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Opening the musical 2024-25 season in the Philly area
BSR Classical Interludes, October 2024
Gail Obenreder
Our lively regional music scene continues to be packed with interesting offerings. This month starts off with a chamber concert from an organization under new artistic management, an a cappella concert pairing new composers with their inspiring forebearers, some famous music that was stolen, baroque works from Haydn and others, and a mini-festival of compositions by Mexican composer Gabriella Ortiz.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Friday, October 4, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 6, 2:30pm
Perelman Theater, 300 South Broad Street
Curtis grad David Hayes is no stranger to Philadelphia. He was music director of the highly regarded Philadelphia Singers (the professional chorus dissolved in 2015); a staff conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and frequent guest conductor of this ensemble. But this weekend he’ll conduct CoP’s season-opener as its newly named music director. The program features Michael Torke’s December; Augustus Hailstork’s Sagrada (Sonata da Chiesa No. 2); and two Beethoven works—the Coriolan Overture and the Emperor Concerto, with soloist Michele Cann. The Perelman’s enveloping sightlines and excellent acoustics make any concert a treat, but this one should carry an extra frisson of musical excitement.
Variant Six: Re/Frame
Friday, October 4, 7pm
Maas Building, 1325 North Randolph Street
Variant Six will present its only acapella concert of the season featuring virtuosic pieces for four voices that are new adaptations or inspired by familiar works, exploring how modern composers interpret music from the past. Pairings include a Lutheran chorale tune and Bo Holten; John Dowland and Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen; Guillaume Dufay and Gabriel Jackson; two works by Jonathan Woody and Joanne Metcalf inspired by the Ave Maris Stella chant; William Byrd and Bruno Bettinelli; Giovanni Croce and Oliver Messiaen; and Thomas Luis Victoria and Francis Poulenc. Vocalists are Rebecca Myers (soprano), Lauren Kelly (mezzo-soprano), Nickolas Karageorgiu (tenor) and bass Daniel Schwartz.
Tempesta di Mare: Stolen
Saturday, October 5, 7:30pm
Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce Street
Sunday, October 6, 4pm
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s baroque orchestra is presenting an unusual concert based on “a lifetime of musical borrowings from a suitcase of stolen music”. It seems that Handel headed off to London with a stash of music that was composed by Reinhard Keiser, a mentor and sometimes rival, and he then obviously “borrowed” from Keiser’s works in some of his own. The orchestra will play works by both men, including Keiser’s Suite from Hercules & Hebe (parts of which show up in Handel’s Water Music) and Handel’s Concerto a due cori, where he borrows liberally from himself!
Curtis New Music Ensemble: Portrait of Gabriela Ortiz
Saturday, October 12, 7pm
Gould Rehearsal Hall/Lenfest Hall, 1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia
In just one of the many concerts planned in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Curtis, their New Music Ensemble will play works by acclaimed Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, whose compositions blend traditional, popular, and avant-garde elements with multimedia artistry. This 90-minute concert will feature pieces commissioned by prestigious orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic. Ortiz holds numerous awards, including the Bellas Artes Gold Medal, and her work is also the centerpiece of The Crossing’s upcoming concert (see below).
Brandywine Baroque: A Gentle Breath of Love
Friday, October 11, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 13, 3pm
The Barn at Flintwoods, 205 Center Meeting Road, Wilmington, DE
This early music ensemble opens its 2024-25 season with their bucolic venue—The Barn at Flintwoods—located in the countryside just outside Wilmington. The program will feature Handel’s secular cantata Da quel giorno fatale, as well as trio sonatas by Handel and Corelli and works by Telemann. The concert features soprano Laura Heimes with Eileen Grycky (flute); Martin Davids, Edwin Huizinga, and Karen Dekker (violins); Amy Leonard (viola); John Mark Rozendaal and Donna Fournier (cellos); and Heather Miller Lardin (bass), with Karen Flint on the harpsichord. On October 12, the ensemble will also present the concert in Rehoboth Beach.
The Crossing: Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness
Wednesday, October 16, 7:30pm
The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street
This renowned vocal ensemble is presenting a Philadelphia preview workshop performance of the ensemble’s latest offering, inspired by James Drake’s drawing of the same title. Composed by Gabriela Ortiz and produced/presented by Steve Jiménez, the five-movement multimedia work (music, visual art, dance, and spoken word) features text and lyrics by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; flutist Alejandro Escuer; dancers of the Alvin Ailey School; and a percussion quartet. This work reflects the themes in The Crossing’s 2024-25 season and will have its formal New York premiere at Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall) on October 18.
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