Washington Fall Music Preview

To complement Alex Ross's fall previews (for opera and for concerts) at The Rest Is Noise, as well as my year in opera preview, here is a necessarily incomplete look at what music is out there to be heard in Washington this fall.

The Library of Congress has made available the schedule for the 2004–2005 season of its celebrated free concert series in the Coolidge Auditorium. Here are the highlights of the fall, as I see it:

• October 5: I Musici de Montréal, Yuli Turovsky, Artistic Director
  
• October 20: Panocha Quartet
  
• October 29 (Founder’s Day Concert): George Crumb Ensemble, on its 75th Birthday Tour, with the composer himself on percussion
  
• November 3: Kopelman Quartet
  
• November 9: Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet, Director
  
• December 7: Thomas Hampson with Craig Rutenberg, Piano
  
• December 14: Beaux Arts Trio, in its 50th Anniversary Season
  
• December 17 (Stradivari Anniversary): the only appearance of the Juilliard String Quartet this season, with Christopher Oldfather, piano

Apparently, we Washingtonians have to share the Juilliard Quartet's free concerts with the rest of the country this year, as the Library of Congress is sending them on tour. This year's program, just from glancing over it, appears to be less focused on string quartet repertoire, as was the case last season, and more on Baroque and other early music groups. Yippee!

At the same time, the National Gallery of Art has released part of the program for its 63rd Concert Series, 2004–2005. Particularly exciting concerts this fall include:

• October 10: Alessandra Marc, soprano, and David Chapman, pianist
  
• October 24: New York Chamber Soloists, with music by Piston, Berger, Powell, Bernstein, Aitken, and Carter
  
• October 31: Andreas Haefliger, pianist, playing a Beethoven program

More on this concert series to come.

Here are some other (mostly not free) performances that I will be trying to attend:

• September 11 (continuing through October 2): Giordano's Andrea Chénier, the Washington National Opera (see yesterday's post on the dress rehearsal of this production)
  
• September 10: Reigaku and Gagaku Music of Japan, with Professor Toshihiro Kido, at the Freer Gallery
  
• September 18 (continuing through October 3): Britten's Billy Budd, the Washington National Opera
  
• October 5: Chee-Yun, violin, and Barry Douglas, piano, 7:30 pm, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  
• October 10: On Stage with Washington National Opera, part 1 (members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program), selections from American operas, 2:00 pm, at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  
• October 16: Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, 4:30 pm, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall
  
• October 19: Michael Schade (tenor) and Russell Braun (baritone), 7:30 pm, at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  
• October 20: Johannes String Quartet, 7:30 pm, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  
• October 23 (through November 13): Verdi's Il Trovatore, the Washington National Opera
  
• October 27: Maurizio Pollini, 8 pm, at The Kennedy Center Concert Hall
  
• November 5: Meetings: Indian Ragas and Medieval Song, with tenor Dominique Vellard, lutenist Ken Zuckerman, Keyvan Chemirani (Persian zarb), and Swapan Chaudhuri (Indian tabla), at the Freer Gallery
  
• November 6 (through November 19): the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda, the Washington National Opera
  
• November 13: On Stage with Washington National Opera, part 2 (members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program), selections from American operas, 2:00 pm, at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  
• November 17: Musicians from Marlboro I, at the Freer Gallery (Mozart’s Piano Quartet, K. 493; Kirchner’s Duo for Violin and Piano; and Franck’s Piano Quintet in F Minor. Featured are Ida Levin and Colin Jacobsen, violins; Maurycy Banaszek, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; and Jeremy Denk, piano)
  
• December 8: Guarneri String Quartet, 7:30 pm, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  
• December 12: The Tallis Scholars, 7:30 pm, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Other groups:

• Sunday Concert Series at the Phillips Collection (new season not yet announced)
  
• Washington Concert Opera
  
• Washington Bach Consort
  
• Cantate Chamber Singers
  
• Woodley Ensemble

That's probably enough to keep me off the streets, especially on a diminutive budget like mine.

UPDATE:
Also see the Fall Arts Preview: Classical Music (Washington Post, September 12).