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Pianist Russell Sherman will perform Liszt's ''Transcendental Etudes'' at Jordan Hall on Sept. 25. |
Front Row: Classical Music
September 7, 2008
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Boston Symphony Orchestra - James Levine returns from his medical leave to open the BSO's season with an all-Russian program on Sept. 24 in Symphony Hall. Brahms's "German Requiem" follows closely on its heels Sept. 26 and 27. The fall will see premieres of works by Leon Kirchner, Andre Previn, and Elliott Carter (a new piano concerto to celebrate his 100th birthday in December). There seem to be fewer programs that telegraph Levine's adventurous spirit and his ability to forge fresh connections across centuries, but one comes on Oct. 23, when he will lead music by Boulez, Berlioz, and Messiaen. 617-266-1200 or www.bso.org.
Russell Sherman - Liszt's "Transcendental Etudes" seldom seem as aptly named as when they are brought to life by this formidable pianist and pillar of the local musical community. Sherman's remarkable early recording of the Etudes helped first establish his reputation as a virtuoso, and this fall, in his late 70s, he returns to these fiercely difficult works, performing all 12 in a solo recital at Jordan Hall. Like all concerts presented by New England Conservatory, this one is free. Sept. 25 in Jordan Hall, 617-585-1100 or www.newenglandconservatory .edu.
Takacs Quartet + Muzsikas - Just about every classical music fan knows the standard line that Bartok was inspired by Hungarian folk music, but what exactly does that mean? These two ensembles have built a fascinating program around exactly that question, with the Takacs, one of the best chamber ensembles out there, performing portions of Bartok's String Quartets alongside the Hungarian folk ensemble Muzsikas, which presents freewheeling renditions of the folk music that first fired Bartok's imagination. Woven through it all are excerpts from the composer's own field recordings.
Period Boston - This city likes its strings made of gut and its music early, and the fall concert calendar will oblige. Boston Baroque is presenting a semi-staged version of Handel's "Xerxes" with the male soprano Michael Maniaci in Jordan Hall Oct. 24 and 25; the British keyboard player and early music star Richard Egarr leads the Handel and Haydn Society in Mozart and Beethoven on Nov. 7 and 9; and the Boston Early Music Festival, in addition to its ongoing concert series, offers an evening of fully staged chamber operas (by Blow and Charpentier) in Jordan Hall on Nov. 29. www.boston baroque.org or 617-484-9200; www.handelandhaydn.org or 617-266-3605; www.bemf.org or 617-661-1812.
Cantata Singers -The chorus has made a strong case for orienting its season around the exploration of a single well-chosen composer. Last year it was Kurt Weill. This year it's Benjamin Britten, with a thoughtful sampling of his choral, orchestral and chamber music as well as a staged performance of his children's opera "Noye's Fludde." The Britten survey begins Nov. 7 at Jordan Hall, with the "Hymn to the Virgin" and the "Cantata Misericordium" along with the local premiere of a work by Nicholas Maw and a performance of Fauré's much-loved Requiem. 617-868-5885 or www.cantatasingers.org.
JEREMY EICHLER
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