chamber Singers, who provided both the choral and solo parts, were a little rough-hewn in sound by comparison to the smaller, more refined vocal ensembles who have partnered with the Folger Consort in the past. There were enough voices to make the necessary distinction in sound mass between soloists and tutti and in the double-choir selections, but infelicities in intonation and quality of vocal tone were too noticeable. [Continue reading]

In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas
Folger Consort and Cantate Chamber Singers
Folger Shakespeare Library

SEE ALSO:
Andrew Lindemann Malone, Oh, That We Were There…For This Entire Month: The Folger Consort (DMV Classical, December 13) -- a review of the third performance

Classical Month in Washington (December 2014)

The concert schedule in December gets all gummed up with Nutcrackers, Messiahs, and Jingle Bell nonsense, but there are still a few good things to hear. Some of this belongs in the tinsel category, but only the things that should actually be worth hearing.

SYMPHONY:
Helmuth Rilling returns to the podium of the National Symphony Orchestra (December 4 to 6), leading an all-Bach program. The third orchestral suite and a concerto for oboe and violin (featuring two of the ensemble's principal musicians) set off two cantatas for Christmas Day, Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (BWV 110) and Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (BWV 63). Bach performed the latter work, composed around 1713, for his first Christmas as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
[See review]

The University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra and Wind Orchestra join forces for yet another intriguing program (December 5). Sibelius's sixth symphony is paired with Milhaud’s La Création du Monde and Stravinsky’s Octet, with conductor Michael Votta at the helm.

OPERA:
Francesca Zambello brings Rachel Portman's opera The Little Prince to Washington National Opera, with five performances in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater (December 19 to 21). The work had a mixed reception at New York City Opera in 2005, but we are very much looking forward to forming our own opinion -- with Miss Ionarts in tow, of course.

Opera Bel Cantanti mounts a rare production of a classic Viennese operetta, Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin, at the Randolph Road Theater in Silver Spring (December 19 and 21). Take with several glasses of champagne and call the doctor in the morning.

CHAMBER MUSIC:
The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, performs a free concert at the Library of Congress (December 6). The program includes music by Monteverdi, Britten, Schoenberg, and Irving Fine, the last as part of that composer's centennial celebration at the Library.

The always charming Baltimore Consort performs a program of music from the Spanish Renaissance on the free concert series at the National Gallery of Art (December 14).

The Emerson String Quartet performs on its Smithsonian Associates series at the National Museum of Natural History (December 7), with excerpts of Bach's Art of Fugue, paired well with Beethoven's Große Fuge.
[See review]

The Ariel Quartet performs music by Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim, Mark Kopytman, and Menachem Wiesenberg, in a concert sponsored by Pro Musica Hebraica (December 14) in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.
[See review]

We always enjoy the celebration of legendary violin maker Stradivari at the Library of Congress. This year the St. Lawrence String Quartet gets the honor of taking some of the Library's Strads for a spin (December 18). The program includes one of Mozart's glorious string quintets, with violist Hsin-Yun Huang.

On Yoolis Night, Anonymous 4 (Harmonia Mundi, 1993)

HO-HO, NOT HO-HUM
Anonymous 4, who know how to give a good Christmas concert, will present their On Yoolis Night program of Christmas music from British sources at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater (December 11).
[See review]

The other contender for the coveted Ionarts Sugar Plum Award, for the year's best Christmas concert, will likely be the Folger Consort's Renaissance Christmas program (December 16 to 23), in the lovely venue of the Folger Shakespeare Library's theater. This year the focus is on music of Flanders and Italy around the year 1500.

Miss Ionarts insists on attending at least one (preferably several) performances of The Nutcracker each December. The one we will definitely not miss this year is presented by Ballet West, last reviewed in 2012. The choreography by William Christensen (December 10 to 14) plays beautifully in the Kennedy Center Opera House.
[See review]

See the complete calendar after the jump.

