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Classical Tue Jul 07 2015
Pulling Strings: For Classical Music in Chicago, You Got a Guy - July 2015
Escape the heat and giant crowds during these dog days and check out some intimate chamber music with some of Chicago's best locally-based artists.
Lincoln Trio
As part of the University of Chicago's Chamber Music Intensive program, the Lincoln Trio present a public performance and discussion of Beethoven's "Ghost" Trio — that's the D-Major, Op. 70, No. 1 if you're keeping track. Written during the composer's so-called Middle Period (1802-12) when he was expanding the scope and scale of his musical output while simultaneously confronting his looming deafness, the music was said to have conjured images of Hamlet's father. The work is gripping and tense, particularly through the slow movement; the outer fast movements are more joyous, brightly colored, and energetic. If you haven't experienced a chamber performance at the Logan Center's 9th-floor penthouse, this would be a good chance: excellent acoustics, expansive views of Hyde Park, and a close-up look at one of the city's best chamber ensembles. Admission is free. Friday, July 17, 6:30pm. Logan Center Performance Penthouse, 915 E. 60th.
Austin Wulliman
The Spektral Quartet violinist returns to Constellation for a solo-ish recital of adventurous new music, from Jonathon Kirk's improvised bird calls of extinct species, to Lee Hyla's explosive virtuosity, Marcos Balter's glassy meditations, and the Chicago premiere of an August Read Thomas work. Wulliman is a fearless violinist, intense and driven in his music — so grab a beer and enjoy the ride. Tickets are $10/general, $5/student. Sunday, July 19, 8:30pm.Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.
Avalon Quartet
The Avalon is a justifiable favorite of local audiences, one of the elite quartets on the Chicago scene with its elegance and acuity. Hear this top-notch quartet for free on the weekly Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in a program featuring Benjamin Britten's Three Divertimenti and Robert Schumann's String Quartet in A Major, Op. 41, No. 3. Britten's short work — written when he was about 23 years old in 1936 — contains the angular harmonies and jaunty rhythms common of the era, betraying the influence of Stravinsky and Bartok. Schumann wrote the quartet in only a few weeks during 1842, but infused it with a searching emotional depth and romantic lyricism. Admission is free. Wednesday, July 29, 12:15pm. Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington.
About the author: Elliot Mandel is a freelance photographer specializing in classical concerts and you should hire him for your next show. He is also a sometime writer and an enthusiastically amateur cellist.
