Our top pick of the best of what’s New In Music This Week: September 22^nd is:

CLASSICAL:  AMAZÔNIA – Camila Provenzale, Philharmonia Zürich, Simone Menzes – Alpha Classics

Floresta Do Amazonas, an 11-movement suite by Heitor Villa-Lobos and Metamorphosis 1 (from Aguas da Amazonia) by Philip Glass tell you right away what the theme is on this incredible album: the Amazon rainforest.  

Of course, any album that has a “cause” is only going to be effective if the music is good. This isn’t just good, this is a great recording. I hadn’t heard anything Menzes had done before, but if this is any indication we’re destined for a lot of great and thoughtful music in the years ahead.

As an added bonus the liner notes include a selection of photographs by Sebastião Salgado. If you don’t know his work, this is a great introduction to his gorgeous photography. 

Here are my other selections for New In Music This Week: September 22^nd:

CLASSICAL: ZODIAC SUITE – Aaron Diehl & The Knights – Mack Avenue Records

Composer Mary Lou Williams composed this 12-movement suite to reflect each of the astrological signs with each movement dedicated to a friend of hers born under that sign. It is perhaps best known as a work for a trio, but Williams also arranged a version for piano and ensemble in 1945.

Pianist Diehl has been performing the work in concert and now has recorded the full work in this first-ever professional recording of Zodiac Suite in this configuration.

Fans of mid 20^th-century American music will definitely want to check this out. You’ll also want to hear if the music composed for your astrological sign in any way mirrors who you might be.

CLASSICAL:  BACHEANDO – Plínio Fernandes – Decca Gold

This beautiful solo guitar album finds Fernandes playing works by Mario Albanese, Sérgio Assad, Johann Sebastian Bach, Paulinho Nogueira and Heitor Villa-Lobos. The mix of Brazilian composers with music by Bach may not sound like it makes sense on paper, but the arrangements make a convincing argument of the logic of this pairing.

Bacheando is a refreshing take on Bach’s music as well. I thoroughly enjoyed Fernandes’s playing and plan to listen to this album many more times.

CLASSICAL: FLORENCE PRICE: SYMPHONY NO. 4 – The Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin – Deutsche Grammophon

This is a live recording from the Philadelphia Orchestra who have been passionate advocates for Florence Price’s music. This symphony in D minor was composed in 1945 but never received a performance in her lifetime. 

Also on this digital only release is William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony which was composed in 1934 and revised in 1952. There are three movements:  The Bond of Africa; Hope in the Night and Oh, Le’ Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!

This is not the first album of Florence Price’s music recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra and one hopes it won’t be the last.

CLASSICAL: RACHMANINOFF, A REFLECTION – Yekwon Sunwoo – Decca Classics

With so many celebrations of Rachmaninoff’s 150^th this year, I expected this to be a recording of the usual works by the composer. The only commonly performed work on this record is the Prelude in C-Sharp Minor. The rest are much lesser performed works.

These include the 23 Variations on a Theme of Corelli and the 10 Variations on a Theme of Chopin. Yekwon Sunwoo plays them all beautifully and it’s nice to hear music that, for the most part, is less-performed than the rest of Rachmaninoff’s works.

CLASSICAL:  MI PAÍS: SONGS OF ARGENTINA – Federico De Michelis and Steven Blier – NYFOS Records

We are accustomed to hearing art songs from the northern hemisphere, but this album allows us to explore those songs from well below the equator. In this case, a selection of music from Argentina.

Bass-baritone De Michelis is not someone with whom I was very familiar. His singing on this album will make me want to seek out more of his work. He’s joined by pianist Biler (who is also Artistic Director of New York Festival of Song) and at times Shinjoo Cho on bandoneon, Pablo Lanouguere on double bass; Sami Merdinian on violin and tenor César Andrés Parreño.

Amongst the composers whose work is performed on this album are Carlos López Buchardo; Carlos Gardel; Carlos Guastavino, and lest you think every composer Is named Carlos, there are also works by Mariano Mores; Astor Piazzolla; Ariel Ramírez and Héctor Stamponi.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: A PRAYER TO THE DYNAMO Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Daníel Bjarnason – Deutsche Grammophon

You can argue that this is mostly made of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s music written for films (The Theory of Everything/Sicario), but this is such a beautiful recording that if you didn’t know those details, it wouldn’t even occur to you these were film scores.

In the hands Bjarnason and the ISO, this is more than a soundtrack compilation or collection. Jóhannson was one of the most interesting composers of his time. Sadly he passed away in 2018 at the age of 48.

The last work on the album, A Prayer to the Dynamo, is not from a film score. This marks the first-ever recording of that 30-minute suite.

JAZZ:  DYNAMIC MAXIMUM TENSION – Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Nonesuch Records

This incredible album was actually released on September 8^th, but only recently was I introduced to it. This nearly two-hour work is massively ambitious and that ambition pays off from the opening moments of Dymaxion and never lets up until Mae West: Advice closes out the album.

Argue has incredible ability to write for a big band and his ensemble returns the favor with incredible playing. The album takes its name from the three words R. Buckminster Fuller used to create “dymaxion” a concept related to improving daily life.

Argue collaborated with Cécile McLorin Salvant on the song cycle Ogresse which I hope to one day see and hear. (You can hear here on the last track of the album). In the meantime, Dynamic Maximum Tension is an album I’ve already listened to several times and I am certain it will be at the top of critics lists at the end of the year. 

JAZZ:  WITNESS TO HISTORY – Eddie Henderson – Smoke Sessions Records

At 82 years young, trumpeter Henderson is still making great music. Witness to History, his latest album, comes half a century after Realization, his 1973 album that marked his first recording as a leader.

Joining him for the 8 tracks on this wonderful album are pianist George Cables, bassist Gerald Cannon, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and drummer Lenny White. Mike Clark, also a drummer, joins for the opening track Scorpio Rising, which was composed by Henderson.

Eddie Henderson how not just been a witness to history, but part of it. This album continues him on that path.

MUSICALS: OKLAHOMA! COMPLETE ORIGINAL SCORE – Sinfonia of London – Chandos Records

Nathaniel Hackmann (currently appearing as Biff in Back to the Future: The Musical) sings Curly; Sierra Boggess sings Laurey; Rodney Earl Clarke (multiple roles in productions of Porgy and Bess) sings Jud Fry; Jamie Parker (now appearing in Next to Normal at Donmar Warehouse) sings Will Parker and Louise Dearman (first actress to play Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked) sings Ado Annie in this studio recording of the full score from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical.

John Wilson conducts the Sinfonia of London Orchestra in this wonderful recording that offers fans of this musical nearly 100 minutes of music. This recording of Oklahoma! is much more than just OK.

OPERA: LA DIVINA: MARIA CALLAS IN ALL HER ROLES – Maria Callas – Warner Classics   

Is it too early to suggest holiday gifts? Because this embarrassment of riches is perfect for the Maria Callas fan in your life. This is a 131-CD box set that offers studio recordings, live recordings and staged performances. All in this has at least one recording of each of the 74 opera roles she performed over the course of her career.