Read more »

Folger Consort's Groves of Antiquity

Other Reviews: Stephen Brookes, Folger Consort (Washington Post, October 8)

As part of a busy weekend, the Folger Consort presented its first concerts of the fall season, Groves of Antiquity, which combined instrumental works and secular cantatas, in French and Italian styles of the 18th century, to evoke the Arcadian ideal. Heard early on Saturday evening, the program was innovative and well performed, which almost goes without saying for the Folger Consort, and conveniently took place on the set of the Forest of Arden for the Folger Library's upcoming production of As You Like It. The best pieces on the program were the Italian cantatas at the end, Vivaldi's All'ombra di sospetto and Pergolesi's Orfeo, sung by soprano Rosa Lamoreaux, who in a brilliant turquoise and purple gown could have been Titania in another Shakespearean version of the Arcadian wood. Her mercurial voice was exactly right for the airy and Italianate pieces, like the melismatic Avezzo non è il core by Vivaldi, if tended toward fluttering instability on longer notes at time.

Webb Wiggins, harpsichordist

The Vivaldi cantata was also pleasing because of its obbligato part for Baroque flauto traverso, played with hazy beauty by Colin St. Martin (heard a few days earlier with Opera Lafayette). He was also featured to pleasurable effect in an A minor quartet, with violin, viol, and harpsichord, by Telemann, a work demonstrating yet again that digging around in that underappreciated composer's extensive works list usually yields worthy results. The third movement (Légèrement, a delicate sort of Sicilienne) and fifth movement (Vite, with a vibrant interplay of short rhythmic motifs) were particularly beautiful. The other instrumental selections were also most welcome additions to my listening experience, especially the three movements taken from Antoine Forqueray's Cinquième Suite. The versatile and accomplished keyboard player Webb Wiggins, who now teaches at Oberlin, gave a spectacular performance of an 18th-century keyboard arrangement, possibly made by the harpsichordist wife of Forqueray's son Jean-Baptiste, of this piece originally conceived for solo viola da gamba.

A very beautiful trio sonata in D major by Jean-Marie Leclair featured the best playing by guest violinist Linda Quan. Her playing tended to overwhelm the more delicate flute in Le berger fidèle, a pretty but not particularly memorable cantata by Rameau that opened the program. A final note for concert planners: beware of last-minute changes to concert programs. In spite of providing the revised order of performance as a program insert, the changes provoked an unprecedented outburst from one patron, who stood up after intermission and berated the Folger Consort for not announcing the order from the stage. The insert had apparently fallen out of his program.

The Folger Consort's next program, a much anticipated and fully staged performance of the Second Shepherds' Play, a medieval mystery play attributed to the Wakefield Master, will run from December 12 to 30. It will certainly be in the running for best Christmas concert event (for the informed listener) this December. Secure your tickets now.

Classical Month in Washington (December)

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!

December 1, 2011 (Thu)
1:30 pm
Bach Cantata Series [FREE]
UMd School of Music
Clarice Smith Center

December 1, 2011 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Midori, violin
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 1, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
A Luxembourg Christmas
Embassy of Luxembourg

December 1, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Jenny Lin, piano
Transcriptions of popular songs by American composers
Mansion at Strathmore

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Handel, Messiah
Washington National Cathedral

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Christmas Concert for Charity
Catholic University
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
A Luxembourg Christmas
Embassy of Luxembourg

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel
Virginia Opera
GMU Center for the Arts

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Midori, violin
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Final Tour
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

December 2, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
The 5 Browns: Holiday Show
Music Center at Strathmore

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
11 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Cinderella (with Bob Brown Puppets)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
2 pm
Kathryn Stott, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
4 pm
A Celtic Christmas
Dumbarton Concerts

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
4 pm
Handel, Messiah
Washington National Cathedral

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort
Smithsonian American Art Museum

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
6 pm
Haydn, Saint Nicholas Mass
Amadeus Orchestra and Reston Chorale
Amadeus Concerts
Reston Community Center

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
7:30 pm
A Luxembourg Christmas
Embassy of Luxembourg

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra
St. John's United Methodist Church (Springfield, Va.)

