Tchaikovsky

When the tuba is wearing a bowler hat, you know you’re in a good place

Is that a piccolo in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Violinists: CEASE AND DESIST

Man, I was so happy, cruising through the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s 13-14 season. My beloved Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg is doing the Shostakovich violin concerto: AWESOME. Itzhak mothereffin’ Perlman is back with his ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT rendition of Beethoven’s Romance No. 1; as far as I’m concerned his is the only version that matters. Hell, they’re playing the score to Casablanca while screening the film! I love Casablanca! Here are your winnings, sir!

There’s more! Mahler’s “Titan” symphony! Holst’s The Planets! Gershwin! Bernstein! My favorite Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto! And look, Mendelssohn’s violin conc – STOP RIGHT THERE.

I’ve said it before but apparently no one was listening, so this time I’m going to try it with more shouty capitals: STOP PLAYING THE MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO. EVERY SINGLE SEASON, SOMEBODY PLAYS THE MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO. THERE IS NOTHING SO VERY GREAT ABOUT THE MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO THAT WE NEED TO HEAR IT INTERPRETED BY EVERY CONCERT VIOLINIST ON EARTH. IT IS NOT THAT DEEP, PEOPLE. IT’S NOT EVEN PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE. IT’S, LIKE, EVERY SINGLE STUDENT VIOLINIST’S FIRST REAL CONCERTO. I PLAYED IT. NO ONE CARES. KNOCK IT OFF. LEARN ANOTHER FREAKING PIECE OF MUSIC.

And let us not say another word about it. (Please don’t make me say another word about it.)

Concert Roundup Got Rhythm

• Who doesn’t love Gershwin? NO WAIT DON’T ANSWER THAT I DON’T WANT TO KNOW. And neither does the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; their program this week is all-Gershwin, with big’uns like An American in Paris, Rhapsody in Blue, and more. July 25 at Strathmore; July 26 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• The National Symphony Orchestra continues to pound them out with multiple concerts at Wolf Trap over the next couple of days: Tchaikovsky‘s 1812 Overture on July 26; a patriotic program of Gershwin, Copland, and the Brubecks on July 27; and Broadway favorites on July 28. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: Free summer outdoor concerts continue, plus outdoor concerts for kids. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

A Concert Roundup, Where We Lay Our Scene

• Look, up in the sky! It’s Tchaikovsky! No, it’s Berlioz! No, it’s PROKOFIEV! Which is my ridiculous and convoluted way of saying that this week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, which, if you weren’t aware, is better than anyone else’s. So yay for that! Also a piece by Prangcharoen and Saint-Saens‘ third piano concerto. May 23 & 24 at the Meyerhoff; May 25 at Strathmore. [ See it! ]
• The National Symphony Orchestra breaks out the NSO Pops to play with Trey Anastasio of Phish. No. Really. I promise I’m not making this up. Apparently he composes? And there’ll be some orchestrations of Phish songs? Interesting. Hey Trey, d’you feel like being interviewed by a plucky young blogger? May 22. [ See it! ]
• The NSO is also performing a free Memorial Day concert at the Capitol building on Sunday with the usual assortment of military music ensembles and patriotic music. May 26. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: fiddler Rickie Simpkins; a discussion of arts and their impact on the development of the adult brain. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

The Little Concert Roundup

• This week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has Midori. Need I say more? I thought not, but I will anyway: she’s doing the Bartok violin concerto (praise be to God that it’s not the Mendelssohn!) and then the BSO follows it up with Brahms‘ first symphony. [Some pun about melon liqueur goes here.] April 25 & 26 at the Meyerhoff; April 27 at Strathmore. [ See it! ]
• The National Symphony Orchestra counters with a solo pianist: Andreas Haefliger taking on the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1. Plus Tchaikovsky‘s fourth symphony (the “Little Russian” if I’m remembering correctly) and did you know there’s a composer named Wagenaar? Did Wagner know about this? I feel like he would have sued. April 25 – 27. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: Jazz drumming; boogie-woogie piano; the Marian Anderson String Quartet. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

Concert Roundupslistlieder

At least read until you get to the bit with the condoms.

