The 2001-2002 season of "Concerts from the Library of Congress" presents a rich array of free public programs offering classical music, jazz, folk and popular music, musical theater, dance and film events.
I Hear America Singing
As part of the Library's multiyear celebration of America's rich musical creativity called "I Hear America Singing," the Music Division will be producing a series of broadcasts on the Library's Web site in 2002. This project will provide free Internet access to the Library's unsurpassed musical treasures through a database of recordings, reproductions of manuscripts and printed music, moving and still images, and discussions by scholars and performers. "I Hear America Singing" will include lectures, master classes, symposia and other educational programs that will examine a national musical legacy embracing the range of American musical expression.
Concert Season
Premieres of six Library of Congress commissions are slated for the coming season, including operas by Roger Reynolds and Libby Larsen and chamber works by Paquito D'Rivera, Donna Long, Ralph Shapey and Augusta Read Thomas.
Justice, a multimedia opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds, is the tale of Agamemnon's conflict with Clytemnestra. Soprano Carmen Pelton, actress Donnah Welby and percussionist Steve Schick perform Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 in a striking production directed by Henry Fonte for the Library's Great Hall, using multichannel computer sound design by Peter Otto.
Co-commissioned by the Library of Congress and the Odyssey Commissioning Program of the Plymouth Music Series, Libby Larsen's cabaret opera Barnum's Bird dramatizes the artistic and commercial partnership between Swedish soprano Jenny Lind and the American promoter P.T. Barnum, to be presented in the Coolidge Auditorium on Feb. 1-2.
"The opera is an extraordinary vehicle to gain insight into ourselves as lovers of art and consumers of entertainment," Ms. Larsen writes. "Mostly, though, it is the story of art, artists and the human soul." A generous grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation supports the productions of both operas.
On Oct. 3, Augusta Read Thomas introduces the premiere performance of her new work, Blizzard in Paradise, commissioned by the Library's Hans Kindler Fund and written for members of the cello section of the National Symphony Orchestra. New additions to the Library's roster of McKim Fund commissions for violin and piano are Paquito D'Rivera's jazz fantasy for violinist Regina Carter; Ralph Shapey's Millennium Designs; and Before the Snow Flies/Pandora's Box by Donna Long for Cherish the Ladies, an all female Irish band.
Tickets are required for all Library of Congress concerts. Tickets will be distributed by TicketMaster at (301) 808-6900, (410) 752-1200 in the Washington area or for others at (800) 551-7328. Each ticket will carry a nominal service charge of $2, with additional charges for phone orders and handling. Tickets are also available at TicketMaster outlets; for a complete list, visit the TicketMaster site www.ticketmaster.com. Although the supply of tickets may be exhausted, there are often empty seats at concert time. Interested patrons are encouraged to come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. on concert night to wait in the standby line for no-show tickets.
All concerts will be held in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., at 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Concerts from the Library of Congress 2001-2002
Programs subject to change without notice
Sept. 28: David Krakauer, clarinet, with Brian Zeger, piano, and Klezmer Madness!
Presented in memory of Max Isenbergh. Janácek: Allegro movement from the Concertino; Brahms: F Minor Sonata, op. 120, no. 1; Messiaen: Abyss of the Birds from Quartet for the End of Time; Reich: New York Counterpoint for clarinet and tape; Debussy: Premiere Rhapsody; Krakauer: Rothko on Broadway; Klezmer set, with the band. Tickets available August 29
Oct. 3: National Symphony
Orchestra Cello Ensemble with Leonard Slatkin, conductor, and Linda Hohenfeld, soprano
Bach-Shulman: Pastorale-Aria; Richard Klemm: Concert Waltz; Alexandr Abramovich: Lyrical Fragments; Augusta Read Thomas: Blizzard in Paradise (Meet Augusta Read Thomas at 6 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion for an introduction of her new work; no tickets required); Boulez: Messagequisse; Stravinsky: Suite Italienne; Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5. Tickets available August 29
