QUIET MUSIC CULTIVATION
Engineer and master field recordist Doug Haire is heard all too rarely these days and certainly merits a trip to the City of Destiny. Haire improvises with location recordings made around the world with James R. Cobb III, who (literally) brings "synthesis, metallurgy, and phonemes" to the table. Kickstand Cafe, 604 S Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, 253-383-3311, 8 pm, free.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28
UW BAROQUE ENSEMBLE
UW music students tackle assorted chestnuts from the baroque era, including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The secret bonus of this gig is the venue; Brechemin, one of our burg's best small halls, is ideally suited for baroque music. Brechemin Auditorium, UW Campus, 685-8384, 8 pm, $5/$8.
GREAT MUSIC FOR GREAT CATHEDRALS
Apart from the vague title, this looks like an interesting concert. Along with music by Britten and Strauss, the choir sings 12th-century works from Santiago de Compostela and Hildegard von Bingen. Alan Hovhaness' To the God who is in the fire for men's voices and percussion adds some fire and brimstone to the proceedings. Also Sat March 1 at 8 pm. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 382-4874, 8 pm, $20 suggested donation, students pay as you can.
SUNDAY MARCH 2
SEATTLE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Anton Bruckner's symphonies are mind-bending for, but if young ears must traverse the time-dilating sonic realms of the Viennese master, the Fourth Symphony does the least harm. Nicknamed "The Romantic," this hour-long opus charts lonely, angst-ridden aural vistas. The SYSO also premieres Oxford professor Julian Johnson's Horizon into Flame, and for light relief plays Prokofiev's Suite No. 1 from Cinderella. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave & Union St, 362-2300, 3 pm, $7-$35.
SEATTLE CHAMBER PLAYERS
The SCP present Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, one of the 20th century's masterpieces. Apart from shocking audiences in 1912 with its "vulgar" subject matter and atonal music, Pierrot features sprechstimme, a half-spoken, half-sung vocal technique that is doubtless an ancestor of pop vocals from the last 40 years. They'll also show two films, Luis Buñuel's Un Chien Andalou and Joris Ivens' Rain. The SCP accompany the films with scores by Martin Matalon and the unrepentant leftist Hanns Eisler. Pre-concert talk with composer Gavin Borchert and Evergreen College professor (and maker of Wigout--nifty sound software for glitch-heads) Arun Chandra starts at 6:15 pm. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third Ave & Union St, 286-5052, 7 pm, $12-$20.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 5
TALMAN WELLE
Pianist Talman Welle performs music by 20th-century South American composers, including two by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Rudepoema (1921-26) and Hommage to Chopin (1949). Also on the program are the Danzas Argentinas (1937) by the Argentinean Alberto Ginastera, who is best known for inspiring prog-rockers Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Sherman-Clay Piano & Organ, 1624 Fourth Ave, 622-7580, 12:15 pm, free.