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Midori, violin
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Final Tour
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
Pacifica Quartet
Candlelight Concert Society
Smith Theater, Howard Community College (Columbia, Md.)

December 3, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
2 pm
Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel
Virginia Opera
GMU Center for the Arts

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
3 pm
Christmas in Leipzig
Washington Bach Consort
National Presbyterian Church

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
3 pm
Jeffery Watson, piano [FREE]
Washington Conservatory of Music
Westmoreland UCC Church (Bethesda, Md.)

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Iestyn Davies (countertenor) and Kevin Murphy (piano)
Phillips Collection

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Handel, Messiah
Washington National Cathedral

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
A Celtic Christmas
Dumbarton Concerts

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
5 pm
UMd Symphony Orchestra
With members of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Clarice Smith Center

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Steven Isserlis (cello) and Connie Shih (piano)
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
6 pm
What Makes It Great: Beethoven's Appassionata
Yuliya Gorenman, piano
National Museum of Natural History

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Pacifica Quartet [FREE]
Music by Beethoven
National Gallery of Art

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
7 pm
Boston Camerata: The Sacred Bridge
Dumbarton Oaks

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
7 pm
Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 4, 2011 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Caroline Goulding, violin
JCCGW (Rockville, Md.)

December 5, 2011 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Mathieu Dufour, flute
La Maison Française

December 5, 2011 (Mon)
8 pm
Boston Camerata: The Sacred Bridge
Dumbarton Oaks

December 6, 2011 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata: Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, BWV 40 [FREE]
Washington Bach Consort
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (1313 New York Avenue NW)

December 6, 2011 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Narek Arutyunian (clarinet) and Steven Beck (piano)
Young Concert Artists
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 6, 2011 (Tue)
7:30 pm
CUA Symphony Orchestra
Catholic University, Hartke Theater

December 6, 2011 (Tue)
8 pm
Liederabend 2.0
Evolution Contemporary Music Series
An Die Musik LIVE (Baltimore, Md.)

December 7, 2011 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Thomas Hrynkiw, piano [FREE]
Music by Ukrainian composers
National Gallery of Art

December 7, 2011 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Augustin Hadelich (violin) and Rohan de Silva (piano)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 8, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
American Ballet Theater
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 8, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Wendy Richman, viola
Music by Gorbos, Scelsi, others
Mansion at Strathmore

December 8, 2011 (Thu)
8 pm
UMd Wind Orchestra
Music by Brahms, Corigliano
Clarice Smith Center

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
American Ballet Theater
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Eric Owens (bass-baritone) and Craig Rutenberg (piano)
Vocal Arts D.C.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Matei Varga, piano
Romanian Ambassador's Residence

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Great Noise Ensemble
CUA School of Music

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
Festival of Lessons and Carols
Maryland Boy Choir, UMd Choirs
Clarice Smith Center

December 9, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
12 noon
Joy of Christmas: Family Matinee
Cathedral Choral Society and 18th Street Singers
Washington National Cathedral

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
1:30 and 2:30 pm
The Mandoleers [FREE]
Caroling in the Rotunda
National Gallery of Art

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
American Ballet Theater
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
4 and 8 pm
A Celtic Christmas
Dumbarton Concerts

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
4 pm
Joy of Christmas
Cathedral Choral Society and 18th Street Singers
Washington National Cathedral

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
O Magnum Mysterium: Victoria and Byrd
Chantry
St. Mary Mother of God

December 10, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic
Handel, Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
1 and 6 pm
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
American Ballet Theater
Kennedy Center Opera House

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
1:30 and 2:30 pm
Alexandria Choral Society [FREE]
Caroling in the Rotunda
National Gallery of Art

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
3 pm
Festive Baroque: In Memory of Paul Traver
Clarice Smith Center

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
3 pm
Cantate Chamber Singers: Holiday in Venice
St. Mark's Episcopal Church

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
3 pm
National Philharmonic
Handel, Messiah
Music Center at Strathmore

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Juan José Chuquisengo, piano
Phillips Collection

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Joy of Christmas
Cathedral Choral Society and 18th Street Singers
Washington National Cathedral

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
A Celtic Christmas
Dumbarton Concerts

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
4:30 pm
Holiday Concert
National Chamber Ensemble
Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere (Arlington, Va.)