This includes two studio recordings each of Bellini’s Norma; Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor; Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and Puccini’s Tosca. But don’t fret, there are live performances of those and many more.

The reason for this extraordinary collection is the 100^th anniversary of Callas’ birth on December 2, 1923. One wonders what the former Maria Anna Sophia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos would think of all this attention. (Of course she’d love it!)

MUSICAL/OPERA (adjacent): FRANK’S WILD YEARS / RAIN DOGS / SWORDFISHTROMBONES – Tom Waits – Island/UMe

In 1990 Tom Waits collaborated with director Robert Wilson on a play/musical/opera entitled The Black Rider. I saw it at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 2006. So forgive me for indulging my passion for Tom Waits by including the first three of five re-issues of albums by Waits in this week’s list.

Waits is one of our most fascinating and talented artists and these three albums serve as an excellent example of what makes him so incredible. These three titles were released on streaming and CD on September 1st, but I’m including them this week timed to the release of the new vinyl versions of each record.

Waits and his collaborator Kathleen Brennan oversaw the remastering of these releases. Two more albums, Bone Machine and The Black Rider will be released on vinyl on October 6th. Great news for Tom Waits fans! Obviously I’m one of them!

That’s the full list of New In Music This Week: September 22nd.

Enjoy the music! Enjoy your weekend!

Main Photo: Part of the album cover of Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits

The post New In Music This Week: September 22nd appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

But that’s not all! There are operas both old and new; dance both modern and ballet; vocalists singing standards and show tunes; several jazz concert options; contemporary classical music and witty banter to start your weekend off just right. We have nearly two dozen options for you!

With so many plays available, one of them was destined to be my Top Pick this week. It’s almost as if it had been written in the stars. Topping this week’s list is the Public Theater’s radio play and bilingual version of Shakespeare’s Romeo y Julieta with Juan Castano as Romeo and Lupita Nyong’o as Julieta.

So here are the Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd. The list begins with my Top Pick and is followed by events in the order in which they become available.

*TOP PICK* RADIO PLAY: Romeo y Julieta – Public Theater – Now Available

William Shakespeare’s best-known play is certainly Romeo and Juliet. In this radio play version you’ll get to hone in on exactly what makes this play so riveting: the story and the words. But there’s going to be a difference: this is a bilingual version called Romeo y Julieta.

Director Saheem Ali and Ricardo Pérez González have adapted Alfredo Michel Modenessi’s Spanish-language translation for this audio only production.

Starring as the title characters are Juan Castano as Romeo and Lupita Nyong’o as Julieta. Ivonne Coll plays the Nurse, Hiram Delgado is Tybalt, Irene Sofia Lucia is Mercutio, Julio Monge is Friar Lawrence and Javier Muñoz is Paris.

The rest of the cast includes Carlo Albán, Karina Arroyave, Erick Betancourt, Michael Braugher, Carlos Carrasco, John J. Concado, Guillermo Diaz , Sarah Nina Hayon, Kevin Herrera, Modesto Lacen, Florencia Lozano,  Keren Lugo, Benjamin Luis McCracken, Tony Plana and David Zayas.

The Public is making closed-captioning available in both English and Spanish and are also providing a script to use to follow along for those who might want that. Just be prepared for a tragic story that ends with these words:

“For never was a story more of woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

There is no charge to listen to Romeo y Julieta, but donations are encouraged.

PLAY: The Picture of Dorian Gray – now – March 31st

Oscar Wilde’s classic story of a man who sells his soul in order that his good looks don’t fade gets a contemporary spin in this new version of the story by Henry Filloux-Bennett. This updated approach has Dorian as a social media influencer who doesn’t want to see his fame fade. It’s just as much a Faustian deal here as in Wilde’s original.

Starring in this production are Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk), Alfred Enoch (seven of the Harry Potter films), Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous), Emma McDonald (Hamlet), Russell Tovey (Angels in America) and Stephen Fry (Wilde).

Tickets are £12 which at press time was equal to just under $17. There is a warning that there is strong language and references to mental illness and suicide. The production is recommended for audiences age 16 and higher.

PLAY: Women Without Men – Mint Theater Company – Now – March 21st

This is the first of several plays that New York’s Mint Theater Company has started streaming. Set in Ireland in the 1930s, Hazel Ellis’ play depicts the unmarried teachers at an all-girls school. It is their interactions with one another that reveals petty jealousies and very different personalities.

This production was staged in 2016 and was directed by Jean Thompson. Appearing in Women Without Men are Mary Bacon, Joyce Cohen, Shannon Harrington, Kate Middleton, Aedin Moloney, Alexa Shae Niziak, Kellie Overbey, Dee Pelletier, Beatrice Tulchin, Emily Walton and Amelia White.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

PLAY: Katie Roche – Mint Theater Company – Now – March 28th

Also from Mint Theater Company is this 2013 production of Teresa Devey’s 1936 play. Katie Roche tells the story of a servant girl who has big dreams and finds herself torn between two men.

The play had its premiere with Ireland’s Abbey Theatre and made its first appearance in the United States in 1937.

Starring are Margaret Daly, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jon Fletcher, David Friedlander, Jamie Jackson, John O’Creagh, Wrenn Schmidt, Diana Toibin. Jonathan Bank directs.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

PLAY: How to Catch Creation – Goodman Theatre – Now – March 28th

Half a century after a young woman’s girlfriend hits her with some very surprising news, four artists are coming to grips with the ramifications of that fateful day. That’s the premise of Christina Anderson’s How to Catch Creation which Chicago’s Goodman Theatre will be streaming on demand for two weeks.

This is not a reading of the play. Rather it is a capture of their 2019 production directed by Niegel Smith. The cast features Karen Aldridge, Ayanna Bria Bakari, Jasmine Bracey, Bernard Gilbert, Maya Vinice Prentiss and Keith Randolph Smith.

How to Catch Creation runs 2 hours and 15 minutes. There’s no charge to stream the production.

PLAY: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – Broadway on Demand – Now – April 18th

You might think you need to know a lot about the work of Anton Chekhov to appreciate Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. While it certainly helps, it’s absolutely not essential. While the play does take place near a cherry orchard, there is familial conflict about what to do with a cherished home and the three siblings depicted all have names taken from Chekhov’s work, this comedy has proven popular around the world.

Durang had a rather circuitous route to Broadway with this play. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike had its world premiere at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton in 2012. One month after closing there it went off-Broadway to Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. Two months after closing there it opened on Broadway and ultimately was named the Best Play at the Tony Awards.

One thing this play was able to do was keep its cast intact for all those moves. So the film that Lincoln Center is making available for free on Broadway on Demand features David Hyde Pierce, Billy Magnussen, Kristine Nielsen, and Sigourney Weaver.

I’ve seen this play two times and strongly recommend you allow yourself the time to relax, sit back and enjoy yourself.  In 2014 I interviewed David Hyde Pierce about the play and his direction of it when it played the Mark Taper Forum. You can read that interview here.

