Classical Music Agenda (March 2016)

Jordi Savall

The classical music calendar for the month of March is rich indeed here in Washington. There are easily twice as many concerts as the number normally included in this monthly agenda, but after much deliberation, here are the Top 10 picks plus a couple lagniappes.

MAKE IT OLD:
Jordi Savall, conductor and humanitarian, will play his primary instrument, the viol, at a highly anticipated solo concert at the Phillips Collection (March 6). The intimate acoustic in the museum's Music Room is one of the selling points.

Keyboard specialist Andreas Staier visits the Library of Congress this month (March 9), playing the harpsichord. In this program he "contemplates the concept of melancholy in music from 17th-century France and Germany."

Ionarts favorite Rachel Barton Pine returns to the free concert series at the National Gallery of Art, playing a concert of the complete works for solo violin by J.S. Bach (March 27).

MAKE IT ORCHESTRAL:
Markus Stenz leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in an intriguing performance of Beethoven's overture and incidental music to Goethe's Egmont, with narration by Kwame Kwei-Armah (March 12 at Strathmore; March 11 and 13 in Baltimore). Lars Vogt joins as soloist for Beethoven's first piano concerto.

Conductor Kent Nagano comes to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (March 14), presented by Washington Performing Arts. The program combines two works premiered in 1913, the overplayed Rite of Spring and Debussy's often forgotten Jeux, with Daniil Trifonov providing the solo fireworks in Prokofiev's third piano concerto as entr'acte.

Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey

Washington runs the gamut of Russian pianists that week, as it turns out. Nikolai Lugansky plays the first Brahms piano concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra (March 17 to 19), while Osmo Vänskä will also conduct Beethoven's sixth symphony. Denis Matsuev joins the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Music Director Emeritus Yuri Temirkanov for Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto, plus Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony (March 17 at Strathmore; March 18 to 19 in Baltimore).

Joshua Bell continues to expand his repertory, playing a Mozart concerto with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (March 18) in the Music Center at Strathmore. Bell, who has been the ensemble's music director since 2011, also takes part in performances of some Mendelssohn pieces.

OTHER:
Another Ionarts favorite, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, stars in the performance of Donizetti's La Favorite (March 4) by Washington Concert Opera at Lisner Auditorium. NB: This performance is on a Friday, which makes getting to the venue much more difficult than the presenter's accustomed Sunday evening time.

The Dover Quartet quickly became an Ionarts favorite, too, and will return to Washington for concerts at Dumbarton Oaks (March 6 and 7). They will play music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Caroline Shaw, and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Virtuoso tenor Lawrence Brownlee returns for a Wolf Trap Opera alumnus recital with Kim Pensinger Witman at the piano (March 25) in the Barns.

PLUS DANCE:
The New York City Ballet comes to the Kennedy Center Opera House early in the month, with two different programs: modern choreographies by Balanchine, Martins, Peck, and Wheeldon (March 1, 2, and 4), and Bournonville's La Sylphide (March 3, 5, and 6).

The Washington Ballet gives the company debut of Hamlet, the choreography Stephen Mills created for Ballet Austin (March 23 to April 3) in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Mills combined sections of Glass's music from a range of pieces, including the first violin concerto, but the dancers will perform to a recording in this version.

PLUS KIDS:
Both Master Ionarts and Miss Ionarts enjoyed the kids concerts of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra when they were little, although we had to drive to Baltimore for them. The BSO presents Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, in a kids performance with Bob Brown Puppets at Strathmore (March 12).

See the complete calendar after the jump.

COMPLETE CALENDAR:
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!

March 1, 2016 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1 [FREE]
Washington Bach Consort
Church of the Epiphany

March 1, 2016 (Tue)
7 pm
New York City Ballet
Works by Balanchine, Martins, Peck, Wheeldon
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 1, 2016 (Tue)
8 pm
Norman Fischer (cello) and Jeanne Kierman (piano)
Clarice Smith Center

March 2, 2016 (Wed)
7 pm
New York City Ballet
Works by Balanchine, Martins, Peck, Wheeldon
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 2, 2016 (Wed)
8 pm
UMD Repertoire Orchestra [FREE]
Beethoven, 7th symphony
Clarice Smith Center

March 3, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
New York City Ballet
Bournonville, La Sylphide
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 3, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Ray Chen (violin) and Adriana Horne (harp)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 3, 2016 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage
Modell Center (Baltimore, Md.)

