After yesterday's preview of the endless list of holiday concerts in the area in December, it is time to discuss the piece that must not be named, Georg Friedrich Händel's Messiah (1742). Yes, it is a masterpiece of music history, but the lamentable annual round of weary performances at Christmas time (in spite of the fact that Messiah is an Easter work), makes me want to run screaming for anything else this time of... more ›

>> Local group Ocio brings its repertoire of classic jazz standards to Twins Jazz tonight. Call (202) 234-0072 for cover information. >> It might be a bit of a drive for those of us who live in D.C., but Jeff Antoniuk and the Jazz Update, a stellar band comprised of saxophonist Antoniuk, bassist Tom Baldwin, pianist Wade Beach, and drummer Tony Martucci, plays tonight at 49 West in Annapolis. Their album, Here Today, has charted... more ›

Everyone needs a vacation, even musicians, and the summer is quite naturally a time that the classical music world slows down. So this is it for your Classical Music Agenda, until August. This week's installment will be a little longer than normal, because there are several interesting things happening over the next couple months. If you want to hear some music this summer, you can, and here's where. HEADLINES: >> The most important classical music... more ›

It's that time of the year again, when every choral group in the city has a Lenten concert, an Easter concert, or a Holy Week concert. We start this week with some of the best ones for the upcoming week. PREACHING FROM THE CHOIR: >> When the first concert on the list requires a trip to Baltimore, you know that it is going to be good. The Tallis Scholars, one of the best choral groups... more ›

Georg Friedrich Händel's Messiah (1742) is, I have to keep reminding myself, a masterpiece of music history. It is not that I hate the production, but its overexposure, due to the lamentable annual round of weary performances in December, has mostly deadened my ear to its pleasures. more ›

Morning, Washington. First things first: how freaking awesome was that field goal? Second, how wonderful was the gorgeous fall weather we had all weekend? Hope you all got out to enjoy the colors of the trees a bit -- 25,000 of which Mayor Williams has planted since he first took office eight years ago. This past Sunday, the city's biggest tree was honored (which begs the question of how one honors a tree, exactly).... more ›

Happy Hot as Hell Tuesday, everyone. Yes, it's going to 100 degrees today, with a heat index up around 110. The best advice is to stay inside whenever possible during what we like to call our Heat Emergency, but if you have to be outdoors, the National Weather Service advises drinking plenty of water, planning activities outside for the morning or evening and wearing loose, light-colored clothing and a hat. It's unfortunate that the current... more ›

This is going to be a good week. There are so many things to hear, concerts that promise great delights. We'll start with the best of the best and go from there. RECOMMENDED: >> For many serious fans of the piano, especially those who prize accuracy of technique and intellectual craft, there is only Maurizio Pollini. The last time that he played in Washington, I leapt at the chance to hear him, as I have... more ›

This DCist has managed to satisfy those persistent classical music cravings from time to time lately, but August is a slow month for concerts. In fact, we took our passport to make the trip all the way out to Wolf Trap last night, on a dangerous quest to see Rossini's La Cenerentola in a semistaged version by the Wolf Trap Opera Company (reviewed at Ionarts). The big party resumes in Washington next month, of course, when the National Symphony, Washington National Opera, and the other big guns return from vacation. Until then, the six readers of the Classical Music Agenda will just have to listen to CDs, to supplement the few concerts we have to tell you about. The good news is that, although there may not be much, it is all free. more ›

We considered not even posting the Classical Music Agenda this week, given how few concerts there are to hear. (Our concert schedule for the month of August at Ionarts is the shortest it's ever been.) Still, it would be pathetic for this DCist to shirk work this easy, so we promise to keep it short. Basically, it comes down to one of two instruments, cello or organ, and both are free. So, choose your poison.... more ›

Is there too much information in the Classical Music Agenda? This DCist tends to err on the side of being too complete, but we will endeavor to restrict ourselves to recommending nothing but the best, in the hope of not overwhelming you. If you think we're being stingy, go to our Classical Week in Washington feature at Ionarts for the whole scoop. more ›

We are moving the Classical Music Agenda so that it appears on Sundays instead of Mondays, when it was giving you all information overload by appearing too close to the more popular Weekly Music Agenda. This makes much more sense in planning your classical week, so we have moved the more complete Classical Week in Washington feature at Ionarts to Sundays, too. The change makes little difference in the month of July, when the Washington concert scene is disturbingly uncluttered with good things to hear. Worry not, dear reader, this DCist has combed the calendar carefully to bring you the best opportunities we can. more ›

Synesthesia was a pretty big topic with arts bloggers a few months ago. For the record, it's a clinical condition that involves the confusion of stimuli between different senses. Most importantly for our post today, some composers—Messiaen and Scriabin, to name two—have had this condition and perceived colors visually along with sounds that they heard (and, we presume, vice versa). This was the theme of a free concert that we suggested earlier this week in our Classical Music Agenda, featuring the 21st Century Consort at Washington National Cathedral Tuesday night. As venues go, this was a natural place to think about color and music. Synesthete Olivier Messiaen was profoundly influenced by a visit he made with his parents, when he was a teenager, to La Sainte-Chapelle in his native Paris. The late Gothic builders of the Sainte-Chapelle removed the supporting function of the wall to its maximum, leaving most of the elevation to be filled with stained glass windows. The effect, especially on a sunny morning or afternoon, can be hallucinatory. The windows shown here, in the nave wall by the tomb of President Woodrow Wilson in the National Cathedral, could probably have induced some strange chords in Messiaen's eyes/ears. more ›

The words free concert are sweet music to this DCist's ears and probably yours, too. If you are not reading this because you already like classical music, our chances of getting you to follow our suggestions may improve if we recommend concerts that require no tickets or even real planning. It's summer, so we're going to make this as painless as possible. NATIONAL CATHEDRAL SUMMER FESTIVAL: >> There is a series of free concerts this... more ›

So the U.S. Senate won't be going nuclear after all that huffing and puffing. (At least not anytime soon, but ...) All things considered, that's probably for the best. The country witnessed how even a simple evacuation two weeks ago could be so magnificently botched -- so just imagine what the fallout from the nuclear strike would have looked like. more ›

(Introducing new DCist contributor Colleen Egan, who will focus on the local shopping scene.) more ›

With Capital Weather indicating that this weekend should be quite nice, with temperatures in the low 80s with partly cloudy skies, DCist encourages you to get out, enjoy the weekend and perhaps do something new. more ›