OPERA: Breaking the Waves – Los Angeles Opera – March 19th – April 12th

The 1996 Lars von Trier film Breaking the Waves told the dark story of a husband, who is recovering from an accident at work, who encourages his wife to have sex with other men during his recovery. It was a bold film that featured a shattering performance by Emily Watson.

Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek created an opera based on this film. Their work had its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia in 2016.

The work won universal acclaim including these comments by Alex Ross in The New Yorker:

“The opera created a world: it had a tone, a profile. There was an uncommonly strong relationship between libretto and music: the work felt urgent, driven by conviction, essential.”

Los Angeles Opera had scheduled a live production of Breaking the Waves, but the pandemic got in the way. In its place they are making a film of the opera directed by James Darrah available for free streaming (registration is required).

The original cast returns: Kiera Duffy, John Moore, Eve Gigliotti, David Portillo, Zachary James and Marcus DeLoach.

As you might imagine with this subject matter, a word of caution. This production includes explicit language, nudity and sexual content, some of a violent nature. Recommended for mature audiences only.

CONVERSATION: Virtual Halston – Cast Party Network – March 19th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

If you’re going to have an afternoon salon filled with ribald conversation and witty repartee, it helps to have two masters participating. In this week’s edition of Virtual Halston with Julie Halston, she’s got a great guest: playwright/author/screenwriter Paul Rudnick.

His plays include I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told and the upcoming book for the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada. His screenplays include The Addams Family, The First Wives Club and In and Out.

Actor Peter Bartlett, who received a Drama Desk nomination for his performance in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, will also be joining.

JAZZ: A Night in New Orleans – Derek Douget – Lobero Theatre – March 19th

When winter turns to spring and Lent is approaching many people immediately think of New Orleans and its grand tradition of Mardi Gras. Even later in spring thoughts turn to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Mardi Gras didn’t happen this year and JazzFest is postponed until the fall.

So what’s a fan of that glorious music supposed to do?

Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara is riding to your rescue this weekend. Saxophonist Derek Douget and his band will bring all that wonderful music into your home beginning Friday evening with A Night in New Orleans.

Joining Douget are Victor Atkins on piano; Ashlin Parker on trumpet; Herlin Riley on drums and vocals; Jason Stewart on bass and Don Vappie on banjo/guitar and vocals.

Tickets are $15, but you’ll have to provide your own beads!

JAZZ: Cindy Blackman Santana and Guests – SFJAZZ – March 19th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM EDT

Drummer Cindy Blackman Santana is well connected. She’s recorded and toured with Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Joss Stone, Cassandra Wilson and more. She spent many years on the road as the drummer for Lenny Kravitz. She also toured with Santana and in 2010 Carlos Santana proposed to her.

But those aren’t the friends or guests that are part of this weekend’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ. She has recent Oscar-nominated composer/musician Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods), guitarist Bill Frisell, the Kronos Quartet, saxophonist Joe Lovano and members of the SFJAZZ Collective joining for this concert from 2017.

There will be an encore presentation of this concert on Saturday, March 20th at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT. Tickets are available with a monthly digital membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60).

OPERA: Renée Fleming Live from the Met – PBS (check local listings) – March 19th from 2021

If you are a regular reader of Cultural Attaché you know that Renée Fleming is one of the most beloved sopranos in opera. Whether seen and heard in productions or recitals, she is regularly a fan favorite.

PBS is airing a recital Fleming gave from Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. last August.

The program includes works by George Frideric Handel, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Jules Massenet, Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss. Robert Ainsley serves as her accompanist.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Andrew Rannells Live from Lincoln Center – PBS (check local listings) – March 19th from 2018

In December of 2017 Andrew Rannells performed in The Appel Room at Lincoln Center. The concert was filmed and first broadcast on PBS in 2018. The show returns to PBS this weekend.

Rannells is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance in The Book of Mormon and for his appearance on the HBO series Girls. He was recently seen as Whizzer in Falsettos (his second Tony Award nomination) and in Ryan Murphy’s stage production and the subsequent film of The Boys in the Band.

This is a fun concert that shows the boy can sing more than just show tunes! Fans will want to check it out.

BALLET: The Red Shoes – Ahmanson Theatre – March 19th – March 21st $10

As part of their continuing Digital Series and their relationship with Matthew Bourne, Center Theatre Group and the Ahmanson Theatre are offering up a filmed performance of Bourne’s ballet The Red Shoes.

The ballet is inspired by the Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger film from 1948 (which in itself was inspired by a story by Hans Christian Anderson).

Bourne uses the music of legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho) for this ballet.

Ashley Shaw stars as a ballerina torn between her love for the composer who wrote her a ballet and the impresario who runs the ballet company and controls her career.

There will be five opportunities to stream The Red Shoes. Friday, March 19th at 8:00 PM PDT/11:00 PM EDT; Saturday March 20th at 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 EDT and 8:00 PM PDT/11:00 PM PDT and Sunday, March 21st at 1:00 PM PDT/4:00 PM EDT and 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 PM EDT.

Tickets are $10. This program will not be available for streaming outside the United States.

OPERA: Siegfried – San Francisco Opera – March 20th – March 21st

Conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles; starring Daniel Brenna, Greer Grimsley, Iréne Theorin, Ronnita Miller and David Cangelosi. This revival of Francesa Zambello’s 2011 production is from the 2017-2018 season.

This third opera in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen had its premiere in Bayreuth in 1876 where it was seen at the first-ever performance of The Ring Cycle.

The title character is front and center in the third opera in the Ring Cycle. He matures throughout the opera via the choices he makes. He encounters an enigmatic Wanderer, but doesn’t know this is Wotan in disguise. When Siegfried is able to reassemble pieces of Siegmund’s sword (Siegmund is his father) he uses it to kill Fafner who has the responsibility of protecting the gold that was stolen from the Rhinemadiens in Das Rheingold. He also comes into possession of the ring. But what will he do with it and how will that impact his pre-destined love for Brunnhilde?

Lisa Hirsch, writing for the San Francisco Classical Voice, said of the production:

“…perhaps the greatest strength of the production remains: a splendidly staged and remarkably sympathetic Siegfried that flew by. In 2011, part of its charm was the surprisingly sweet Siegfried of Jay Hunter Morris, a handsome man with a beautiful voice. With the young heroic tenor Daniel Brenna stepping into the role this year, some of the sweetness and charm is lost to a more conventionally brash portrayal of the character. Still, the opera really did come off as a scherzo, a comparatively light moment in the Ring despite the deaths of Mime and Fafner. The encounters between the Wanderer and Mime, Alberich, Erda, and Siegfried retain their tremendous emotional power and depth.”

VOCALS: Songs from the Heart – Ute Lemper – March 20th – 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT

Whether in concert halls, recording albums or gracing the stage of a musical, Ute Lemper has easily become of our most passionate and accomplished performers.

