After lying dormant for most of the summer, the Classical Music Agenda stirs to life in the first week of September, as news of upcoming concerts filters into the mailbox. Washington offers an extraordinary number of free concerts most weeks, so we will start there. THE FREE KIND: >> You read earlier this week about the free simulcast of the opening night of Washington National Opera's production of La Traviata at Nationals Park (September 13,... [continue]

The Washington National Opera naturally wants to increase the audience for opera in the nation's capital. To that end, its last couple seasons have featured a free simulcast of one of its productions via an immense screen on the National Mall. Large crowds have shown up, with better or worse results depending on the weather. This year, the company has just announced, it will slightly modify this program, by offering its free broadcast to crowds... [continue]

With Andy Roddick's unexpected early departure, much of the star power of this year's Legg Mason Classic went with him. At the semifinal matches on Saturday, fans had the chance to watch one of the two remaining seeded players eliminate the other, followed by a match between two relative unknowns. At the afternoon semifinal match, Tommy Haas struggled to make any headway in ending the winning streak of Juan Martín del Potro, losing the first... [continue]

The top seed at the Legg Mason Classic, the fast-hitting Andy Roddick, has not exactly coasted on his way to defend his championship this year. In his second-round match last night, he dropped the first set to Argentina's Eduardo Schwank, 4-6. Roddick won the second set, but Schwank pressed Roddick into a tie-breaker for the match, which Roddick won without too much trouble. Other players to advance to the quarterfinal were Serbia's Viktor Troicki, over... [continue]

Washington's most important tennis event, the Legg Mason Classic, got under way this week. Most of the major names in men's tennis are in Beijing this month, but ninth-ranked Andy Roddick, skipping the Olympics to be ready for the U.S. Open, decided to come back to the FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park to defend his title. Roddick is favored to win a second consecutive Legg Mason title, but he was happy to survive... [continue]

Last week, we told you that the city's new World Team Tennis franchise, the Washington Kastles, asked you to come up with a name for one of their mascots. We are sorry, but perhaps not surprised, to disappoint DCist commenters with the news that Ballsy the Ball, Butterball, Deuce, Goofball, Meaty, Shuttle Cock, and my personal favorite, Dingle, were not chosen. According to the team's Web site, the winning suggestion was Topspin. If you submitted... [continue]

Regrettably, the Washington Kastles, the city's new World TeamTennis franchise, did not solicit our help in choosing their team name. Apparently wanting to make things right, the team is asking the public to suggest a name for one of their slightly creepy mascots, a dopey-eyed, cap-sporting tennis ball (the other one, a guy in a knight costume, is presumably, uh, Mr. Kastle? Sir Kastle?). The lucky person whose name is chosen will receive two free... [continue]

Dolora Zajick and Salvatore Licitra in Cavalleria Rusticana, Washington National Opera, photo by Leah L. JonesTo cap off its 2007-2008 season, the Washington National Opera is offering a boldly flavored, if hardly unusual digestif, a concert performance of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Shrewdly programmed concert performances of opera, like many of those offered by Washington Concert Opera, are opportunities to perform a relatively unknown works by a well-known composer (Rossini's Tancredi or Bianca e Falliero)... [continue]

Composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)After a fairly calm week, there is one last gasp from the classical music world before summer really arrives. Next month, the concert schedule and your classical music agenda will go into vacation mode. HEADLINES: >> Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is one of those composers whose name is recognized by many people, but much of whose music is not well known. He has written more than just those few famous Finnish-themed... [continue]

Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano (photo by Christian Steiner)With the Memorial Day holiday coming up, there is not much happening in classical music. It makes this week's agenda short and sweet, but a few events deserve your attention. HEADLINES: >> The bonus performances from Washington National Opera this week are devoted to a popular verismo opera, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Concert performances are scheduled for next Sunday (May 25, 2 p.m.) and the following Friday (May 30,... [continue]

