Monday, June 25

If you head east from Atlanta on I-20 to a spot almost due south of Athens, you find the exit for Madison, Georgia. And you might especially want to find Madison over the next couple of weeks because of the Madison Chamber Music Festival. Directed by Atlanta Symphony principal cellist Christopher Rex, this year's festival offers performances by the Fine Arts String Quartet, pianist Valentina Lisitsa, cellist Lynn Harrell, the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet, the Vega Quartet and more. Concerts run from tonight (launching the festivities with a program of jazz-influenced classics including Milhaud's La Creation du Monde) through July 3. Please see the complete festival schedule via the link above.

And now, a couple of notes on two of today's less familiar works. Locatelli called the last of his eye-crossingly difficult Opus 3 violin concertos "The Labyrinth," adding to the score the Latin phrase "Facilis aditus, difficilus exitus," which loosely translates as: "Sure, it's easy enough to get in, but just try to find your way out the other side." By contrast, Patrick Zimmerli's piano trios were written not to stump the players, but rather to play with styles - mixing classical and jazz idioms. Our recording of his Piano Trio No. 2 features the musicians he wrote it for, and I especially get a kick out of the momentum at the end. Hope you caught it and got caught up in it as well.

11 AM

  • Puccini: Gianni Schicchi: "O mio babbino caro." Renee Fleming, London Phil, Mackerras (Decca 289 467 049)
  • Locatelli: "The Labyrinth," Violin Concerto No. 12 in D major from Op. 3, L'Arte del Violino). Mela Tenenbaum, Pro Musica Prague, Kapp (Ess.a.y 1069)
  • Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (No. 4 in A major). Vienna Phil, Gardiner (DG 289 459 156)
12 N
  • Joplin: A Breeze from Alabama. Benjamin Loeb (Naxos 8.559277)
  • Milhaud: La Creation du Monde. Branford Marsalis, Orpheus Chamber Orch (Sony 89251)
  • Zimmerli: Piano Trio No. 2. Yoo, Mermagen, Novacek (Arabesque 6785)
1 PM
  • Heinichen: Sonata for two in C minor for oboe and bassoon (and archlute). Epoca Barocca (CPO 777 115)
  • Mozart: String Quartet in G major, K. 387. Klenke Quartet (Profil 04032)
  • Ravel: Mother Goose Ballet, selections transcr choir. Accentus, Anorga, Equilbey (Naive 5048)

Posted by Sarah Zaslaw at 12:07 PM