That wide range of material she handles will be on display in Songs from the Heart on Saturday. The concert will be streaming from Europe and includes songs from the musicals Cabaret and Chicago; from The Threepenny Opera; songs made famous by Édith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich, a song Lemper composed and also a song by Joni Mitchell.

I’ve seen her in multiple concert performances and also in the Broadway revival of Chicago. She’s absolutely amazing.

Joining Lemper for this concert will be Vana Gierig on piano; Tim Ouimette on trumpet; Matt Parrish on bass and Todd Turkish on drums and percussion.

Ticket are $24.99 and allow for 48 hours of access.

JAZZ: Jeremy Pelt Quintet – Vermont Jazz Center – March 20th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

You’re probably asking yourself how often will I recommend a performance by Jeremy Pelt? As long as he keeps putting out great music like Griot – This Is Important! I will do so as long as possible.

This concert from the Vermont Jazz Center will focus exclusively on music from this new album.

Joining Pelt for this concert are Vicente Archer on bass; Victor Gould on piano; Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone and Allan Mednard on drums.

There is no charge to stream the concert; however donations are encouraged.

ONE PERSON PLAY: Anyone But Me – IAMA Theatre Company – March 21st – April 18th

Sheila Carrasco’s Anyone But Me is the first of two one-person shows by Latinx-American women that Los Angeles’ IAMA Theatre Company will start streaming this weekend. Carrasco stars in this show in which she depicts multiple women struggling to define themselves and realizing that where they are is not where they want to be.

Anyone But Me is directed by Margaux Susi.

Tickets start at $15 (based on your ability to donate to IAMA).

ONE PERSON PLAY: The Oxy Complex – IAMA Theatre Company – March 21st – April 18th

The second play, The Oxy Complex, is written and performed by Anna LaMadrid. The play is set in the not-too-distant future – specifically the 500th day of quarantine. They Oxy of the title is not Oxycontin (source of opioid addictions), but rather Oxytocin.

What is oxytocin? It is defined by Medical News Today as:

“…a neurotransmitter and a hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus. From there, it is transported to and secreted by the pituitary gland, at the base of the brain.

“It plays a role in the female reproductive functions, from sexual activity to childbirth and breast feeding.”

So what is LaMadrid exploring in her show? All the things a woman might miss while being quarantined for so long. There is a reason, after all, that Oxytocin is called the “love hormone.”

Michelle Bossy directs. Tickets begin at $15 (based on your ability to donate).

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bang on a Can Marathon Live Online – March 21st – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

For their spring live online marathon, Bang on a Can is showcasing performances from New York and Berlin.

Here’s the line-up:

3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

Daniel Bernard Roumain Why Did They Kill Sandra Bland? performed by Arlen Hlusko; Arnold Dreyblatt; Mazz Swift and Rohan Chander △ or THE TRAGEDY OF HIKKOMORI LOVELESS from FINAL//FANTASY performed by Vicky Chow

4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT

Kristina Wolfe Listening to the Wind performed by Molly Barth; Miya Masaoka; Aeryn Santillan disconnect. performed by Ken Thomson and Adam Cuthbert

5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

Ken Thomson Birds and Ambulances performed by Robert Black; Tomeka Reid Lamenting G.F., A.A., B.T., T.M. performed by Vicky Chow; Steve Reich Vermont Counterpoint performed by Claire Chase; Christina Wheeler and Molly Joyce Purity performed by David Cossin

6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT

Tyshawn Sorey; Jeffrey Brooks Santuario performed by Mark Stewart; Moor Mother and Bill Frisell

BROADWAY VOCALS: Jackie Hoffman – March 21st – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Jackie Hoffman in the original companies of Hairspray and Xanadu on Broadway. She’s always a joy to watch. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to see her in The Addams Family, On the Town or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

But you’ll get to see what makes Hoffman such a delightful and witty performer on Sunday.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest as part of his Concert Series. I can only imagine what stories she’ll have to tell and what songs she’ll choose to sing. We can all find out either in the live broadcast or in the encore showing (also on Sunday) at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Tickets are $25.

DANCE: Uncharted Territory: Dancers in Isolation – Eryc Taylor Dance – Premieres March 21st – 6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT

Eryc Taylor has conceived a new work born out of the crisis that has hit us all in the last year. This work, Uncharted Territory: Dancers in Isolation, was created via Zoom, and focuses on New York City dancers.

The company features Nicole Baker, Chris Bell, Taylor Ennen, AJ Guevara, Eryc Taylor and Alex Tenreiro Theis. Each dancer choreographed their own work. The film is revealed in five separate segments which explore themes of death, mental instability, paranoia, sexual frustration and stillness.

The music was composed by Daniel Tobias.

There is no charge to watch the premiere, though donations are encouraged. Uncharted Territory will remain available online through March 28th.

PLAY: Yours Unfaithfully – Mint Theater Company – March 22nd – May 16th

Though written in 1933, Miles Malleson’s Yours Unfaithfully remained unperformed until Mint Theatre Company produced the show in late 2016.

It seems strange that a story about a married couple exploring an open relationship came from 1933. The all-too-virtuous husband (Max von Essen) is a writer seemingly unable to get inspired. His wife (Elisabeth Gray) runs a progressive school. She suggests opening up their relationship.

Alexis Soloski, in her review for the New York Times, said:

“Under the polished direction of Jonathan Bank, and in the hands of a fine team of designers, its arguments remain provocative, while its structure feels familiar, its tone decorous. Maybe that only makes it more unusual. It’s a bit like a sex farce with real sorrow instead of slammed doors, and something like a drawing room comedy with moral conundrums peeking out beneath the cushions. It is often very funny; it is also very nearly a tragedy.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

BROADWAY AND JAZZ VOCALS: Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – March 22nd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jim Caruso celebrates 50 episodes of Pajama Cast Party with this Monday’s edition. Which makes the absence of his usual venue for his weekly in-person Cast Party, Birdland, all that more palpable.

But this is a party and the show will celebrate turning 50. Joining this week are singer/songwriter Ben Clark, Broadway/pop singer Joshua Colley (Les Misérables), singer/artist Jared Wayne Gladly, Broadway’s Jason Kravits (Relatively Speaking), Brazilian singer/songwriter Denise Reis and Braodway’s Dee Roscioli (Fiddler on the Roof).

That’s this weekend’s Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 21st. But a few reminders before we go:

Los Angeles Philharmonic releases a new Sound/Stage episode entitled A Pan-American Musical Feast with special guest Chef José Andrés. The episode features performances of works by Tania León; Paul Desenne and Aaron Copland. For details on this episode and the whole series please go here.

The 92nd Street Y is still streaming last weekend’s performance by violinist Gil Shaham with The Knights. You can read details about their entire series here. Check out my recent interview with Shaham here.

The Metropolitan Opera concludes their Viewer’s Choice week with a 2006-2007 season production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia on Friday; a production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin from the same season (and strongly recommended) and a production of Handel’s Agrippina from the 2019-2020 season on Sunday (also recommended). You can see details and clips from all three productions here.

