FRIDAY MARCH 5



ARIADNE AUF NAXOS

Phenomenal soprano Jane Eaglen has agreed to sing the role of Ariadne, filling in at the last minute for an indisposed Margaret Jane Wray. Ariadne is Richard Strauss' opera within an opera, replete with the petty trials and titanic tribulations of creating a work for the stage. Ariadne runs through March 13. See www.seattleopera.org for days and times. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 389-7676, 7:30 pm, $37-$118.

SATURDAY MARCH 6



KRIS BEZUIDENHOUT

This South African native plays the forerunner of the modern piano, the crisper, less-bombastic, and tougher-to-tune fortepiano. Apart from an alluring program of Beethoven (the Sonata in D major op. 10 no. 3), Mozart (the B-flat Major sonata K. 570), and C. P. E. Bach, hearing this antique instrument in the snug acoustics of Brechemin should be a treat. Brechemin Auditorium, UW campus, 543-4880, 7:30 pm, $8/$10.

SUNDAY MARCH 7



ELLEN HARGIS

A recital of love songs by Purcell, Handel, Monteverdi, Strozzi, and Rossi. Jillon Stoppels Dupree accompanies on harpsichord. Town Hall, Eighth Ave and Seneca St, 726-6088, 2 pm, $12-$22.

MONDAY MARCH 8



DAWN CLEMENT TRIO

Joining this lyrical straight-ahead pianist and incipient vocalist are Geoff Cooke (bass) and Reade Whitwell (drums). Still Life Cafe at the Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, 523-3935, 8 pm, $7.

SOUND OF THE BRUSH

Two drummers of the Monktail Creative Music Concern, Mark Ostrowski and John Ewing, team up for freely improvised duets. Polestar, the new home of the Sound of the Brush weekly series, is unforgiving of loud skin-bashers but exposes every nuance of delicate percussion sounds. The final set is an open-to-all-comers, mix 'n' match improvisation. Polestar Music Gallery, 1412 18th Ave at E Union St, 329-4224, 8:30 pm, donation requested.

TUESDAY MARCH 9



DR. JOHN

My one regret when I visited New Orleans in 2001 is that I never learned how to properly pronounce the city's name: "N'uh Awlins." Beloved for his bluesy drawl, Dr. John is also a down-home gutbucket pianist of high caliber. Also Wed March 10 at 8 pm, Thurs-Sat March 11-13 with sets at 8 and 10:15 pm, and Sun March 14 with early sets at 6:30 and 8:45 pm. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 8 pm, $23.50-$27.50.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 10



WRICK WOLFF

This freelance composer and engineer emerges from the shadows to discuss Under the Aegis, a tape work based on a snippet of Igor Stravinsky rehearsing Pulcinella. Wolff will also present Dichtung Und Wahrheit, a good sound collage that melds fragments from The Sopranos, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and other shows into a meditative oratorio on birth, death, and everything in between. Jack Straw Productions, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919, 7:30 pm, free.