March 4, 2016 (Fri)
7 pm
New York City Ballet
Works by Balanchine, Martins, Peck, Wheeldon
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 4, 2016 (Fri)
7 pm
Donizetti, La Favorite
With Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Washington Concert Opera
Lisner Auditorium

March 4, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Ray Chen (violin) and Adriana Horne (harp)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 4, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Brahms, German Requiem
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Eric Owens (bass-baritone)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

March 4, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
UMD Wind Ensemble: Emblems [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
1 and 7 pm
New York City Ballet
Bournonville, La Sylphide
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Rd. Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Axelrod String Quartet
With Norman Fischer, cello
National Museum of American History

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Ray Chen (violin) and Adriana Horne (harp)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Brahms, German Requiem
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Eric Owens (bass-baritone)
Music Center at Strathmore

March 5, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
UMD Women's Chorus [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
1 pm
New York City Ballet
Bournonville, La Sylphide
Kennedy Center Opera House

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Brahms, German Requiem
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Eric Owens (bass-baritone)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Rd. Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
Music Center at Strathmore

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Washington Piano Society [FREE]
Calvary Lutheran Church (Silver Spring, Md.)

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
3:30 pm
Avi Avital, mandolin [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
Jordi Savall, viol
Phillips Collection

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Nicole Cabell (soprano) and Susan Tang (piano)
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
7 pm
Dover String Quartet
Dumbarton Oaks

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
7 pm
New Orchestra of Washington
Music by Pärt, Ruehr, Bizet
JCCGW (Rockville, Md.)

March 6, 2016 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Axelrod String Quartet
With Norman Fischer, cello
National Museum of American History

March 7, 2016 (Mon)
8 pm
eighth blackbird
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 7, 2016 (Mon)
8 pm
Vienna Mozart Orchestra
Music Center at Strathmore

March 7, 2016 (Mon)
8 pm
Dover String Quartet
Dumbarton Oaks

March 8, 2016 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Sarah Biber (cello) and Jeremy Filsell (piano) [FREE]
Music by Reger
Church of the Epiphany

March 9, 2016 (Wed)
8 pm
Andreas Staier, harpsichord [FREE]
Library of Congress

March 10, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Music of Liszt, Brahms, Picker
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 10, 2016 (Thu)
8 pm
James Stern, violin [FREE]
Clarice Smith Center

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
11:30 am
National Symphony Orchestra
With Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Music of Liszt, Brahms, Picker
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Ariel String Quartet
Barns at Wolf Trap

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Rossini, Barber of Seville
Lyric Opera Baltimore
Modell Center (Baltimore, Md.)

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Talea Ensemble [FREE]
Library of Congress

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lars Vogt (piano), Kwame Kwei-Armah (narrator)
Beethoven, incidental music to Egmont
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

March 11, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Baldwin Wallace University Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Arlington Diocese Congregational Choirs
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
11 am and 1:30 pm
NSO Teddy Bear Concert
Kennedy Center Family Theater

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
11 am and 1 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Bob Brown Puppets
Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf
Music Center at Strathmore

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
5 pm
21st Century Consort
Music by George Crumb, Andrea Clearfield, others
Smithsonian American Art Museum

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
7 pm
Amadeus Orchestra and Fairfax Choral Society
Music by Vaughan Williams
Schlesinger Hall (Alexandria, Va.)

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Rd. Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
7:30 pm
National Chamber Ensemble
Music by Aaron Copland, Lowell Liebermann, Andreas Makris, Amy Beach
Rosslyn Spectrum Theater

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Music of Liszt, Brahms, Picker
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lars Vogt (piano), Kwame Kwei-Armah (narrator)
Beethoven, incidental music to Egmont
Music Center at Strathmore

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Quatuor Ebène
Candlelight Concert Society
Horowitz Center (Columbia, Md.)

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Great Noise Ensemble
Dance works
Atlas Center

March 12, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio
Dumbarton Concerts

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
1:30 and 4 pm
NSO Teddy Bear Concert
Kennedy Center Family Theater

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Markus Stenz (conductor), Lars Vogt (piano), Kwame Kwei-Armah (narrator)
Beethoven, incidental music to Egmont
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
J. Reilly Lewis, organ
Bach, Das Orgelbüchlein
With Washington Bach Consort
National Presbyterian Church

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Rd. Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Rossini, Barber of Seville
Lyric Opera Baltimore
Modell Center (Baltimore, Md.)

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3 pm
Rock Creek Chamber Players [FREE]
With Emma Resmini, flute
Christ Lutheran Church (Bethesda Md.)

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
3:30 pm
Fry Street Quartet [FREE]
Music by Amy Beach, Laura Kaminsky, Libby Larsen, Joan Tower
National Gallery of Art

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
Christopher Park, piano
Phillips Collection

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
5 pm
Inscape
Music by Mahler, Moravec, Bayolo
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Bethesda, Md.)

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
5 pm
Capitol City Symphony
Atlas Center

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
7 pm
Jeffrey Siegel, lecturer
Music of Beethoven, Smetana, Fauré
GMU Center for the Arts

March 13, 2016 (Sun)
7 pm
Jennifer Koh (violin) and Shai Wosner (piano)
JCCGW (Rockville, Md.)

