SEATTLE SYMPHONY–No other pianist has done as much for contemporary
music as Ursula Oppens; I’d love to hear her performing Carter or Rzewski live.
Unfortunately, I don’t set the symphony’s programming, so we’ll have to settle
for the slighter charms of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Maybe Oppens will
encore with something more recent–I understand she likes to mix it up that
way. Also included are Webern’s dramatic Passacaglia, Op. 1, and–making this
the most bizarrely programmed concert of the month– Schumann’s Symphony No.
4. Benaroya Hall, Taper Auditorium, Thurs March 11, 7:30 pm, and Fri
March 12, 8 pm, $15-$65, 215-4747 or www.seattlesymphony.org.
NORTHWEST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA–Catch up on your 18th- century allegorical musicals with this performance of Handel’s L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato, a discussion between Mirth, Melancholy, and Moderation. Benaroya Hall, Nordstrom Recital Hall, Sat March 13, 8 pm, and Sun March 14, 2:30 pm, $19.50/$22.50, 343-0445 or 292-ARTS.
BRIDGE ENSEMBLE–We all have our likes and dislikes–so, okay, Brahms has just never done it for me. If you’re one of the millions who disagrees, you’ll want to attend this concert of two Piano Quartets–No. 2 in A and No. 3 in C–by Seattle’s pre-eminent chamber ensemble. Benaroya Hall, Nordstrom Recital Hall, Tues March 16, 8 pm, $15/$20, 292-ARTS.