Clef Notes and Drama Queens

Midweek Madness: Saluting the 'Queen of the House'

Tim Smith — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:43:15 GMT

And now, dear Midweek Madness fans, for something completely different -- not to mention awful in any number of ways, but still oddly appealing and ev [ ...

Brief mid-afternoon break for Korngold's birthday

Tim Smith — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:17:35 GMT

I thought it would be worthwhile to pause briefly midway through the afternoon on Erich Wolfgang Korngold's birthday (b. 1897, d. 1957) and wallow in [ ...

Looking ahead to 2012-13 season: Washington Performing Arts Society

Tim Smith — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:23:15 GMT

Classical music lovers around here know well that the gold standard in this region for presenting major artists and orchestras continues to be set by [top-drawer Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam performing Mahler's Symphony No. 1 with conductor Mariss Jansons on a program that includes Ba ...

Music for Memorial Day from Britten's 'War Requiem' with the late Fischer-Dieskau

Tim Smith — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:10:54 GMT

On this Memorial Day, I wanted to hear the profound ending of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem," a work that has been on my mind for two reasons -- its [the voices of Fischer-Dieskau and Pears intertwined so poignantly, as the chorus sings of paradise and rest. (My compliments to whoever created this f ...

Peter Oundjian leads Baltimore Symphony, Choral Arts in Beethoven, Bruckner

Tim Smith — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:02:44 GMT

Beethoven's Ninth, never too far from earshot in Baltimore, is back this week, but with a most welcome companion piece -- Bruckner's "Te Deum.&qu [ensuring a level of intensity from start to finish.He drew out the sense of mystery, even fear, in the first movement, getting the orchestra to put ...

'Xanadu' gets sparkling revival from Signature Theatre

Tim Smith — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:05:32 GMT

First, there was an odd film in 1947 called "Down to Earth," watchable only for the divine Rita Hayworth as the Greek muse Terpsichore who f [pure, sure escapism. And if you have at least a trace of the camp-humor gene, you'll experience a good deal of convulsive laughter, too.This product ...

Everyman Theatre closes season with revival of 'You Can't Take It With You'

Tim Smith — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:00:41 GMT

In the thick of the Great Depression, a new Broadway play took an energetic swing at everything that seemed wrong with the world -- government, big bu [a little below the usual company standard. Some of the acting lacks punch, and the pacing, not to mention the quirkiness, could be edged up a notch ...

Midweek Madness: An orchestra unleashed

Tim Smith — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:35:43 GMT

My thanks to an adorable reader in Washington for alerting me to this perfect Midweek Madness candidate -- an orchestra that ... [really knows how to let go: ...

UPDATE: Metropolitan Opera changes position; Opera News will cover Met

Tim Smith — Tue, 22 May 2012 21:00:09 GMT

UPDATE 4 p.m. Tuesday: The Metropolitan Opera has backed down; Opera News will continue to cover Met performances after all. FULL PRESS RELEASE BELOW [the Somerset Maugham quote: "People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise." This unfortunate human trait is bad enough when it ...

Pianist Vanessa Perez makes Baltimore debut at An die Musik

Tim Smith — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:46:55 GMT

Vanessa Perez, a young Venezuelan making waves in an ever-crowded sea of talented pianists, visited Baltimore Saturday afternoon to promote her new, a [smudgy, pushy playing, too, as in the B-flat minor and G minor (the latter, delivered at a supersonic speed that left the actual musical substance i ...

Baltimore Concert Opera closes season with Puccini's 'Il Trittico'

Tim Smith — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:04:57 GMT

Baltimore Concert Opera wrapped up its season with the three vivid one-acters that make up Puccini's "Il Trittico." I caught two of them Fri [these feelings affectingly. She acted out the whole closing portion of the opera, from the searing aria "Senza mamma" on, with impressive ...

Still haunted by tenor aria from Massenet's 'Werther'

Tim Smith — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:52:25 GMT

Although I have heard a lot of music since attending Washington National Opera's production of Massenet's "Werther" a week or so ago, I keep [a lightweight. I can't, not when confronted with this aria (or the rest of "Werther," not to mention "Manon"). Here are three gold ...