On Monday the Met begins a weeklong celebration of Myths and Legends with a production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice from the 2008-2009 season. We’ll have full details on Monday with our preview of the the week’s full line-up.

I trust you’ll find something amongst the Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd to keep you entertained! Have a great weekend.

Photo: Artwork of the balcony scene from Romeo y Julieta by Erick Davila (Courtesy The Public Theater)

Correction: The name of Eryc Taylor Dance program is Uncharted Territory and not Unchartered Territory as we originally listed. Cultural Attaché has corrected the post above and regrets the error.

The post Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

“Shaham is in the highest echelon of American violinists, and a good deal more musical than many. The sound of his violin is pure, firm, astringent, conveyed with a silvery clarity that shines but never overshadows, and his right arm knows more than one way to color a sound and shape a phrase.”

On February 5th the San Francisco Symphony released a new recording called Alban Berg: Violin Concerto, Seven Early Songs, & Three Pieces for Orchestra featuring Shaham as the soloist for the concerto. This past Sunday Shaham was joined by The Knights for a performance from the 92nd Street Y of Joseph Bologne’s String Quartet No. 5 in G Minor, Op. 1, Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus and his violin concerto*. Next Friday, he’ll be seen in Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s newest Close Quarters film performing Bologne’s Violin Concerto No. 9 in G Major, Op. 8 and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres.

Beethoven’s violin concerto is also the main attraction on Shaham’s newly released Canary Classics recording with The Knights which also features the Brahms violin concerto. For all his many recordings, this marks the first time Shaham has recorded the Beethoven.

Last week I spoke via a Zoom call with Shaham about his passion for Beethoven’s work, the joy he finds in performing and what he’s learned about himself through the pandemic. What follows has been edited for length and clarity.

There’s a YouTube video in which you state about Beethoven’s violin concerto, “If ever there was music that affects the soul and changes lives, this is it.” Are you this passionate about other works or does the Beethoven concerto firmly stand at the front of the line?

It’s definitely at the front of the line. I don’t know that I would say it’s the only such work, but how lucky are we to have that? What a revelation! What a miracle of music! This kind of incredible spinning of the melody and telling of the story is a treasure.

Ten years ago you told the San Diego Union Tribune, “Even when playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto, being a musician is a little like working in the kitchen.” How has your recipe for playing the work changed in the last decade?

You are always kind of tinkering. There’s always something that needs to be done. There’s always some mess to clean up. I guess for me I’m always taking the time to sample so I enjoy it, too. We do it a little bit differently on the recording we’re releasing.

I’ve always played the Fritz Kreisler** cadenzas, but even now we do slightly different linking phrases – like the linking phrases between the 2nd and 3rd movement. I started to do a little improvisation that is loosely based on the piano version of this concerto. Beethoven left us his cadenzas, but only for the piano version. For the violin version he left nothing. Maybe we are a little more adventurous these days adding a little more ornamentation and variety.

I’ve seen you perform multiple times, mostly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. You perform with more effusive joy than anyone I’ve seen. Where does that joy come from and why is it important for you to express that joy in performance?

I have to say I do enjoy it. And I do try to enjoy it. What a privilege to be on stage with such accomplished masters of music and to be playing the most sublime, timeless masterpieces. It really is a great joy. If it weren’t, maybe I’d be missing something.

You’ve been playing some of Bologne’s work recently. How did this come about?

I guess Adele (Anthony, his wife, also a violinist) had played the quartet I’ll do at 92nd Street Y. I love it. It’s beautiful music. It’s very much from the time of Mozart, from that aesthetic. It’s, to my mind, reminiscent of those two-movement sonatas I grew up studying of Mozart.

The violin concerto we did at LACO was a request. It was a new piece to me. I couldn’t have been happier to learn it. As long as we’re locked up and I’m quarantined in my practice room, it was so nice to spend time with this music. It’s brilliant. It’s extremely violin-y. It makes the instrument sing.

My understanding is that this is filmed from within the orchestra as opposed to being outside of it. How was that process and how do you feel about new approaches to presenting classical music?

Those guys are brilliant. I saw the videographer and the camera operators and the things they were doing I thought were beautiful. They were extremely discreet.

This is a tragic time. People have lost loved ones. People have lost a lot. But ironically it did produce some positives. Many people started thinking out of the box and doing new things. Even the experience of doing this streaming thing. I’ve done concerts with an audience, this is quite different. It’s just you in an empty hall and you’re sharing it with someone who could be anywhere. You’re creating moments but you’re not in the same room.

I always say to my kids you should try new things. Don’t be afraid if it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t, then you learn something. Then I thought, how often do I do that? How often do we go out and risk failure by trying new things?

A couple weeks ago you completed 50 revolutions around the sun. How has the pandemic, combined with this milestone birthday, impacted the way you look forward to the next 25-30 years of your life and career and what you want from them?

This gave us a chance to slow down and examine ourselves. Who are we? What do we want to be? Who do we want to help? So somewhere there was this opportunity.

Suddenly we’re left realizing that it’s really our shared humanity that’s maybe what’s most important.

I remember doing a concert in September in France. They were open – they had just reopened. They closed very quickly after. They had an orchestra and an audience and everybody was very moved, almost in tears. We’re sharing this moment with hundreds of other people. Suddenly we’re not taking anything for granted anymore.

Just now when you were saying about 50 revolutions around the sun, I remember hearing a great conductor, maybe I shouldn’t say who. He turned 75 and he said, “I’m 75 now. So I’m just going to do what I want. Now I’ll do whatever I want.” I think there’s something about that, it’s true. It takes a little bit of courage. Actually what I want to do is this.

It’s a lot easier to be true to yourself – if that’s a value – when it’s your choice, your responsibility. I feel like I am very lucky to be where I am.

*The 92nd Street Y concert will remain available for streaming for several more days. Tickets are $20.

**Fritz Kreisler is considered one of the greatest violinists in the history of classical music. He was also a composer.

Photo: Gil Shaham (©Luke Ratray)

The post Violinist Gil Shaham and His Joy in Playing Beethoven appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Topping our list is a special celebration of Liza Minnelli’s 75th birthday. The stars are coming out in droves to celebrate the woman who forever put her mark on Sally Bowles, who famously served as Gwen Verdon’s understudy (look that one up!), captured Arthur’s heart and made us all try singing New York, New York just like she does.

We have an unbelievable 21 different shows for you this week. No one will be left out. Whether you like opera, dance, classical music, Broadway musicals, plays or jazz, there’s something great for you to watch this weekend.

But you’ll have to be careful with your time. You lose an hour this weekend. Sunday marks the return of Daylight Savings Time. So don’t forget to move your clocks one hour forward on Sunday. You don’t want to miss the start of these shows!

Here are your Best Bets: March 12th – March 15th starting with our Top Pick. The rest are in order of availability.