Oct. 11-12: The Juilliard String Quartet
Mozart: Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 589; Bartok: Quartet No. 6; Schubert: Quartet in G Major, D. 887. Tickets available August 29
Oct. 19: New York Festival of Song
Music of the Harlem Renaissance, the dynamic arts movement of the 1920s and the 1930s led by African American artists and intellectuals, is celebrated in music and lyrics by Eubie Blake, Zora Neale Hurston, Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes. Tickets available Sept. 5
Oct. 20: Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano with Southwest Chamber Music
Washington premiere of An American Decameron (Koussetvitzky Foundation commission) by Richard Felciano, with texts based on Studs Terkel's Working and Coming of Age. Tickets available Sept. 5
Oct. 26: Andrew Manze, Baroque violin, and Richard Eggar, arpsichord
Corelli: Sonata from op. 5 and Follia, op. 5, no. 1; Fontana: Sonata VI; Uccellini: Toccata sopra Sonata V, op. VI; Rossi: Toccata for solo harpsichord; Bonporti: Invention from op. 10; Pandolfi: Sonatas from Op. 3. Tickets available Sept. 12
Oct. 30: Eighth Blackbird
Founder's Day Concert, honoring Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Minimum Security Composers: Minimum Security Trailer; Daniel Kellogg: Divinum Mysterium; Aaron Jay Kernis: The Four Seasons of Futurist Cuisine; Frederic Rzewski: Pocket Symphony; Randy Coleman: Portals…where birds fly still. Tickets available Sept. 19
Nov. 9: Petersen String Quartet with John Ferrari, percussion
Haydn: Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 76/4 ("Sunrise"); Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet; Thomas Oboe Lee: Morango Almost a Tango; Pavel Haas: Quartet no. 2 (with percussion). Tickets available Sept. 26
Nov. 15: Cherish the Ladies, an all female Irish band: Mary Rafferty, Mary Coogan, Dierdre Connolly, Donna Long and Liz Knowles
Donna Long: Before the Snow Flies/Pandora's Box (McKim commission). Tickets available Oct. 3
Nov. 16: Albert Schweitzer Wind Quintet
Haydn: Divertimento ("Chorale St. Antoni"); Johann Sobeck: Quintet, op. 9; Carter: Quintet; Reicha: Quintet in B-flat Major, op. 100, no. 6; Ibert: Trois pièces brèves. Tickets available Oct. 3
Nov. 30–Dec. 1: Justice by Roger Reynolds (Library of Congress commission)—World premiere
The tale of Agamemnon's conflict with Clytemnestra enacted from Clytemnestra's perspective by Carmen Pelton, soprano; Donnah Welby, actress; Steve Schick, percussion, Henry Fonte, director, and sound design by Peter Otto. Tickets available Oct. 17
Dec. 5: Oxalys
Presented in cooperation with the Flemish Community at the Embassy of Belgium. Jacqueline Fontyn: Sul cuor della terra, for quintet; Mozart: Flute Quartet in A Major, K. 298; Stravinsky: Elegy for viola solo; Carter: Enchanted Preludes for flute and cello; Debussy: Sonata for flute, viola and harp; Sofia Gubaidulina: Garten van Frauden und traurigkeiten for flute, viola and harp; Dane Rudhyar: Dark Passage. Tickets available Oct. 24
Dec. 7: Zehetmair String Quartet
Beethoven: String Quartet in D Major, op. 18, no. 3; Beress: String Quartet no. 1; Brahms: String Quartet in A Minor, op. 51, no. 2. Tickets available Oct. 24
Dec. 8: Ensemble Aurora with Gloria Banditelli, mezzo-soprano
Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute Corelli. Sonata a tre, op. 2, no. 23 ("Ciacona"); Scarlatti: Cantata Bella ("Madre de' fiori"); Bononcini: Cantata ("Il Lamento d'Olimpia"); Vivaldi: Sonata a tre, op. 1, no. 12 ("La Follia"); Bononcini: Cantata ("Care luci del mio bene"). Tickets available Oct. 24
Dec. 18-19: The Juilliard String Quartet
Stradivarius Anniversary Concert. Bach: The Art of Fugue. Tickets available Nov. 17
Feb. 1-2: Barnum's Bird by Libby Larsen (Library of Congress commission)—
World premiere
Show business meets great art in this compelling cabaret opera about the American tour of the most beloved opera star of her time—the Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind—and the impresario who arranged it, the world-class showman P.T. Barnum. Cast includes Esther Heideman as Jenny Lind and Gary Briggle as P.T. Barnum, with musical direction by Philip Brunelle and stage direction by Jon Cranney. Tickets available Dec. 19
Feb. 8: Li-Wei Qin, cello, with Jeremy Young, piano