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
5 pm
Music for Christmas
City Choir of Washington
National Presbyterian Church

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Rose Ensemble [FREE]
Medieval music by Arab, Sephardic, Christian composers
National Gallery of Art

December 11, 2011 (Sun)
7 pm
Messiah Sing-Along
GMU Center for the Arts

December 13, 2011 (Tue)
8 pm
Great Russian Nutcracker
Moscow Ballet
GMU Center for the Arts

December 14, 2011 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Capitol Hearings: A Cappella Christmas
Mansion at Strathmore

December 14, 2011 (Wed)
7:30 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 14, 2011 (Wed)
8 pm
Great Russian Nutcracker
Moscow Ballet
GMU Center for the Arts

December 15, 2011 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 15, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 15, 2011 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Great Russian Nutcracker
Moscow Ballet
Music Center at Strathmore

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
12:10 pm
Menahem Pressler, piano [FREE]
Music by Beethoven
National Gallery of Art

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Efe Baltacigil (cello) and Amy Yang (piano)
Turkish Ambassador's Residence

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Great Russian Nutcracker
Moscow Ballet
Music Center at Strathmore

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
A Christmas Carol in concert
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 16, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
12:30 and 1:30 pm
Annapolis Area Christian Schools [FREE]
Caroling in the Rotunda
National Gallery of Art

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
1 pm
Family Christmas Concert
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
2 and 5 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
4 pm
A Candlelight Christmas
Washington Chorus
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
A Christmas Carol in concert
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
Borromeo Quartet with Seymour Lipkin (piano) [FREE]
Library of Congress

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 17, 2011 (Sat)
8 pm
Carmina and Illuminare
Early music for Christmas
Kentlands Mansion (Gaithersburg, Md.)

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
12:30 and 1:30 pm
Central Bucks High School West Chamber Choir [FREE]
Caroling in the Rotunda
National Gallery of Art

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
1 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
Handel, Messiah
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
2 and 5 pm
O Magnum Mysterium (Christmas concert)
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Handel, Messiah
Church of Ascension and St. Agnes

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
4 pm
Arceci and McKean (Baroque ensemble)
Phillips Collection

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Thomas Mark Fallon, countertenor [FREE]
Music for Christmas
National Gallery of Art

December 18, 2011 (Sun)
7 pm
A Candlelight Christmas
Washington Chorus
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 19, 2011 (Mon)
7 pm
Holiday Treasures from Russia
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2011 (Tue)
7 pm
A Candlelight Christmas
Washington Chorus
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 20, 2011 (Tue)
7:30 pm
A Dickens Christmas
Cathedral Choral Society
Music Center at Strathmore

December 21, 2011 (Wed)
7 pm
Holiday Treasures from Russia
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 21, 2011 (Wed)
7:30 pm
A Candlelight Christmas
Washington Chorus
Music Center at Strathmore

December 22, 2011 (Thu)
7 pm
A Candlelight Christmas
Washington Chorus
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 22, 2011 (Thu)
8 pm
Holiday Celebration with Washington Symphonic Brass
National Philharmonic
Music Center at Strathmore

December 23, 2011 (Fri)
8 pm
Messiah Sing-Along [FREE]
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 24, 2011 (Sat)
1 pm
Holiday Treasures from Russia
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

December 31, 2011 (Sat)
8:30 pm
New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center Concert Hall