Time Stands Still

Charles T. Downey, Folger Consort explores the tunes of 17th-century London
Washington Post, October 1, 2012


Dowland, The Collected Works, The Consort of Musicke, A. Rooley
The Folger Consort is presenting a musical tour of five European cities for its 35th season of concerts of early music. On Friday night, it began with a delightful survey of music in early 17th-century London, quite

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Classical Music Agenda: October 2012

In October the volume of concerts on the schedule expands considerably, making the selection of the ten concerts we think will be most worth hearing that much more difficult. Still, that is the point of this exercise: follow the complete concert calendar in the sidebar all month long for many more options.

VOICES:The National Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Richard Wagner this month, with two

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In Brief: Nationals Edition

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.)
Watch the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France perform Shostakovich's sixth symphony and Dvořák's cello concerto, with Ion Marin conducting and Jian Wang as soloist. [Cité de

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Head Butt

The Centre Pompidou opens an exhibit of works by Adel Abdessemed this coming Wednesday: Adel Abdessemed Je suis innocent (through January 7). As part of the show, he has installed a bronze sculpture (Coup de tête) in front of the museum depicting Zinedine Zidane's infamous head butt to the chest of Marco Materazzi during the final match of the World Cup in 2006, after which Italy went on to

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An Inspired New Home for Islamic Treasures

It's the largest expansion project since I. M. Pei designed the pyramid in front of the Louvre some twenty years ago. The Cour Visconti, a lavish interior courtyard at the Louvre, has been transformed into the new Department of Islamic Art, complete with an undulating, golden mesh roof -- referred to as a “dragonfly wing” by architects Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti.

The new wing is home to

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More of Tallis Scholars' Josquin Cycle

Complete Josquin Edition:
M. Pange Lingua / M. La Sol Fa Re Mi / L'homme armé Masses (2006)


M. Sine nomine / M. Ad fugam (2008)
[Review]


Missa De beata virgine / Missa Ave maris stella (2011)
[Review]


Josquin Des Prez, M. Malheur me bat / M. Fortuna desesperata,
Tallis Scholars
(released on March 10, 2009)
Gimell CDGIM 042 | 75'27"
I somehow missed one volume in the Tallis Scholars'

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À mon chevet: The Satanic Verses

À mon chevet is a series of posts featuring a quote from whatever book is on my nightstand at the moment.


On the shelf of Changez Chamchawala's teak-lined study, beside a ten-volume set of the Richard Burton translation of the Arabian Nights, which was being slowly devoured by mildew and book-worm owing to the deep-seated prejudice against books which led Changez to own thousands of the

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Nathan Gunn Celebrity Recital

An opera star recital can be a wonderful thing, which is why Plácido Domingo established the Washington National Opera's Celebrity Series. One can present a first-tier singer, whom the company could probably never engage for a full production, and it brings in revenue with a minimum expenditure. It really only works when the singer is of the caliber to drive ticket sales -- in the last two

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Shaham Plays Barber with the BSO

Charles T. Downey, At Strathmore, BSO’s Americana optimism
Washington Post, September 24, 2012


Barber / Korngold / Walton, Violin Concertos, J. Ehnes, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, B. Tovey
At the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s first subscription concert of the new season, heard at Strathmore on Saturday night, the orchestra played a program of classic Americana with grace and power. The

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In Brief: Start of Fall Edition

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.)
From the Festival de Sablé, listen to Caligula, an opera by Giovani-Maria Pagliardi from 1672, performed by Le Poème Harmonique and a troupe of marionnettes. [France Musique]

From

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From the 2012 ARD Competition, Day 7

Day 7, String Quartets, Semi FinalsSix string quartets (performers) and 18 string quartets (compositions) in just under nine hours is something you will not likely experience anywhere outside the ARD Music Competition. It’s a marathon, exhausting and gratifying, and particularly insightful when it comes to the ARD commissioned competition that participants of the semi final are required to play.

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Art in Belleville

Have a look at some of the art being shown at the Belleville Biennale, with some images (La Biennale de Belleville, un parcours initiatique à l'art contemporain, September 19) published in Le Monde. The show is taking place at various galleries and artist studios in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris, with a theme focusing on revolution. Florence Evin has a review (Prendre l'art à Belleville,

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'Don Giovanni' Gets the Wilis

Ildar Abdrazakov (Don Giovanni) and Soloman Howard (the Commendatore) in Don Giovanni, Washington National Opera, 2012 (photo by Scott Suchman)
Opera companies perform Don Giovanni a lot: Wolf Trap this past summer and in 2005, the San Francisco Opera in 2011, the Salzburg Festival in 2010, to list only the most recent reviews in our archive. The Washington National Opera has again revived John

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Briefly Noted: More Josquin

Complete Josquin Edition:
M. Pange Lingua / M. La Sol Fa Re Mi / L'homme armé Masses (2006)


M. Sine nomine / M. Ad fugam (2008)


M. Malheur me bat / M. Fortuna desesperata (2009)


Josquin Des Prez, Missa De beata virgine / Missa Ave maris stella, Tallis Scholars
(released on November 8, 2011)
Gimell CDGIM 044 | 75'58"
As someone who listens to a lot of music, I hate to answer that irksome

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The Doors Revealed

Here I am in Florence, one of my favorite cities, to be wowed by Lorenzo Ghiberti's newly restored Baptistry Doors of Paradise. Installed in 1452 and weighing eight tons, the gilded wonders must have dazzled when new. Time and pollution left a darkened patina, which was then layered with varnish in the late 1700s.


During World War II, the doors were removed and stored in a train tunnel for safe

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Washington Concert Opera: 'La Sonnambula'

René Barbera and Eglise Gutiérrez, La Sonnambula, Washington Concert Opera, 2012 (photo courtesy of Washington Concert Opera)
The Teatro Carcano had quite an 1830-1831 season in Milan. Founded in 1801, the management had dreams of rivaling La Scala as an opera theater. As noted in my preview of the past weekend's highlights here in Washington, the theater premiered both Donizetti's Anna Bolena

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Ionarts-at-Large: Gatti & GMYO in Dresden

Daniele Gatti and the Mahler Youth Orchestra stopped by in Dresden’s Semperoper with their Wagner-Berg-Strauss-Ravel program, the morning after Christian Thielemann had conducted his inauguration concert with the Staatskapelle. It was a fitting concert to cap a trip through Saxony—‘on the paths of Wagner’—I had been on. In fact it was the first Wagner I heard after traipsing through the

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Sondra Radvanovsky Transcends Drab 'Anna Bolena'

Sondra Radvanovsky (Anna Bolena) and Sonia Ganassi (Giovanna Seymour) in Anna Bolena, Washington National Opera, 2012 (photo by Scott Suchman)
When the Metropolitan Opera presented the disappointing Anna Netrebko in the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena last year, they missed the chance to cast Sondra Radvanovsky as the hated arriviste Queen of England. New York's loss is Washington's gain,

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Classical Month in Washington (October)

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!

October 1, 2012 (Mon)
7 pm
Mozart, Don Giovanni
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

October 2, 2012 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata: O heilges Geist - und

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In Brief: 24 Violins Edition

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.)

A concert I mentioned this summer and looked for in vain online has finally shown up in an audio stream: the reconstruction of the 24 Violons du Roy, with Patrick Cohën-Akenine

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