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Classical Thu Feb 07 2013
Pulling Strings: For classical music in Chicago, you got a guy - February 2013
By Elliot Mandel
Edgar Allen Poe lived — and died — in Baltimore. The Baltimore Ravens are named after Poe's famous poem. To celebrate the Ravens winning the Super Bowl, check out Chicago Opera Theater's production of The Fall of the House of Usher. My prediction: it will scare the bejesus out of you, but there won't be any confetti.
Baroque Band - 21st Century Brandenburg Project at MCA
What is music written in the early 1700s doing at the Museum of Contemporary Art? Over a three-concert series, Chicago's renowned period ensemble Baroque Band pairs Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos with music of similar orchestration by contemporary composers Elbio Barilari, David Fulmer, Jennifer Jolly, Jason Seed, Christopher Theofanidis, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence Anna Clyne. Baroque Band's 21st Century Brandenburg Project gives new context to these Baroque masterpieces while connecting the contemporary with the old. Tickets are $22 for MCA members, $28 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 23, 7:30pm.; Sunday, February 24, 3pm. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Rachmaninoff Vespers at Rockefeller Chapel
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers — the fifteen-section choral masterwork of liturgical settings from the Russian Orthodox all-night vigil — was instantly popular when it premiered in 1915. Like so much of Rachmaninoff's music, Vespers contains long, sweeping melodies built around lush textures. The Rockefeller Chapel Choir performs it by candlelight, along with choral works by Robert Schumann and György Ligeti, and premiers by Kala Pierson and Shulamit Ran. Tickets are $20 general admission. Saturday, February 23, 7:30pm at the Rockefeller Chapel at University of Chicago, 5850 S. Woodlawn.
Chicago Opera Theater — The Fall of the House of Usher
Edgar Allen Poe wrote a disturbing short story about emotional torment and destruction. Philip Glass wrote an undulating score that mirrors the obsessive nature of Poe's works. A company that embraces risky, unusual shows, Chicago Opera Theater opens its season with The Fall of the House of Usher — it will likely be the creepiest show you'll see all year. Tickets start at $35, $17.50 for students. Saturday, February 23, Wednesday, February 27, and Friday, March 1, 7:30pm.; Sunday, February 24, 3pm. Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph, Chicago.
Programs, artists, and prices subject to change. Tickets subject to availability.
About the author: Elliot Mandel plays cello, attends lots of concerts, writes reviews, and takes pictures. He was the only one in the room to identify the opening music in this commercial. And proud of it.
x / February 8, 2013 11:26 AM
appreciate this column. thanks for the recommendations.