On the Record: Bartok from BSO/Alsop; works by Joel Puckett, Larry Hoffman

Tim Smith — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:17:01 GMT

While we await the long-predicted — heck, long-declared — death of the classical recording industry, new releases continue to emerge, day [the technologically ancient 1950s by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, there’s always room for one more. Alsop misses a few opportunities ...

Classical music world loses another giant: baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Tim Smith — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:19:25 GMT

Just saw the dispiriting news that Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the incomparable German baritone who set the gold standard for lieder singing, died Frida [ ...

'Fela!' shakes the roof at Morgan State University

Tim Smith — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:36:23 GMT

“I’m going to change Africa,” Fela Kuti says in the ambitious, highly-charged musical about his life and work. “I’m go [the Black Power movement in the States, he became politically energized and outspoken against oppression at home. Fela’s music grew increasingly ...

Midweek Madness: Saluting the latest inauguration of Vladimir Putin

Tim Smith — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:09:11 GMT

Back around Christmas time, I interviewed a cirque artist who told me he had performed for three Russian presidents. I had to bite my tongue so as not [was first a hit during the Soviet era, and, hey, doesn't it feel like just a little bit like the wonderful Soviet era is comin' back? I found a perfor ...

'Werther' gets eloquent treatment from Washington National Opera

Tim Smith — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:11:50 GMT

Maybe it is not better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Consider the case of young Werther, the central figure of the hugely in [exactly what WNO delivers in a production updated, in mostly effective fashion, to late-1920s/early '30s -- Massenet's inspired use of the saxophone ...

BSO to launch training ensembles, taking over from Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestras

Tim Smith — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:33:06 GMT

After 35 years, the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestras, an educational enterprise involving multiple ensembles, will officially dissolve on Aug. 31, t [250 students, ages six to 19, from throughout the metropolitan region take part in the organization. There is a full orchestra of advanced students, ...

Baltimore Symphony performs romantic gems by Rachmaninoff, Elgar

Tim Smith — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:13:52 GMT

May is turning out to be a great month for the Baltimore Symphony. A week after a potent combination of a Ravel concerto and a Shostakovich symphony, ["superb technique and unwavering passion." A few minutes later, the pianist demonstrated both attributes in a typically high-Watt(s)age pe ...

'God of Carnage' gets brilliant production at Signature Theatre

Tim Smith — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:34:26 GMT

Long before the projectile vomiting, and long after, suppressed feelings and uneasy thoughts are spewed all over the set in Signature Theatre's searin [these adults are going to end up acting more like children than children (to borrow a phrase), but Reza keeps adding killer spice and detours to the ...

The Figaro Project finds a murder mystery in 'Don Giovanni'

Tim Smith — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:15:51 GMT

Most opera-goers likely feel they have a firm grasp on the plot of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” — as firm a grasp as the one the op [Caitlin Vincent, a Peabody Conservatory-trained soprano who founded The Figaro Project in 2009 as an outlet for young singers in the area and a mean ...

Midweek Madness: A uke-y 'Ride of the Valkyries'

Tim Smith — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:23:09 GMT

Wagner's "Ring" Cycle has been in the news a lot lately, thanks to the Metropolitan Opera's hugely expansive, not universally beloved production. That [ ...

Weekend roundup: Annapolis Symphony, Concert Artists, Choral Arts

Tim Smith — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:08:54 GMT

Last weekend's musical activity for your (mostly) humble correspondent was all about milestones. (This week has been all about distractions, hence the [fine showcase for Frank's vivid musical personality, with its multicultural influences (the title is Spanish for "roots"). The composer's ...

Death of illustrator Maurice Sendak felt in opera world, too

Tim Smith — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:59:33 GMT

Although best known for his compelling, wild-thing-filled illustrated children's books, Maurice Sendak, who died Tuesday at 83, also left his mark in [Mozart's "The Magic Flute" (the latter, which I saw in the early '90s in a Florida Grand Opera production, created an engaging fairy tale for adults), ...

Vividly sung, intriguingly staged 'Nabuuco' from Washington National Opera

Tim Smith — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:30:50 GMT

With “Nabucco,” his third opera, Verdi’s career truly began. He would go on to do much finer work, but his talent and potential are [a musically potent production that strives hard to remind today’s audiences of what “Nabucco” meant to Italian audiences when it wa ...