*TOP PICK*: A Love Letter to Liza Minnelli: 75th All-Star Birthday Tribute Celebration – March 12th – March 14th

You know it’s either a monumental birthday or you’re quite beloved if Lea DeLaria, Michael Feinstein, Joel Grey, Ute Lemper, Melissa Manchester, Seth Sikes, Billy Stritch, Haley Swindal, Lily Tomlin, Ben Vereen and more are performing to celebrate you.

It’s actually both for Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress/singer Liza Minnelli.

The star of Bob Fosse’s Cabaret and the Broadway musicals Flora, the Red Menace, Chicago, The Act and The Rink turns 75 on Friday. And her friends are celebrating the best way they can during a pandemic – with an on-line event.

Offering their own memories of working and being friends with Liza are Jason Alexander, Sandra Bernhard, Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Jim Caruso, Joan Collins, Craig Ferguson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kathy Griffin, Jonathan Groff, Tony Hale, Julie Halston, John Kander, Nicholas King, Hoda Kotb, Nathan Lane, Michele Lee, Lorna Luft, Andrea Martin, John Cameron Mitchell, Kathy Najimy, Coco Peru, Parker Posey, Andrew Rannells, Chita Rivera and Michael York.

The show will stream only three times and only at these exact times: Friday, March 12th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST; Saturday, March 13th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST and Sunday, March 14th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT. Tickets are $30 with 20% of all proceeds going to The Actors Fund.

PLAY: Three Days of Rain – Manhattan Theatre Club – Now – March 21st

In 2006 Richard Greenberg’s play Three Days of Rain was performed on Broadway by Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. But that was not its first appearance in New York. In 1997, Manhattan Theatre Club offered the first production with Patricia Clarkson, John Slattery and Bradley Whitford.

That cast, along with original director Evan Yionoulis, have reunited for an online reading of Three Days of Rain that began on Thursday and will continue being available through Sunday, March 21st.

Three Days of Rain tells the story of a brother and sister who return to settle their father’s affairs after his passing. They are joined by their best friend, Pip. Upon discovering a diary they learn more about their parents than they ever expected to. What they learn helps them understand more about their own lives.

There’s no charge to watch the reading, but you do need to register at Manhattan Theatre Club’s website.

DANCE: After It Happened – Invertigo Dance Theatre – Now available

Laura Karlin choreographed this work for nine dancers that was performed at The Ford Theatre in 2016. Two musicians perform the score by composers Toby Karlin, Diana Lynn and Hyosun Choi.

The “it” that happened is a natural disaster in this work created in 2014. What the dancers discover, performing as the community dealing with the aftermath if the event, is that they must forge together to overcome the tragedy that has befallen them.

There’s no charge to watch After It Happened. You will find it on The Ford’s website and also on their YouTube channel and Facebook page. It will remain available for viewing for one year.

PLAY/DISCUSSION: Another Day’s Begun: Exploring Our Town – Pasadena Playhouse – Now available

Thorton Wilder’s Our Town is one of the most often-produced plays. Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for this deceptively simple play in which the lives of the citizens of Grover’s Corners are shared and depicted. Along the way there are guest lecturers and even questions from the audience. Leading the whole show is the role of the Stage Manager. This is a spare show and a powerfully moving one.

Jane Kaczmarek will perform scenes from Our Town and lead a discussion with author Howard Sherman. His book gives this program its name. Also participating in performance are Youssef Kerkour, Keith Randolph Smith and Alexandria Wailes.

For trivia buffs, Frank Craven originated the role of the Stage Manager when the play debuted on Broadway in 1938. Marc Connelly played the part in a 1944 revival (that also featured Montgomery Clift as George Gibbs). In 1969 Henry Fonda headlined a production as the Stage Manager. Spalding Gray took on the part in a 1988 revival. Paul Newman played the part in a 2002 revival.

There’s no charge to watch this show.

RADIO PLAY: Moby Dick … in the Dark – Theatre in the Dark – Now – April 10th

If like many of us you’ve found it a big of a slog to get through Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and the thought of listening to a full book on tape is also daunting, but you still want to know what all the fuss is about, Chicago’s Theatre in the Dark is presenting a radio play version that’s much shorter.

If you don’t know the story it is, at least on the surface, about one man’s relentless effort to capture the white whale that gives this story its title. He will stop at nothing with little concern of what it costs.

Corey Bradberry, who also directs, adapted Melville’s story. This will be a true radio play. There are no visuals. An original score by Nick Montopoli will be married with recorded sound, live foley effects and the performances of the cast.

Elizabeth McCoy plays Ishmael (and some other characters). Mack Gordon plays Starbuck, Stubb and other characters. Robinson J. Cyprian plays Captain Ahab and others.

All tickets are Pay-what-you-can. There is a $20-$30 suggested donation. Performances are available Thursday-Sunday until the last week where the performance schedule is Wednesday-Saturday. Tickets can be purchased here.

BALLET: Elite Syncopations – Royal Ballet – March 12th – April 11th

In October of 2020, when things were looking up for England during the pandemic, The Royal Ballet held a special performance called Back on Stage. While they were only briefly back on stage, one highlight from that evening will be available for streaming beginning this weekend.

Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations is set to the music of Scott Joplin (best known for the use of his music in the film The Sting). MacMillan debuted the 35-minute work in 1974. Even critics who weren’t as fond of it as others said it was impossible to watch this work and not have a smile on your face.

Tickets to stream Elite Syncopations are £3 which equates to approximately $3.60.

FAMILY FARE: The Musician: A Horror Opera for Children – The Belfast Ensemble – March 12th – March 14th

If I were a parent I might be scratching my head at a title that claims to be “A Horror Opera for Children.” The story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the inspiration for this world premiere work by Conor Mitchell. He is the composer, librettist and stage director of The Musician.

This is a film of a live performance for the Belfast Children’s Festival. It features a 16-piece orchestra and a four-person cast (Matthew Cavan, Paul Carey Jones, Rebecca Murphy and Sarah Richmond).

This work is recommended for kids ages 6 and above. Tickets are £5 which equates to approximately $6.00 (without service charges) and can be purchased here.

JAZZ: Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington & Esperanza Spalding – SFJAZZ – March 12th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Three mightily talented women take to the stage for this 2018 concert from SFJAZZ. Pianist Geri Allen, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Esperanza Spalding perform the music of Wayne Shorter, Bob Dorough and an Allen original in this Fridays at Five concert.

SFJAZZ has added a rebroadcast of these shows to their schedule. So if you can’t see the concert on Friday, you’ll have a second chance to see it on Saturday, March 13th at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST.

A gentle reminder that you need to sign up for either a one-month digital membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to view these weekly concerts.

JAZZ: Jane Monheit Come What May Album Release Concert – Feinstein’s at Vitello’s – March 12th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Vocalist Jane Monheit has released her 12th album, Come What May, and she will be celebrating with a live concert streaming from Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in Los Angeles.

On the album she performs the standards Let’s Face the Music and Dance, The Nearness of You and my personal favorite song, Lush Life.

