RSS 2.0 FeedAugust 19, 2009, City Classics, Classical
Music and Dance Column: Fall preview
While there are not any classical music performances now through the end of the August, that's good news in disguise, for it means that most of our city's classical music organizations are getting ready for their new seasons! There's lots of exciting stuff coming up, and here's a a sampling of just some of the music and dance performances this fall.
Kansas City Symphony
Lyric Theatre
10th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
The traditional kickoff to the Kansas City Symphony season is the 'Pops in the Park' concert over Labor Day weekend at the Theatre in the Park, Shawnee Mission Park located at I-470 and Renner Road in Shawnee, Kansas. Conducted by the Symphony's ebullient assistant conductor Steven Jarvi, the concert will probably feature favorites from Broadway scores and film music as well as a few classical spectaculars. Bring along your lawn chairs, food and friends for this free introduction to the Symphony season. The gates open at 5:00 p.m. with the concert itself starting at 7:00 p.m.
As for the fall portion of the Symphony's classical season, the local band invites a number of guest performers to its stage, including piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman for the ravishing Brahms Concerto No. 2 (September 25-27), pianist Alon Goldstein for the world premiere of a new piano concerto by composer Avner Dorman (November 20-22), and cellist Alban Gerhardt in the splendid Dvorak Cello Concerto, this reviewer's personal favorite in the cello repertory (he joins a large crowd in that estimation) (October 9-11).
In addition, Symphony audiences should warmly welcome the return of the Symphony's terrific concert master, Kanako Ito, as a soloist in the beautiful Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (October 23-25). Ito is the equal or superior of most of the touring violin virtuosos today, combining terrific technique with soulful expressiveness, and her previous solo appearances have been highlights of Symphony seasons past. The October 23-25 concert, by the way, also features Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, arguably the best of the six brilliant Brandenburgs, and Haydn's rarely performed but compelling Lord Nelson Mass, featuring the Symphony Chorus with chorus master Charles Bruffy. If you want to mark your calendar for a "can't miss" concert, this would be a good choice.
Conductor Michael Stern has also programmed a number of standard classics for the fall season, including the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (October 9-11), the brilliant Sibelius Symphony No. 3 (November 20-22), and of course Handel's Messiah at holiday time (November 28), this season to be performed in the impressive Community of Christ auditorium in Independence.
Stern is a strong promoter of contemporary symphonic music, of course, so in addition to the Dorman piano concerto mentioned above, you will want to look for Christopher Rouse's Rapture, being performed at the season's opening concerts. This reviewer is unfamiliar with the piece, but the composer describes it as "a progression to an ever more blinding ecstasy." Hmmm. Better bring the sunglasses and the Valium.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.kcopera.org
The Lyric Opera presents two classics, at the absolute opposite ends of the dramatic spectrum, for its two fall offerings this season. Opening on September 11 and continuing through September 19 is Puccini's melodramatic Tosca, a story of intrigue, seduction, torture and ritual murder which takes place against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Not for the queasy, Puccini's masterpiece contains one of the greatest soprano arias ever written ("Vissi d'arte") and not one but two of the favorite arias from the tenor repertory. And, we should not forget to add, one of the most dastardly operatic villains ever encountered, in the scheming Scarpia.
For its Tosca cast the Lyric Opera's artistic director, Ward Holmquist, has been able to procure some of the finest singers in these roles today. Soprano Lisa Daltirus, who has sung the title role in New York, Boston, Seattle and elsewhere, portrays Tosca. Her lover Cavaradossi is newcomer Rafael Dávila, tenor, who has sung leading roles with the companies of Sarasota, Puerto Rico, Tampa and Austin, along with opera houses in Naples, Salzburg and the Czech Republic.
The villainous Scarpia will be portrayed by baritone Greer Grimsley, who is famed for this role as the Metropolitan Opera and other companies. He also sings leading baritone roles with the opera companies of Seattle (where he is appearing in this month's Ring cycle), San Diego, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and others. Overseas he has appeared in Venice, Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Buenos Aires, among others.