Susan Bullock as Elektra, Washington National Opera, 2008 (photo by Karin Cooper)Washington National Opera opened its final production of the season on Saturday night, Richard Strauss's 1909 opera Elektra. This opera is in a sense an extension of the verismo style, just with a much better orchestral score and less vulgar melodies. It takes on ancient stories, from Greek mythology, and shockingly refracts them through the lens of modern psychology. Carl Jung used the... [continue]

eighth blackbirdAfter our recommendation of the National Symphony Orchestra's performance of David Del Tredici's Final Alice last week, it looks like another week of contemporary music awaits. If you think classical music is only about the reiteration of older music, think again. OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: >> The modern music ensemble known as eighth blackbird will perform a program called The Only Moving Thing on Tuesday (May 13, 7:30 p.m.)... [continue]

Hila Plitmann, sopranoNext month, Leonard Slatkin will step down as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra. Assessments of his time in Washington have been mixed, but he has brought some interesting new music to the stage of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. At this week's concerts, Slatkin will conduct a ground-breaking American work from the 1970s, David Del Tredici's Final Alice. It is one distillation of the composer's career-long fascination with the story... [continue]

Violinist Hilary HahnIf you have waited until the last minute to think of something nice to do for your mom on Mother's Day next Sunday, what about taking her to a concert this week? There are even a few concerts on the day itself. INSTRUMENTS: >> Joining the National Symphony Orchestra this week is one of my favorite soloists, Baltimore-born violinist Hilary Hahn (May 8 to 10). Her contribution, Paganini's first violin concerto, will... [continue]

Plácido Domingo (Bajazet) in Tamerlano, Washington National Opera, 2008 (photo by Karin Cooper)For a few years, reports have been coming from Europe of major opera houses pairing up with historically informed performance (HIP) ensembles to present Baroque operas. Such residencies combine the staging power of a full-time opera company, as well as major opera singers, with the musical specialization of a well-established early music group and its regular conductor. Washington National Opera experimented with... [continue]

Photo of Plácido Domingo by Alexander ZetlitzAfter a very busy month of April, the concert schedule thins out slightly this week. Even so, there are some major events to look forward to and some free concerts to round out the week. OPERA: >> Plácido Domingo will retire from the stage eventually, if not this season, and the chance to hear the legendary tenor should not be missed. He will be starring in the Washington... [continue]

This is another week filled with excellent pianists visiting Washington, and there are concerts a-plenty of all kinds, including some very good free ones. RECOMMENDED: >> Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes (pictured) is a smart and talented musician, but he also has a flair for the unusual. Last year, to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Edvard Grieg, Andsnes had a grand piano hauled up to the top of a Norwegian mountain to... [continue]

Leading the recommendations this week are the free concerts, which also happen to be the best events on the calendar. If you insist on paying money for your music this week, read through to the end. FREE, FREE, FREE: >> One of the best historically informed performance ensembles in the world, Europa Galante (pictured), will give a concert with their leader, violinist Fabio Biondi, on Wednesday (April 16, 8 p.m.) at the Library of Congress.... [continue]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this week that the music director of Pittsburgh Opera, Antony Walker (pictured), conducted a performance of Aida. Not only that, but he simultaneously sang the role of Radames from the podium in the last act, replacing an indisposed tenor. The lead recommendation this week gives you a chance to see Walker in action (hopefully only conducting), as he is also the music director of our own Washington Concert Opera. HEADLINES: >>... [continue]

Carlos Álvarez as Rigoletto, Washington National Opera, 2008, photo by Karin CooperRigoletto, premiered at Venice's Teatro La Fenice in 1851, is generally named as the first instance of Giuseppe Verdi's mature compositional voice. In terms of dramatic cohesion and musical sophistication, it is light years ahead of Ernani, an opera from 1844 with a remarkably similar background (the same librettist, Francesco Maria Piave, adapted a play by Victor Hugo for both operas, and both... [continue]