SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The SSO brandishes a bevy of Beethoven, the Piano Concerto No. 4 and the obscure Overture to the Consecration of the House. Ravel and Richard Strauss are also on the bill. Also Sat Jun 7 at 8 pm and Sun June 8 at 2 pm. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave & Union St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $11-$75.
SATURDAY JUNE 7
AONO JIKKEN
Blessed with a predictably weird start time, this week's sleeper gig is at SIFF. Aono Jikken uses traditional instruments, found objects, modified children's sound toys, and custom-created instruments of metal, bamboo, kelp, and other materials. This seldom-heard but entrancing ensemble performs a new live music score for the 1930 Chinese silent film Swordswoman of Huangjiang. Egyptian Theatre, 801 E Pine St, 324-9996, 1:45 pm, $6.
WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL
No, it's not a golf match, but a two-day festival of new electroacoustic music made by the Music Department minions at Stanford, the UW, and the University of Florida. Some makers and mavens of sound art feel that nothing worthwhile comes out of "academia," yet in truth, many undiscovered gems and unsung composers merit discovery--just like in the "underground." The second half of the concert is Sun Jun 8 at 3 pm. Meany Studio Theater, UW Campus, 685-8384, 8 pm, $5/$10 or $12 for both concerts.
MONDAY JUNE 9
WALLY SHOUP
Sound of the Brush, a weekly series devoted to presenting new work by improvisers from in and out of town, has corralled alto saxophonist Wally Shoup. If you missed his marvelous performance at Polestar, go see him--his passion and intensity can sway the most skeptical ears. CoCA, 1420 11th Ave, 728-1980, 8:30 pm, donation requested.
TUESDAY JUNE 10
SEATTLE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Does Seattle need yet another ensemble playing Vivaldi, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Britten, Bartók, and Shostakovich? Typing this up, I could swear that two or three other ensembles in town traipsed through this repertory of Safe and Satisfying Classical Hits last month, but this is SCO's inaugural concert, so I should be nice. What Seattle really needs is a chamber orchestra willing to crack the masterpieces of 20th-century music like Xenakis' Thalleïn, Ligeti's Chamber Concerto, and Sciarrino's Infinito Nero with loads of rehearsals. Oh, and gutsy dedication, fearless willingness to mix unknowns with Big Names, and a fanatical adherence to the score would be nice, too. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third Ave & Union St, 292-2787, 7:30 pm, $15/$25.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 11
SIAMESE
Fresh from a breakneck tour of the East Coast and Midwest, this trio brings its swirling stew of jazzy drum 'n' bass back to Fremont. Propelled by the striated rhythms of Kevin Sawka, Siamese frenetically fashions funk for both the brain and the behind. ToST, 513 N 36th St, 547-0240, 9 pm, $5.