The Lyric Opera's second production of the fall is Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, as light-hearted as Tosca is heavy-handed. The cast for this delightful spoof of Victorian manners and mores will be led by Kansas City's terrific Robby Gibby Brand as Sir Joseph Porter (watch for "When I Was a Lad"), along with another baritone with Kansas City connections, Daniel Belcher, as Captain Corcoran. Tenor John-Michael Ball and soprano Ava Pine play the young lovers Ralph Rackstraw and Josephine; both are known for impressive performances at other leading American companies. H.M.S. Pinafore runs from November 6 through 14.
Special note for Lyric Opera veterans: The Opera has eliminated its Monday night performances this season, so your usual tickets may have been switched to a different night. Some opening nights are on Fridays and some are on Saturdays. So check your tickets to be sure you are certain of the night you are attending.
The Friends of Chamber Music
Folly Theater (plus other venues)
11th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org.
How do Cynthia Siebert and her Friends of Chamber Music staff manage to do it, year after year? The series brings in world-famous ensembles and performers at ticket prices that are only a fraction of what you would pay on the coasts. Well, we'll leave the secret of her magic with her, and just enjoy what The Friends of Chamber Music has to offer this season.
In the fall, in its Master Pianists Series, The Friends presents the 30-year-old Armenian virtuoso Nareh Arghamanhan in music of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann (October 2, Folly Theater). Praised for her virtuosity, she has been winning Continental piano competitions since she was nine years old. So what were you doing when you were nine?
On October 24, the gorgeously blended a capella vocal group Anonymous 4 (to this listener they always sound like a lot more than four voices on recordings, but seeing them live is believing) in a presentation of scholarly works from 13th century Spain (October 24, Visitation Church). This group of talented vocalists manages to unearth rare manuscripts of medieval works, and their performances offer us a fascinating insight in to the musical brilliance of bygone ages.
The St. Lawrence String Quartet, an excellent ensemble of two decades' duration, performs works of Haydn, Mendelssohn and Mozart (November 7, Folly Theater) as part of The Friends' International Chamber Music Series.
Another terrific singing group, the Tallis Scholars, reappears on The Friends stage with music by its eponymous composer Thomas Tallis, along with works of Josquin, Nesbett and Byrd (December 10, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). These brilliant interpreters of Renaissance music have delighted listeners around the world with more than fifty recordings, and are always a treat to hear.
The Friends of Chamber Music will also offer a "What Makes it Great" program with the effervescent Rob Kaplan and the Zemlinsky Quartet (November 14-15, locations to be announced), along with a free showing of the film Copying Beethoven (November 5, Tivoli Cinemas).
And that's only the fall portion of the season. The Friends will have more delightful concerts coming up for us after the first of the year.
Harriman-Jewell Series
Folly Theater
11th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online at www.harriman-jewell.org
The Harriman-Jewell Series always brings outstanding performers to Kansas City, and this fall is no exception. The series kicks off on September 15 with the virtuoso young pianist Lang Lang playing Beethoven's Apassionata sonata and works of Albeniz and Prokofiev. The following week we will hear another wunderkind, violinist Stefan Jackiw, who was so impressive in his series debut a few years ago, return to the Folly Theater. His program has yet to be announced.
This reviewer is eagerly anticipating the Kansas City debut on October 3 of tenor Lawrence Brownlee, a high-flying operatic singer whose career in the roles of Rossini, Bellini and the like has rivaled that of the famous Juan Diego Florez, who appeared on the Harriman-Jewell Series last year. Brownlee has established himself as an international star in the same repertory as Florez, and we are privileged here in Kansas City to hear them both, courtesy of Richard Harriman and company.
At the end of the month, another world famous operatic voice will appear on the Series in the person of Deborah Voigt (October 30). Voigt stars throughout the world in the operas of Wagner and Strauss, as well as other composers, and this will be an opportunity for you to appraise her artistry first hand.
