With Passover and Easter, this week is mostly about taking off work and preparing food. Not surprisingly, there is not much to tell about concerts, but there are a few interesting things that I must mention. Classical music life in Washington will get its buzz back next week, lasting another eight to ten weeks or so until the summer doldrums settle in.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC:
On Monday (April 10, 7:30 p.m.), the Diotima String Quartet will return to play a concert at the Embassy of France, La Maison Française (4101 Reservoir Rd. NW). Last summer, this group of young French musicians showed their zeal for contemporary music by playing on a concert dedicated to the chamber music of Pascal Dusapin. They play well, and they have put together a fascinating program: Hosokawa, Silent Flowers; Berg, Lyric Suite; Webern, Six Bagatelles, op. 9; Ferneyhough, Quartet No. 2; Janáček, Quartet No. 2. Tickets: $20 (request a reservation by sending an e-mail to Culturel.WASHINGTON-AMBA@diplomatie.gouv.fr).

>> On Saturday (April 15, 8 p.m.), the Left Bank Concert Society will also play a concert of contemporary music called Shades of Our Times, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park. Their program includes Bartók’s delicious fifth string quartet, as well as music by Moravec (Quintessence, 1999), Webern, Ewazen, and Stucky (Sonate en forme de préludes, 2004). Tickets: $30. All of you non-practicing or atheist students with no plans to go home for the holidays and who have finished your taxes early, you can buy tickets for only $7.