Boccherini: Sonata in A Major—Adagio and Allegro; Ligeti: Solo Sonata; Barber: Cello Sonatas; Kodaly: Solo Sonata; Paganini: Moses Variations on the theme of Rossini. Tickets available Dec. 26
Feb. 9: Osiris Trio
Program to be announced. Tickets available Dec. 26
March 1: Elaine Funaro, harpsichord
Howells: Lambert's Clavichord, op. 41; Strorace: Ballo della Battaglia; Kent Holliday: Dances from Colca Canyon; de Seixas: Sonata; Timothy Brown: Suite Espanola; Thome: Rigodon; Cervo: Pequena Suite Brasileira; Platti: Sonata in F Major. Tickets available Jan. 16, 2002
March 5: Apollo's Fire, Cleveland Baroque Orchestra
Telemann: Concerto Polonaise in G; Don Quixote Suite; Flute and Recorder Concerto; Grillen-Symphonie ("Cricket Symphony") and Water Music; James Hewitt: The Battle of Trenton; Vivaldi-Sorrell: Summer Concerto transcribed for solo harpsichord; Handel: Water Music. Tickets available Jan. 23, 2002
March 8: Rubio String Quartet
Haydn: String Quartet in C Major, op. 33, no. 3 ("The Bird"); Stephen Paulus: Quartessence; Beth Anderson: March Swale; Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 4 in D Major, op. 83. Tickets available Jan. 23, 2002
March 13: We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Gerri Hershey, 7 p.m., Mumford Room
In conjunction with Women's History Month, Gerri Hershey, one of rock's best known journalists, will discuss and autograph copies of her book which relates the "true tough story of women in rock," among them: Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, the Ronettes, Madonna, Cher and Lauryn Hill. No tickets required
March 14-15: Beaux Arts Trio
Schumann: Trio no. 1 in D Minor, op. 63; Beethoven: Piano Trio in B Major, op. 97; other works to be announced. Tickets available Jan. 30, 2002
March 16: Kocian String Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in G Major, op.77, no. 1; Hindemith: Quartet No. 3, op. 22; Dvorak: Quartet in G Major, op. 106. Tickets available Jan. 30, 2002
March 22: The John Pizzarelli Trio
An evening of classics from the Great American Songbook by the "First Family of Cool" (New York Times). Jazz guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli appears with his father, guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli; his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey; younger brother Martin on bass; and pianist Ray Kennedy. Tickets available Feb. 6, 2002
April 5: American Baroque
Marc Mellits: Eleven Miniatures; Marin Marais: La Sonnerie de St. Genevieve du Monde; Roy Whelden: She's So Heavy; Belinda Reynolds: Solace; Louis-Antoine Dornel: Quartet in B Minor; New work by Carolyn Yarnell. Tickets available Feb. 20, 2002
April 9: Les Musiciens du
Louvre-Grenoble directed by Marc Minkowski
Works by Rameau and Handel. Tickets available Feb. 27, 2002
April 16: Rossetti String Quartet with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Ellen Taffe Zwilich: Romance (McKim commission); Ravel: Quartet in F Major; Franck: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Tickets available March 6, 2002
April 18-19: The Juilliard String Quartet with Gilbert Kalish, piano
Beethoven: Piano Quartet to be announced; Ralph Shapey: Violin and Piano Duo (World Premiere—McKim Commission); Sibelius: Quartet in D Minor, op. 56 ("Voices intimae"). Tickets available March 6, 2002
May 10: Stefon Harris Quartet
At the forefront of the current jazz scene, vibraphonist and composer Stefon Harris leads drummer Terreon Gully, bassist Reid Anderson and pianist Orrin Evans in an evening of post-bop, "booty-shaking" soul funk. Tickets available March 27, 2002
May 15: Blind Boys of Alabama, Neptune Plaza, Jefferson Building, Noon
These legendary singers perform a special program of spirituals and gospel music that includes foot-stomping, hand-clapping versions of old favorites and rare gems that are sure to move the spirit. No tickets required
May 18: Avalon String Quartet with Philip Setzer,
viola, 2 p.m.
Schubert: Quartet no. 12 in C Minor, D. 603; Wynton Marsalis: At the
Octoroon Balls; Brahms: Quintet in G Major for Strings. Tickets available
April 3, 2002
May 31: Paquito D'Rivera and His Band with
Regina Carter, violin
Cuban-American clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Paquito D'Rivera has created a multinational style that moves from bebop to Bach and Mozart, from Afro-Cuban ritual melodies to the music of the dance halls, giving a new meaning to what is known today as Latin jazz. Tickets available April 17, 2002
