Classical Music Agenda

György Kurtág, composer

Happy Commercial-Watching Sunday! Once your hangover wears off, here are some concerts you could hear later in the week.

BIG GUNS:
>> The best concert of the week also happens to be free, a concert featuring György Kurtág (pictured), arguably the most important living composer at the moment, with his wife, pianist Márta Kurtág, and the Keller Quartet on Saturday (February 7, 8 p.m.) at the Library of Congress. The program will include the world premiere of Kurtág's Hommage à Bartók, as well as other music by himself and by Bartók. It is probably impossible to get a reserved ticket at this point, so show up early to wait for an unused seat.

>> We usually wouldn't recommend a trip to Baltimore without good cause, but the chance to hear Romanian pianist Radu Lupu at Shriver Hall on Sunday (February 8, 5:30 p.m.) is not to be missed. He will play three Beethoven sonatas and the unforgettable B-flat major sonata by Schubert. Tickets: $33 (students, $7).

>> The biggest star event of them all this week is violinist Joshua Bell -- no, not in the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station this time -- but playing a recital with pianist Jeremy Denk on Wednesday (February 4, 8 p.m.) in the Music Center at Strathmore. The house is already sold out, of course, but you can always contact Washington Performing Arts Society directly to see if there are any tickets that become available at the last minute.

>> Far less famous is the young Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, who will give a recital on Tuesday (February 3, 7:30 p.m.) in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, also sponsored by WPAS. She has had her ups and downs since finding an international career, but she can play well. She has not yet announced what she will play, a remarkable situation for a concert at this level.