Parthinia, a group of four players of viols, medieval stringed instruments, will perform an early music concert (December 13) featuring holiday offerings of William Byrd and other composers.
In addition to these strictly music performances, the Harriman-Jewell Series will also present a couple of dance performances, the Virsky Ukrainian Dance company (October 9) and the Parsons Dance Company, founded by Kansas City native David Parsons (November 13). The latter performance will also feature lead singers from the East Village Opera Company, a group which sings rock-music versions of operatic classics which may appeal to some ears.
In addition to the above, the Series presents pianist Boris Giltburg in a free Discovery Series concert on December 10. He has been identified as a "pianist to watch" by the acclaimed BBC Music Magazine.
Again, this summary only covers the fall season; the Harriman-Jewell Series will have many more presentations after the first of the year.
Kansas City Chorale
Various locations
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222;
information is available online at www.kcchorale.org (no tickets available online)
Kansas City's internationally famed Kansas City Chorale, directed by Charles Bruffy, presents two concerts this fall. The first, given October 18 and 20, is entitled "Amazing Grace" and will feature music from Appalachia to the Great Plains, including gospel favorites and several different renditions of the eponymous tune.
The second Chorale concert will be a holiday offering on December 13 and 15, and will offer Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, an arrangement of a series of medieval texts.
Octarium
Corpus Cristi Catholic Church
6001 Bob Billings Parkway, Lawrence, KS
Visitation Catholic Church
5141 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For information visit www.octarium.org
Octarium, Krista Lang Blackwood's eight-voice a capella vocal ensemble, is to this listener's ears the equal or superior of many nationally famous groups, and the ensemble's recordings make for revelatory listening. This fall the group releases its fourth compact disc, Modern Masters, and will offer a "release" concert on November 14 and 15 in Lawrence and Kansas City, respectively. The disc and concert include music of Lauridsen, Whitacre, Corigliano, Adamo, Hatfield, Paulus, Larsen, Mulholland, Clausen, Stroope, Mechem, Stucky, and Gawthrop. In particular, the disc and recording will feature On Green Mountains by Steve Danyew, the winner of the 2009 Octarium Composition Competition.
Octarium's concerts are a treat for the ear; this one should be on your "don't miss" list this fall.
Signature Series
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or purchase tickets online at conservatory.umkc.edu/the_conservatory/signatureseries.aspx
The Signature Series at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance opens with the Cypress String Quartet on October 10. This group is a "Generation X Ensemble to Watch," according to Chamber Music Magazine, and appeals especially to younger fans. The quartet will also be in residence at the Conservatory for a time.
All of the other Signature Series performances, including a concert by Kansas City tenor Vinson Cole, now on the Conservatory faculty, will be in the spring.
Lied Center
University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu.
The Lied Center presents many different kinds of performances throughout the year, but of special note to classical music fans are the Orquestra de São Paulo with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie on October 9 and the Cypress String Quartet on October 28, featuring the music of Mendelssohn. There will be more classical concerts in 2010, including one by the rising young America mezzo-soprano Sasha Cook of the Metropolitan Opera.
On the dance scene, the Lied Center is presenting the Trey McIntyre Project in a multimedia dance performance on October 23, "Ferocious Beauty: Genome" by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange on November 7 and Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, "the very heart and soul of flamenco," on November 14.
Performing Arts Series
Johnson County Community College
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/home/depts.php/001440/site/toc_events
As always, Johnson County Community College is sponsoring a widely varied series of events at Yardley Hall this fall, but there are several which should be of particular note for classical music listeners. On October 30 Dame Emma Kirkby, an elegant British soprano, will join lute player Jakob Lindburg in a performance of Orpheus in England. Earlier in the fall crossover artist Tommy Emmanuel, whose guitar performances bridge the pop and classical world, will perform on October 9.
