WETA FM 90.9 Blog

Premature Christmas celebrations have the Advent season in a tight grip, even musically, but that’s no reason to lower one’s standards when considering which concerts to go to. What follows is a list of the most promising, intriguing, or interesting musical performances in the greater Washington area this month, including two American composers’ world premieres.

Since December begins with a Tuesday, Noontime Cantata Bach is the first stop. The Cantat will be Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 and hearing the Washington Bach Consort at the Church of the Epiphany is, of course, free. Tuesday December 1^st, noon.

On Wednesday, December 2^nd, pianists Joel Fan will perform works by Carter, Bolcom, Gandolfi, and Kirchner in the final concert of the 64th American Music Festival at the National Gallery of Art. It also takes place at noon, it is also a free event.

It is telling that in the blip for the Trio Solisti’s performance at the Terrace Theater (Thursday, December 3^rd) that their piano trio arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition is described as a re-arrangement of “Musorgsky’s popular orchestral work”. What’s Ravel ever done for us, anyway. But whether a reduction of Ravel or expansion of Musorgsky probably matters little, since the draw is in any case the world premiere of a new Paul Moravec work and Mendelssohn’s Second Piano Trio.

If that doesn’t suit your taste, maybe Angela Hewitt’s performance of the Goldberg Variations at the Music Center at Strathmore the same night (8PM, WPAS) will. She performed them—but without the repeats, then—six years ago at the National Gallery of Art, but has since become much more convinced that her style of playing Bach is the right one.

December 3^rd through the 5^th will feature the NSO under Andrew Litton in the world premiere and two consequent performances of Jennifer Higdon’s new—piano—concerto. Lang Lang was supposed to premiere the work but had to pull out. Now it is Yuja Wang who will do the honors, instead. To make up for the contemporary music exposure, Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony and a Rimsky-Korsakov Suite are also programmed. Thursday 7PM, Friday 1.30PM, and Saturday 8PM at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall.

Another world premiere: Ezequiel Viñao (try a little at the Amazon previews) and his String Quartet, commissioned by the Library of Congress and performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. They’ll also play the Washington premiere of John Adams’ String Quartet and Haydn’s op.54/2 as part of their recital on Friday, December 4^th, 8PM.

The University of Maryland Symphony also has a concert that night most noteworthy for a performance of Edgar Varèse’s Amérique. Clarice Smith Center, 8PM. Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen (23-string version) and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1 are also thrown in. Perfect for anyone who hasn’t heard any of these works live. The Varèse is repeated on December 10^th (Clarice Smith Center, 8PM), but then as part of a Wind Ensemble concert.

Ray Chen is the reigning Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition winnger and also a 2008/2009 Young Concert Artist. As such, his program of Tartini, Franck, Sarasate, and Bach (Solo Sonata in a) will have to be checked out by everyone who is interested who the next thing among violinists might become (or not). Kennedy Center, Terrace Theater, Tuesday December 8^th, 7.30PM.

The Shanghai String Quartet is a regular at the Freer Gallery and they don’t disappoint. This time—Wednesday December 9^th, 7.30PM—they will perform more Yi-Wen Jiang arrangements of Chinese folk songs, the Debussy Quartet, Beethoven’s “Serioso” Quartet op.95, and the regional premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Third String Quartet that they commissioned for their 25^th anniversary.

12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20

Ten performances of “In Dulci Jubilo: A German Christmas” should be enough for you to catch one, if you want to. These performances of the favorite Christmas settings published by Michael Praetorius are all performed by the Cantata Chamber Singers with the Folger Consort at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Exact times can be found on their website.

Haydn’s Piano Trios, if you don’t know them yet, are superb. So you might want to get acquainted with them at the Phillips Collection when the Raphael Trio plays a few, on Sunday December 13^th at 4PM. And if you know them already, you might go also, especially since the performance is included in the price of museum admission.

The young Parker Quartet has been fabulous on their previous appearances in Washington, why not also on Friday December 18^th, 8PM when they perform at the Library of Congress as part of the Stradivari Anniversary. A great mix of Haydn op.20/2, Dutilleux, and Beethoven op.127 awaits.

If you like the classical guitar, the day after Boxing Day has a gift for you in the form of Sharon Isbin’s free concert at the National Gallery of Art (Spanish guitar medley). Sunday December 27^th, 6.30PM.