Classical •  Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s

July 28, 2014 7:35 pm

Classical

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Monday, July 28, 2014

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Tuesday, July 29, 2014

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Wednesday, July 30, 2014

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Thursday, July 31, 2014

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Friday, August 1, 2014

• 

Seattle Chamber Music Society The pleasant surprise for the SCMS’s 33rd summer festival is a strong focus on vocal music: songs and song cycles by Schumann, Brahms, Vaughan-Williams, and others. (The voice recital, once a cornerstone of America’s concert life, has all but vanished outside academia.) The format is the usual: performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2 (except for the closing week), with a informal solo recital at 7 followed by a full-length concert at 8. The recitals are where musicians get to step off the beaten path and share their personal enthusiasms-like the Mystery Sonatas for solo violin by quintessentially Downtowny composer David Lang (July 7, played by Augustin Hadelich, who premiered them in April) and a selection of Bartok’s gnomic violin duos (July 11, with James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti). Concert highlights include Stravinsky’s mini-opera The Soldier’s Tale for narrator and septet (July 11); Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok (July 18); Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet, with its heartstopping slow-movement variations (July 21); and this season’s premiere, a piano trio by Derek Bermel intriguingly titled Death with Interruptions (July 14). GAVIN BORCHERT Benaroya Recital Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 Single tickets $48, packages $180-$540 Saturday, August 2, 2014

Olympic Music Festival Chamber-music favorites in a repurposed barn, 2 p.m. each Sat. & Sun. through Sept. 7.  Olympic Music Festival, 7360 Center Rd., Quilcene, WA 98376 $18-$33 Saturday, August 2, 2014, 2pm

Olympic Music Festival Chamber-music favorites in a repurposed barn, 2 p.m. each Sat. & Sun. through Sept. 7.  Olympic Music Festival, 7360 Center Rd., Quilcene, WA 98376 $18-$33 Sunday, August 3, 2014, 2pm

Compline Services A half-hour meditation each week with the eight-voice Renaissance Singers. St. Clement of Rome Episcopal Church, 1501 32nd Ave. S., Seattle Free Sunday, August 3, 2014, 7:30 – 8pm

Auburn Symphony Summer Concerts Music for strings (Tchaikovsky, Mozart, etc.) from ASO players. Mary Olson Farm, 28728 Green River Rd., Auburn $10-$17 Thursday, August 7, 2014, 7pm

Seattle Opera: International Wagner Competition Eight singers, backed by full orchestra, vie for honors in this thrilling showcase. McCaw Hall (Seattle Center), 321 Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98109 $46 – $66 Thursday, August 7, 2014, 7pm

Olympic Music Festival Chamber-music favorites in a repurposed barn, 2 p.m. each Sat. & Sun. through Sept. 7.  Olympic Music Festival, 7360 Center Rd., Quilcene, WA 98376 $18-$33 Saturday, August 9, 2014, 2pm

Olympic Music Festival Chamber-music favorites in a repurposed barn, 2 p.m. each Sat. & Sun. through Sept. 7.  Olympic Music Festival, 7360 Center Rd., Quilcene, WA 98376 $18-$33 Sunday, August 10, 2014, 2pm

Compline Services A half-hour meditation each week with the eight-voice Renaissance Singers. St. Clement of Rome Episcopal Church, 1501 32nd Ave. S., Seattle Free Sunday, August 10, 2014, 7:30 – 8pm