Young soloists top remainder of season
The Spokane Symphony observes the 200th anniversaries of the births of Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann with piano concertos by these romantic masters, played by Orion Weiss on Feb. 12-13 and Gabriela Montero on April 16-17.
The orchestra’s Casual Classics series continues Jan. 14, presenting a seldom-played chamber orchestra arrangement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with soprano Dawn Wolski.
That series concludes April 8 with a program featuring works by Bach/Webern, Mozart, Respighi and Haydn.
Mahler also is featured in the orchestra’s season finale May 7-8, when Music Director Eckart Preu will lead the composer’s Symphony No. 1 in its full orchestra version.
Other upcoming concerts include violinist Augustin Hadelich playing Dvorak on Jan. 22-23; guest conductor Daniel Hege leading Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 3 on Feb. 26-27; and an evening of Mozart, featuring the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, on March 19-20.
The Symphony Chorale, Spokane Area Children’s Chorus and soloists will join the orchestra for a nonsubscription concert March 26 featuring Carl Orff’s blockbuster “Carmina Burana.”
The symphony continues its Chamber Soirée series with members of the orchestra in chamber music modem, with refreshments, in performances Feb. 15-16 and April 26-27.
On tap for the remainder of the SuperPops series are a Rodgers and Hammerstein celebration, Feb. 5; Canadian fiddle virtuoso Natalie MacMaster, March 12; and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, April 30.
The Spokane String Quartet opens the second half of its season Feb. 20 with works for soprano and string quartet by J.S. Bach and Karl Weigl, with Wolski providing vocals.
Steve Reich’s “Different Trains” will be the featured work for the quartet’s March 27 concert, a piece combining live playing plus prerecorded sounds.
Former Chicago Symphony French hornist Gail Williams will make a guest appearance with the quartet in the season finale concert May 15.
The 33rd Northwest Bach Festival presents three concerts of the music of J.S. Bach and his predecessors and successors.
The festival begins March 1 with music for chamber orchestra and soloists conducted by Gunther Schuller. It continues with choral music by Bach, Charpentier and Mendelssohn on March 5 and concludes with a recital by pianist Randall Hodgkinson on March 12.
Allegro, Spokane’s series of music from the “baroque and beyond,” has scheduled Music in Historic Homes performances April 19-20 at The Reid House, a home built by Albert Held in 1900.
Oboist David Dutton, Allegro’s co-founder, and friends will perform music written about the time of the home’s construction. Each performance includes a tour and seasonal refreshments.
Highlights of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony’s remaining season include a March 12 concert featuring winners of the orchestra’s Young Artist’s Competition and the season finale with Rimsky-Korsakov’s masterpiece “Sheherazade” on May 14.
No full-length performances have been scheduled by either Spokane Opera or Opera Coeur d’Alene.
The Coeur d’Alene company has planned an Opera in the Plaza performance of operatic excerpts at the Shops on Sherman mall in March, with details to be announced, and a fund-raising gala, “A Grand Night for Singing,” April 30.