For dance enthusiasts, JCCC is offering the Bad Boys of Dance on October 23-24, and the acclaimed Paul Taylor Dance Co. on November 13-14. There are two December holiday programs on the Yardley Hall calendar, the New England Sigmund Romberg Orchestra and Vocal Soloists in A Viennese Christmas on December 4 (two performances), and Cantus, a male chamber choir, in All is Calm on December 11.
Of course, more is to come after the first of the year at Yardley Hall, including Porgy and Bess in February.
newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church (and other venues)
4501 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222.
Visit www.newear.org for information (no tickets available online).
newEar keeps Kansas City honest when it comes to contemporary music, with a variety of offerings from contemporary composers that will expand your horizons and, well, stretch your ears.
For its 17th season this year, New Ear presents two fall concerts. On September 3 (White Recital Hall) and September 12 (Bell Cultural Events Center, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas) the group focuses on minimalist music with works by Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, Vladimir Tosic, Barbara Benary and others. This concert is part of the Second International Conference on Minimalist Music.
November 6 sees the group return to its home base at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church with a concert entitled "American Currents," featuring the works of Stephen Hartke.
Musica Sacra
St. Francis Xavier Church
52nd and Troost, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or online at www.rockhurst.edu/services/musicasacra
On October 18 Musica Sacra, Timothy MacDonald's estimable group which specializes in classical and ancient music performances of spiritual works, presents choral masterpieces by Palestrina, Vivaldi and Mendelssohn. The ravishing tones of Palestrina always bring this reviewer's ears back to the very origins of Italian Renaissance music, and his Missa Brevis is a masterpiece of polyphonic composition. Not to be missed.
Sacra Musica's second performance of the fall is a holiday concert on December 4 of music from the Italian Renaissance, including works of Boccherini and Corelli. Expect some standard Christmas carols to be on tap as well.
Kansas City Civic Opera & Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Goppert Theatre, Avila College
123rd and Wornall, Kansas City, MO
For ticket information visit www.kccivicopera.org.
The Kansas City Civic Opera and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra are pairing together for a presentation of Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen on October 16 and 18 at the Goppert Theatre at Avila College. Purcell's music, surprisingly dramatic and involving for a 17th century score, has not been previously presented in Kansas City to this reviewer's knowledge. Chamber Orchestra conductor Bruce Sorrell will conduct and David Adams runs the Civic Opera's forces. The opportunity to hear this lively Elizabethan music first hand is not to be missed.
Kansas City Ballet
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-931-2232 or online at www.kcballet.org.
The Kansas City Ballet opens its season October 15-18 with artistic director William Whitener's version of Carmen. The popular operatic masterpiece by Bizet has become almost as common on the ballet stage as it is in the opera house, with its exotic Spanish themes, gypsy protagonist, bullfighter antihero and heightened sense of drama. Whitener's version of the story garnered critical and audience acclaim when it premiered in 2007, and the piece returns this Fall to the Ballet's stage.
Also on the opening Fall concert are three other numbers, with choreography by Arthur Saint-Leon, Jessica Lang and Lev Ivanov.
Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company
White Recital Hall
Performing Arts Center
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222.
The Wylliams-Henry dance company, led by Mary Pat Williams of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, will be the first out of the box for ballet companies this Fall with a concert September 10-2 featuring three performances. The choreographers are Canadian Josh Beamish, DeeAnna Hiett and Jose Limon. The Hiett piece, Shadows of Fate, is a world premiere, and the Beamish entry, Trap Door Party, is an American premiere. The Limon piece is a classic rendition of Orfeo.
We hope that this column has whetted your appetite for some of the outstanding classical offerings which our local organizations are producing this Fall. So get out that calendar, pick up the phone or access your web browser, and start planning for a full fall of artistic performances!
City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor
A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony. He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony.
Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera). He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.
In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization. He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations. When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.
Comments(2):
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Sorry you missed big one, Dan
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Pam
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Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Megan
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