For those who want even more of Monheit, there’s an Encore After Show where she will join Brad Roen for a post-performance conversation.

Tickets for the concert are $36.75. Tickets for Encore After Show are $26.75. (Prices include service charges).

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – Debuts March 12th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

On paper this appears to be the most ambitious of LACO’s Close Quarters series. Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale is over an hour in length. Based on a Russian folk tale, the work tells the story of a a soldier who makes a deal with the devil. The devil offers him wealth in exchange for the soldier’s fiddle. As written The Soldier’s Tale calls for seven musicians, three actors and one or more dancers.

For this film LACO is collaborating with Robey Theatre Company. Ben Guillory will serve as the narrator. Julio Hanson plays the soldier. William Warren plays the devil.

Because this is part of James Darrah‘s exploration of new ways to present classical music, LACO has added another collaborator to this film: artist Huimeng Wang. I’m excited to see her contribution which is described on the website as: “Wang’s work features a grand piano being dramatically and violently destroyed by gunfire before being reborn with stunning deep red velvet flocking.”

For those who want to dive deeper into this work, there is a pre-broadcast talk with the three actors and LACO principal trumpeter David Washburn. The live conversation will happen at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST on March 12th in advance of the premiere. You must register to see the live conversation as it will be available on Zoom. If you’re unable to catch it live, it will be available for viewing afterwards.

There’s no charge for any of this programming. Donations to LACO are encouraged.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Sutton Foster in Concert – Live From Lincoln Center on PBS – March 12th – Check local listings

BROADWAY VOCALS: Stephanie J. Block in Concert – Live from Lincoln Center on PBS – March 12th – Check local listings

Two Tony Award stars appear in their own Live from Lincoln Center concerts this weekend.

Sutton Foster, who will be starring opposite Hugh Jackman in the upcoming revival of The Music Man, appears in a concert from April 2018. She has appeared in the musicals Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, Anything Goes and Violet. She won her Tony Awards for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes.

Joining her as a special guest in the concert will be Jonathan Groff (most recently seen on stage in an off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

Stephanie J. Block won her Tony Award for her performance as “Star” in The Cher Show. She made her Broadway debut as Liza Minnelli in The Boy From Oz (which also starred Jackman). She’s also appeared in Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5, Anything Goes (she took over the role of Reno Sweeney when Foster left the production), The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Falsettos.

As with all PBS programming, best to check your local listings for exact airtime and dates.

JAZZ: Jeremy Pelt Quintet – SmallsLive – March 13th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt just released a new record entitled Griot – This is Important! It’s a combination of spoken word and instrumentals. It’s a stunning album.

Will selections from Griot be on the setlist for these two shows from Smalls in New York?

Whatever he chooses to play it will be with his incredibly beautiful phrasing and emotion.

Joining Pelt for these two shows are Vicente Archer on bass; Victor Gould on piano; Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone and Allan Mednard on drums.

There’s no charge to watch these shows. Those who can donate can make “reservations” for the show.

PLAY: The Year of Magical Thinking – Keen Company – March 13th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Writer Joan Didion shared her own experiences and thoughts after suffering several tragedies in her life in her book The Year of Magical Thinking. The emotional book was turned into an one-person show. Vanessa Redgrave starred in the play on Broadway in 2007.

This weekend the equally talented Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America) will take on the role in a live streaming event for Off-Broadway’s Keen Company.

I saw Redgrave perform the show in the months after her own daughter’s (Natasha Richardson) tragic death in 2009. It’s an incredibly moving work. After a year with the pandemic and quarantines, I can only imagine how much more deeply and personally we will all respond to this work on Saturday.

Tickets are $25 and will include a post-show talkback with Chalfant and director Jonathan Silverstein.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: A Bartók Journey – Tesla Quartet – March 13th – 7:30 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Tesla Quartet musicians Edwin Kaplan (viola); Michelle Lie (violin); Serafim Smigelskiy (cello) and Ross Snyder (violin) are embarking this weekend on a six week series of exploring, rehearsing and performing all six of Béla Bartók’s string quartets.

This weekend beings, for obvious reasons, with the String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor, op. 7. For those interested in watching them rehearse the work, they will be streaming that on March 12th at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST.

There’s no charge to watch any of the events of this six-week series. You do, however, need to register. You can do so in the link built into A Bartók Journey. You will also find details for the entire series there.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Narek Hakhnazaryan and Armine Grigoryan – Shriver Hall Concert Series – Debuts March 14th – 5:30 PM EDT/2:30 PM PDT

Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan made a name for himself by winning the Cello First Prize and Gold Medal at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. He will be performing as part of the Shriver Hall Concert Series with pianist Armine Grigoryan. She, too, is an award-winning musician.

On Sunday’s program will be Beethoven’s Seven Variations in E-Flat Major on Mozart’s “Dei Männem”; Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70; Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Cello; E. Bagdasaryan’s Nocture and A. Arutyunian’s Impromptu.

Tickets are $15. There will be a post-performance conversation. This concert will remain available through March 21st.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Emily Skinner – Seth Concert Series – March 14th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

Broadway fans first became aware of Emily Skinner as one-half of the conjoined Hilton twins in the musical Side Show. Skinner received a shared Tony nomination for Best Actress with co-star Alice Ripley. (After all, how could you separate their performances?)

She continued dazzling audiences with performances in James Joyce’s The Dead, The Full Monty, Prince of Broadway and The Cher Show.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for this weekend’s live streaming concert and conversation show. The program will air live on Sunday at 3:00 PM EDT. If you are unable to watch the show then, there is a rebroadcast on Sunday at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

MUSICALS: Passing Through – Goodspeed Musicals – March 15th – April 4th

A young man decides he wants to walk from Pennsylvania to California with a sign on his backpack that says, “Walking to Listen.” Wouldn’t it be nice if more people wanted to listen these days? Anyway, along the way he documented his many encounters with people and their stories.

Upon hearing about Andrew Forsthoefel, who took this trip unsure about what to do with his life post-college, composer/lyricist Brett Ryback and book writer Eric Ulloa knew immediately there was a musical in this true story.

Passing Through is the result of their collaboration. Goodspeed Musicals presented a workshop production of the musical in the summer of 2019. A film of that production will be available for streaming on demand starting on March 15th and running through April 4th.

Max Chernin stars as Andrew. The cast includes Joan Almedilla, Reed Armstrong, Ryan Duncan, Linedy Genao, Charles Gray, Garrett Long, Mary Jo Mecca, Celeste Rose, Jim Stanek and the incomparable Jennifer Leigh Warren. Igor Goldin directed and the choreography is by Marcos Santana.

Tickets are $25 and allow for 72 hours of streaming. Your time begins when you first start watching Passing Through.

BROADWAY REUNION: The Bridges of Madison County – The Jesse Walker Show – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jesse Walker will celebrate his 20th anniversary of his eponymous talk show with a reunion of the cast and creative team of the musical The Bridges of Madison County. Participating in the reunion are Kelli O’Hara, Steven Pasquale, Hunter Foster, Caitlin Kinnunen and Derek Klena. Composer Jason Robert Brown, librettist Marsha Norman and director Bartlett Sher will also be joining.