March 14, 2016 (Mon)
7 pm
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
With Kent Nagano (conductor) and Daniil Trifonov (piano)
Washington Performing Arts
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 15, 2016 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Choir of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

March 16, 2016 (Wed)
8 pm
Paul Jacobs, organ
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 17, 2016 (Thu)
6 and 7:15 pm
Steve Antosca Ensemble
Phillips Collection

March 17, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Osmo Vänskä (conductor) and Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 17, 2016 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Heifetz International Music Institute
Kreeger Museum

March 17, 2016 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Yuri Temirkanov (conductor) and Denis Matsuev (piano)
Music Center at Strathmore

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
12 noon and 2 pm
“The President’s Own” Marine Chamber Orchestra [FREE]
75th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
7 pm
Bowen McCauley Dance
World premiere of Ars Amatoris (new score by Larry Allen Smith)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Osmo Vänskä (conductor) and Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
With Joshua Bell, violin
Music Center at Strathmore

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Yuri Temirkanov (conductor) and Denis Matsuev (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

March 18, 2016 (Fri)
8 pm
Folger Consort
Renaissance dance music
Folger Shakespeare Library

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
3 pm
U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters [FREE]
75th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
Folger Consort
Renaissance dance music
Folger Shakespeare Library

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
7 pm
Bowen McCauley Dance
World premiere of Ars Amatoris (new score by Larry Allen Smith)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Smithsonian Chamber Players
Haydn, piano trios
National Museum of American History

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Osmo Vänskä (conductor) and Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Yuri Temirkanov (conductor) and Denis Matsuev (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

March 19, 2016 (Sat)
8 pm
Haskell Small, piano [FREE]
Washington Conservatory of Music
Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church (Bethesda, Md.)

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
2 pm
Folger Consort
Renaissance dance music
Folger Shakespeare Library

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
3:30 pm
U.S. Army Chorus and Brass Quintet [FREE]
75th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
James Galway (flute) and Jeanne Galway (flute)
Washington Performing Arts
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
Sandbox Percussion and Amphion Quartet
Phillips Collection

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
Washington National Cathedral Choir
Mozart, Requiem
Washington National Cathedral

March 20, 2016 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Smithsonian Chamber Players
Haydn, piano trios
National Museum of American History

March 22, 2016 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Richard Giarusso (baritone), Lauren Rausch (violin), Jeremy Filsell (continuo) [FREE]
Music of Bach
Church of the Epiphany

March 22, 2016 (Tue)
7 pm
Sharon Robinson (cello) and Anna Polonsky (piano)
Music of Beethoven (Part I)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 23, 2016 (Wed)
7 pm
Sharon Robinson (cello) and Anna Polonsky (piano)
Music of Beethoven (Part II)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 23, 2016 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Washington Ballet: Hamlet
Music by Philip Glass, choreography by Stephen Mills
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

March 24, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
BSO Pulse
Stravinsky, L'histoire du soldat
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

March 24, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
Javier Camarena (tenor) and Angel Rodriguez (piano)
Vocal Arts D.C.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 24, 2016 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Washington Ballet: Hamlet
Music by Philip Glass, choreography by Stephen Mills
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

March 24, 2016 (Thu)
8 pm
Eric Kutz (cello) and Miko Kominami​ (piano)
Clarice Smith Center

March 25, 2016 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Washington Ballet: Hamlet
Music by Philip Glass, choreography by Stephen Mills
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

March 25, 2016 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Lawrence Brownlee (tenor) and Kim Pensinger Witman (piano)
Barns at Wolf Trap

March 26, 2016 (Sat)
1:30 and 7:30 pm
Washington Ballet: Hamlet
Music by Philip Glass, choreography by Stephen Mills
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

March 26, 2016 (Sat)
2 pm
Joseph Moog, piano
Washington Performing Arts
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 27, 2016 (Sun)
3:30 pm
Rachel Barton Pine, violin [FREE]
Bach, solo sonatas and partitas
National Gallery of Art

March 27, 2016 (Sun)
4 pm
Richard Goode, piano
Phillips Collection

March 28, 2016 (Mon)
7 pm
Wandering Stars: Three Generations of European Jewish Song
Pro Musica Hebraica
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 29, 2016 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Andrew Sords (violin) and Ina Mirtcheva (piano) [FREE]
Church of the Epiphany

March 29, 2016 (Tue)
7 pm
Bloch's Evening with Kathryn Morgan
Ballet in the City
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 30, 2016 (Wed)
7 pm
Bloch's Evening with Kathryn Morgan
Ballet in the City
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

March 31, 2016 (Thu)
6:30 pm
Sayaka Shoji (violin) and Ryo Yanagitani (piano)
Phillips Collection

March 31, 2016 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Cristian Macelaru (conductor) and Nikolaj Znaider (violin)
Music by Brahms, Fauré, Jalbert, Debussy
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

March 31, 2016 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Washington Ballet: Hamlet
Music by Philip Glass, choreography by Stephen Mills
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater