Peabody winding up the month with hefty musical attractions
As April winds down (my extended vacation ends this week, too), things are heating up at the Peabody Institute, where several musical attractions are on the calendar. On Wednesday, Edward Polochick leads the Peabody Concert Orchestra in a program that balances the upbeat "Spring" Symphony by Schumann with the slightly less cheery Requiem by Mozart (featuring soloists from the conservatory, along with the Peabody Singers and the Peabody-Hopkins Chorus).
On Thursday and Friday, the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, directed by Mark Cudek, explores the original music that inspired Respighi's "Ancient Airs and Dances." And on Saturday, Leon Fleisher will be in conducting mode to guide the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Walton's Partita and Beethoven's "Eroica."
Speaking of Fleisher, he'll be ...
in pianist mode on Sunday, joining the Tokyo String Quartet (and bassist Robert Barney) for the season finale of the Shriver Hall Concert Series, playing an arrangement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major. Music by Takemitsu will also be performed at this concert, which is being dedicated to the victims of the tsunami in Japan.
And speaking of Peabody folks, note that a couple of successful conservatory alums will be featured this week at at An die Musik -- guitarist Alexander Milovanov on Tuesday, pianist Jenny Lin on Friday.
PHOTO OF LEON FLEISHER (by Joanne Savio) COURTESY OF PEABODY INSTITUTE
Comments
What happened to the Brahms Piano Quintet on the SHriver Hall program? That was what had been announced - what a letdown to have one of the masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire replaced with miniature Mozart!
I assume it has to do with the program changing to a commemoration of the tsunami victims, a way of toning things down. UPDATE: I guess I should have known that the pianist's thumb surgery still left him not quite ready for the challenge of the Brahms, information he shared with the audience Sunday night.TS
Posted by: Mike | April 29, 2011 3:55 PM
I was at the concert and Fleisher spoke apologetically about changing the repertoire. He said he had a recent surgery on his right thumb and is still in recovery. LF joked, "my right thumb is still not ready for professional use!"
Posted by: Marvin | May 1, 2011 11:37 PM