Brown won two Tony Awards for his original score and its orchestrations. O’Hara also received one of the show’s four nominations.

The Bridges of Madison County didn’t run as long as it should have, but its legions of fans will definitely want to tune-in to this reunion which will raise funds for The Actors Fund.

OPERA: For the Love of Opera: Celebrating RBG’s 88th Birthday – Lowell Milken Center of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music/National Museum of American Jewish History/Opera Philadelphia – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Liza’s not the only one being feted. So is the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It wasn’t just law that she loved, it was also opera. To celebrate what would have been RBG’s 88th birthday, a program of arias from operas that address issues of social justice, equality and more will be performed.

The program is set to include arias from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mozart’s Le nozze de Figaro and Cosí fan tutte, Verdi’s Falstaff, Menotti’s The Consul and a song from the Flaherty and Aherns musical Ragtime.

Performers are Joshua Blue (tenor), Norman Garrett (baritone), Michelle Rice (soprano) and Ashley Marie Robillard (soprano). Pianists Stephen Karr and Grant Loehnig will accompany on piano.

The event will be presented via Zoom, so you will need to register to see it. The program will become available on demand shortly after its conclusion on the various venues’ social media pages.

VARIETY: Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM EDT

If you want even more of jazz vocalist Jane Monheit, you’ll want to join this week’s edition of Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party. She’ll be singing songs from Come What May and sharing stories with Caruso. The two are longtime friends. Monheit is a semi-regular performer when Cast Party happens live at Birdland in New York. (I’ve seen here there myself.)

Also joining this week at magician Dana Daniels, actor/singer Shu Q and Broadway actor Michael Winther (the upcoming Flying Over Sunset).

The show is free to watch and is always a delight.

Are you overwhelmed yet? I hope not, because I have a couple reminders before we go:

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Violinist Gil Shaham and The Knights perform works by Beethoven and Boulogne in a concert that began streaming from New York’s 92nd Street Y on Thursday. The concert will remain available through March 18th. (Next week I’ll have an interview with Shaham. Check back for that.)

OPERA: The Metropolitan Opera concludes its week celebrating Verismo Passions with Umberto Giordano’s Fedora on Friday and his Andrea Chénier on Saturday and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on Sunday. Monday they will launch Viewer’s Choice week with the 2009 production of Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Liza’s Birthday, RBG’s Birthday…and whole lot in between. Maybe this time you really did get lucky! After all, life is a cabaret old chum! Have a great weekend!

Photo: Liza Minnelli in the film version of “Cabaret” (Courtesy Liza Minnelli’s Facebook page)

The post Four Days of Best Bets: March 12th – March 15th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Each concert will take place at 7:30 PM on the East Coast (4:30 PM on the West Coast). All concerts will stream for one week from their debut.

Renowned musicians Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Gil Shaham and Daniil Trifonov are just some of the performers.

Tickets are $20 per concert or $130 for the Winter/Spring series (making the concerts $10 each). There are four guitar recitals as part of this season. If you only want to see and hear those recitals, you can purchase a four-pack of those performances for $50.

Each listing has a link towards that specific event.

Here is the Winter/Spring schedule:

February 1st: Pianist Emanuel Ax and the New York Philharmonic String Quartet (Filmed)

The program features Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 “Serioso” and Dvořáks Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major

February 3rd: Brentano String Quartet with violist Hsin-Yun Huang (Live)

This all-Mozart program will feature the composer’s String Quintet in C Minor K. 406, String Quintet in D Major, K. 593 and the String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516

February 13th: Pianist Richard Goode (Live)

The program features Bach’s Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 and select preludes by Debussy

February 18th: Guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas (Filmed)

Four composers are being showcased in this program:

Granados’ Danza Española (Danza Melancólica), Op. 37, No. 10 and Danza Española (Andaluza), Op. 37, No. 5; Rodrigo’s Invocación y Danza; Tárrega’s Capricho Árabe and Lágrima Adelita and Albéniz’s Torre Bermeja, from Piezas Características, Op. 92; Mallorca (Barcarola), Op. 202 and Asturias (Leyenda), from Suite Española, Op. 4

March 6th: Guitarist Ana Vidovic (Live)

Specific works have yet to be announced for this concert. However works of the following composers are expected to be performed: Bach, Torroba, Giuliani, Barrios and more.

March 11th: Violinist Gil Shaham with members of The Knights (Live)

This program will open and close with works by Beethoven. Scheduled to be performed are Beethoven’s Overture to “The Creatures of Prometheus (arranged by Hummel); a string quartet to be announced by Boulogne and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (arranged by The Knights).

The Knights are Alex Sopp on flute; Colin Jacobsen on violin; Eric Jacobsen on cello and Steven Beck on piano.

Shaham and The Knights have a new record being released on March 12th called Beethoven and Brahms: Violin Concertos which marks the first time Shaham has recorded Beethoven’s violin concerto.

March 25th: Cellist Alisa Weilerstein with pianist Inon Barnatan (Filmed)

This concert will feature Falla’s Suite Populaire Espagnole and Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano

April 13th: Pianist Daniil Trifonov (Filmed)

Trifonov’s recital will include Debussy’s Pour le Piano, Prokofiev’s Sarcasms and Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5

Sarcasms can be found on his 2020 recording Silver Age.

April 17th: Guitarist Jason Vieaux (Live)

Two New York premieres are part of this diverse program. It includes Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001 (arr. Vieaux); Brouwer’s El Decamerón Negro; Vieaux’s Home (NY Premiere); Scarlatti’s Sonata in A Major, K. 208 (arranged by Brouwer) and Pat Metheny’s Four Paths of Light (NY Premiere)

May 1st: Guitarist Manuel Barrueco (Filmed)

This program has not yet been announced. We will update this post as soon as we get details.

May 5th: Flautist Brandon Patrick George with pianist Bryan Wagorn (Live)

Scheduled to be performed at this concert will be William Grant Still’s Pastorela; Reinecke’s Undine Sonata; Valerie Coleman’s Wish Sonatine, L. Boulanger’s Nocturne and Schubert’s Introduction and Variations on “Trockne Blumen,” D. 802

May 11th: Soprano Susanna Phillips with clarinetist Anthony McGill and a pianist TBA (Live)

This program is centered on Schubert’s The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen). Additional selections to be announced. We will update you when we receive those details.

May 26th: Pianist Stewart Goodyear (Live)

This is an all-Beethoven program with Sonata No 15 in D Major, Op. 28, “Pastorale;“ Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79 and Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111

Which of the Winter/Spring concerts will you choose? Or will you see them all?

All photos courtesy 92nd Street Y unless otherwise noted.

Main Photo: Pablo Sáinz-Villegas (Photo ©Lisa Marie Mazzucco)

The post Winter/Spring Concerts from the 92nd Street Y appeared first on Cultural Attaché.