Symphony Strings Together Impressive Season

Classical music

Spokane’s upcoming classical music season offers quite a few not-to-be-missed concerts.

The Hungarian cellist Janos Starker has few challengers to the title The World’s Greatest Cellist, and he will play what surely is The World’s Greatest Cello Concerto — Antonin Dvorak’s Concerto in B minor — with the Spokane Symphony on Nov. 17.

For a completely different take on playing string instruments, fiddler Mark O’Connor is hard to beat. O’Connor will close the symphony’s Superpops series May 5.

More unusual fiddling can be heard when four jazz violinists jam with the Spokane String Quartet on Feb. 27.

The concerts in the Zephyr series always offer something out of the ordinary, and the 1922 dada-esque French film “Ballet Mechanique” is way off the beaten path. You can see the film and hear George Antheil’s wild musical score played live Jan. 20 at The Met.

Another classic 1922 film, the pioneering horror classic “Nosferatu,” can be seen, accompanied by organist Charles Bradley at St. John’s Cathedral Oct. 27-28, in the Cathedral and The Arts series. And for early-music buffs, that series brings in musicologist-performer Margriet Tindemans to lead a “Mystical Music Tour” on Nov. 19 that stops in medieval times, the baroque period and the 20th century.

For an unusual combination of early music and dance, the Allegro series Oct. 13 will feature local musicians and dancers from Theatre Ballet.

The Northwest Bach Festival, Feb. 17-25, this year centers around Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.” That may seem a odd choice for a Bach festival until you hear festival director and conductor Gunther Schuller explain just how much Bach influenced Beethoven’s masterpiece.

This sidebar appeared with the story: SPOKANE SYMPHONY

Tickets are available through the symphony box office (624-1200) or G&B (325-SEAT, 1-800-325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com)

Sept. 15 — Elmar Oliveira, violin, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Sept. 22 — Superpops, Canadian Brass, Opera House ($35-$16)

Oct. 6 — Markus Groh, piano, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Oct. 7 — Markus Groh, piano, North Idaho College ($22/$16)

Oct. 19 — Chamber Soiree, Masonic Temple ($20-$9)

Oct. 21 — Superpops, Sandy Duncan, Opera House ($35-$16)

Oct. 27 — Carmina Burana, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Oct. 29 — Halloween Symfunnies, Opera House ($9/$6)

Nov. 5, 7 — Ilton Wjuniski, harpsichord, The Met ($22-$11)

Nov. 17 — Janos Starker, cello, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Dec. 1-3 — The Nutcracker, Opera House ($33-$13)

Dec. 7 — Classical Mystery Tour, a tribute to The Beatles, Spokane Arena ($35-$20)

Dec. 16 — Superpops, Holiday Pops, Opera House ($35-$16)

Dec. 17 — Superpops, Holiday Pops Matinee, Opera House ($23-$10)

Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve Gala, Ag Trade Center ($99; reserved tables)

Jan. 6 — Tracy Dunlop, violin, North Idaho College ($22/$16)

Jan. 7, 9 — Tracy Dunlop, violin, The Met ($22-$11)

Jan. 26 — Stephanie Chase, violin, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Feb. 1 — Chamber Soiree, Masonic Temple ($20-$9)

Feb. 3 — Superpops, Walt Wagner, Opera House ($35-$16)

Feb. 16 — Aida Ribeiro, piano, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

March 9 — Carole Farley, soprano, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

March 17 — Superpops, Radio Days, Opera House ($35-$16)

March 18 — Symfunnies Family Concert, Opera House ($9/$6)

March 30 — Pascal Roge, piano, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

April 12 — Chamber Soiree, Masonic Temple ($20-$9)

April 20 — Shakespeare in Song, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

April 28 — Tian Ying, piano, North Idaho College ($22/$16)

April 29, May 1 — Tian Ying, piano, The Met ($22-$11)

May 5 — Superpops, Mark O’Connor, Opera House ($35-$16)

May 11 —Mozart and Mahler, Opera House ($32-$14.50)

Other CLASSICAL music

Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available through G&B.

Sept. 26 — Western Opera Theater, “Die Fledermaus,” Panida Theater, Sandpoint ($24-$12; 208-263-6139)

Sept. 28 — Western Opera Theater, “Die Fledermaus,” Wallenstien Theater, Moses Lake ($24-$12; 509-762-6244)

Sept. 27 — Seattle Symphony, Beasley Coliseum, Pullman ($22.50/$14.50)

Oct. 13 — Allegro, Dance Baroque IV, The Met ($18-$8)

Oct. 13-14 — Westminster Chamber Orchestra, Westminster Congregational Church, Spokane ($12)

Oct. 15 — Sherry Kloss, violin, The Met (tba)

Oct. 23 — Gonzaga Symphony, The Met (tba)

Oct. 24 — Spokane British Brass Band, The Met (tba)

Oct. 27-28 — Vampires for Halloween, “Nosferatu” with live organ accompaniment, St. John’s Cathedral ($7-$3.50)

Nov. 10 — Zephyr, Zephyr Fanfare, The Met ($17-$10)

Nov. 11 — The Washington/Idaho Symphony, Bryan Hall Theater, Pullman ($12/$6)

Nov. 19 — Spokane String Quartet, The Met ($15-$6)

Nov. 19 — Mystical Music Tour, St. John’s Cathedral ($14-$7)

Dec. 3 — Victorian Holiday Celebration with the Spokane Youth Orchestra and Spokane Area Children’s Chorus, St. John’s Cathedral (free)

Dec. 4 — Gonzaga Symphony, The Met (tba)

Dec. 6-7 — Allegro Music in Historic Homes, A Victorian Christmas ($15; 455-6865)

Dec. 12 — Spokane British Brass Band, The Met (tba)

Dec. 22-23 — Candlelight Christmas Concert, with the Clarion Brass Choir, St. John’s Cathedral ($14-$7)

Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve Gala, Parisian Nights, St. John’s Cathedral ($20-$7)

Jan. 12 — Allegro, Feast of Lights, The Met ($18-$8)

Jan. 20 — Zephyr, Da Da Zephyr, The Met ($17-$10)

Jan. 28 — Spokane String Quartet, Paul Ostrovsky, piano, The Met ($15-$6)

Feb. 17-25 — Northwest Bach Festival, various locations (tba)

Feb. 27 — Spokane String Quartet, The Met (tba)

March 2 — Allegro with Arte Flamenco, The Met ($20/$15)

March 2-3 — Handel’s “Messiah,” St. Aloysius Church, Spokane ($15/$10)

March 15 — Zephyr, The Child in All Of Us, The Met ($17-$10)

March 20 — Spokane String Quartet and friends, The Met ($15-$6)

March 23 — Allegro, Confessions of a Rebel: G. Ph. Telemann, The Met ($18-$8)

April 1 — The Sowers and The Seeds, St. John’s Cathedral ($12-$7)

April 21 — Zephyr, Flux, The Met ($17-$10)

April 22-23 — Allegro Music in Historic Homes, Salon Serenade ($15; 455-6865)

April 24 — Spokane String Quartet, Patricia Blankenship, mezzo soprano, The Met ($15-$6)

May 13 — Spokane String Quartet, Archie Chen, piano, and Jason Moody, violin, The Met ($15/$12/$6)