• This week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra chooses to go with a whole lot of Rachmaninoff. Not sure what they’re thinking there, but there it is. But no worries – they’re getting pianist Simon Trpceski to play it, which is a much butter decision in sheer quantity of consonants alone, and then finishing up with Shostakovich‘s eleventh symphony. Much better! March 22 & 24 at the Meyerhoff; March 23 at Strathmore. [ See it! ]
• The National Symphony Orchestra, meanwhile, wins my heart forever by choosing to present a live version of that Classical Kids favorite, Tchaikovsky Discovers America. All your favorite Tchaikovsky pieces woven into a storyline that doesn’t pander like so much children’s education does (assuming, of course, it’s the same as my beloved old cassette tapes). They ought to all be hanging out on a train. If they’re not on a train, we’ve been lied to. “And just a touch of raspberry!” March 24. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: Classical guitar with Mattias Jacobsson, Neil Berg’s 101 Years of Broadway, and – I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE – UrbanArias. I’ve seen the program and the comic operas will include, among other things, “Craigslistlieder,” actual Craigslist postings set to music. Among the selections: “Half a Box of Condoms” and “For Trade: Assless Chaps.” How could I help but be there? [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

Concert Roundup Breaks It Down

• Hmmm. I dunno, guys. This week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is performing Tchaikovsky‘s Francesca da Rimini – okay, I’m on board so far. Then Stephen Hough plays us Liszt‘s second piano concerto – that should be interesting. The closer? The second symphony of Sibelius… right. Like I said. I dunno. Oh, I kid, I kid, Jeannie. Should be good! February 7 at Strathmore; February 8 & 9 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• For those of who are an inexplicably rooming with small children and need to get them out of the house, the National Symphony Orchestra offers one of their Kindkonzerts, simply titled “Break It Down!” As far as I can tell, a percussionist and flutist are going to explain how instruments work. Musically, not mechanically. Although that would also be interesting. Who can tell? February 9. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: Jazz violin, slam poetry and hip hop, electric cellist and composer Wytold. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

Making up for lost Christmastime

Our schedule got wonky this week and there was no Monday video, plus the week before that I was off and my own, internal schedule got wonky and there was no Monday video. So, to make it up to you, here’s a Not Monday video. Presenting: My Favorite Nutcracker. Take it, Mikhail B!

The Concert Roundupcracker

• ‘Tis the season for yet more of Tchaikovsky‘s The Nutcracker! The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra unites with dancers at the Baltimore School for the Arts to bring you a full production of the classic and dare I say mandatory holiday ballet. December 21 &22 at the Lyric (which is right down the street from the Meyerhoff). [ See it! ]
• Speaking of classic and dare I say mandatory holiday things, this week’s National Symphony Orchestra offering is Handel‘s Messiah oratorio. December 20 – 23. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: TONS of holiday productions, although only some classic and dare I say mandatory. The Washington Chorus has a Christmas production; Charm City Klezmer keeps the Hannukah magic going, gypsy jazz versions of holiday favorites, and, yes, the National Philharmonic busts out two more Messiahs. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.

Unto Us a Concert Roundup Is Given

• OH, UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN! Yes, my friends, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presents us with the first Handel‘s Messiah of the season, because it it illegal to schedule an orchestra concert series without including it. But hey, it’s not like the holidays would feel right without the “Hallelujah” chorus, no? December 7 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• Or, if you have small children and you’d like to catch a matinee, the BSO is also offering an abbreviated version of Tchaikovsky‘s equally required Nutcracker, with narration and dancers from the Baltimore School for the Arts. December 8 at the Meyerhoff. [ See it! ]
• If, on the other hand, you’re trying to escape the holiday season as long as humanly possible, the National Symphony Orchestra offers a program devoid of the holly jolly – with Lutoslawski, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky‘s third symphony, which is 100% sugarplum free. Yuja Wang on the piano, bee tee dubs. December 6 – 8. [ See it! ]
• This week at Strathmore: Canadian-Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster, another Messiah from the National Philharmonic, a holiday school choir, klezmer music. [ See the calendar! ]

If you’d like your concert included in next week’s roundup, leave a comment or drop me a line.