The swell of holiday concerts and Messiah and Nutcracker performances has reached a deafening level this week. Still, there are some excellent concerts to hear, if you just need to get away from the tinselly, Santa-hatted madness.
HEADLINES:
>> Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero will give a nearly sold-out Washington Performing Arts Society recital on Saturday (December 15, 2 p.m.), Sidney Harman Hall. This new downtown venue, if an article in The Economist is to be believed, will help foster “an intellectual and artistic renaissance” in Washington. Watch that happen as Montero plays Bach, Chopin, and Schumann, as well as some of her signature improvisations, on themes suggested by the audience. If you raise a hand and suggest a Christmas carol, thumbs will get broken.
>> Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień and pianist Howard Watkins give a highly anticipated recital on Thursday (December 13, 7:30 p.m.) sponsored by the Vocal Arts Society at the Embassy of Austria (3524 International Ct. NW). The repertoire includes Schumann’s Dichterliebe, and songs by Tchaikovsky, Karlowicz, and Ravel. Tickets: $40.
>> The Kennedy Center Chamber Players, a rotating ensemble made up of members of the National Symphony Orchestra, will play its latest program on Sunday (December 16, 2 p.m.), at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. How often do you get to hear Schoenberg’s first chamber symphony in Webern’s arrangement for sextet? Tickets: $35.
Photo of pianist Gabriela Montero courtesy of EMI Classics
