Washington National Opera’s new production of Salome shows that Richard Strauss’s 1905 shocker can still pack a wallop.

A trip out to Fairfax requires some justification, which the concerts hosted by the George Mason University Center for the Arts occasionally provide. This was the case Saturday night, when that venue distinguished itself as the only local stop for the current U.S. tour of the orchestra of the Leipzig Gewandhaus (recently in Chicago and Boston, but also in smaller places like Schenectady). That venerable ensemble, founded in 1781, is one of the oldest orchestras…

Richard Strauss’s Salome (1905) helped set the tone for iconoclastic opera in the 20th century. Shattering most of the genre’s conventions — formulaic plots, vocal characterization, propriety — this tale of lust, incest, and decollation may still shock some viewers, but it has become a modern classic. Although Washington National Opera last staged it as recently as 2002, Washington audiences should be pleased to have another chance to hear it, in an excellent concert version…

FRIDAY: >> You don’t need us to tell you any more about local heavyweights Benjy Ferree, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, or Greenland. But tonight is Ferree’s first time headlining at Black Cat’s mainstage, so don’t forget to show up and lend your support. 9 p.m., $10. SATURDAY: >> Guitarist Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will spin a DJ set at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $10 after 10 p.m., free before. >>…

The classical music schedule in Washington is starting to fill up, so that by February and March, we will be overwhelmed. Here are a few sure bets this week, as well as a smattering of concerts off the beaten path. THE BIG GUNS: >> Soprano Deborah Voigt has always had a big, gorgeous voice. She made news two years ago when she was fired from a production because the director wanted her character to wear…

Does anyone else need a vacation from their vacation? Some good classical music is just the thing to calm your nerves after battling the traffic or the airport crowds. Happily, we have some excellent things on the agenda for this week, before the Holiday Concert Madness truly sets in, beginning with some of the big guns. STAR CONCERTS: >> The main event this week as far as I am concerned is the recital by powerhouse…

You could hear a lot of good classical music this week, much of it at no cost other than the trip to the concert hall. The biggest events this week are not going to be cheap, but the performances of these visiting musicians do promise to be extraordinary. We will be bringing you reviews, of course. For more concerts, go to our Classical Week in Washington feature at Ionarts. LOOK WHO’S IN TOWN: >> The…

Renée Fleming has been called America’s diva, which means primarily that her profile as a celebrity is greater than that of most opera singers. In other words, she gets called to do things like sing the national anthem at the first Nationals game, sing at the memorial service at Ground Zero in Manhattan, lead holiday carols at the White House, get interviewed on Letterman, and sing on The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Lots of…

In late October the major musical groups in Washington — the Washington National Opera and National Symphony Orchestra — take a break from performing for a couple weeks until November. You might think that their absence would mean a reduction of concert volume, but this is not really the case. In fact, we have a lot to tell you people about for the next two weeks, and without opera and symphony, we may even get…