There’s no better place to work off a tryptophan hangover than the concert hall. From intimate chamber performances to sweeping orchestral color, there’s an abundance of live classical music to savor in Philadelphia this week.
Spotlight: Valentin Kovalev, saxophone, Amy Yang, piano — Tuesday, American Philosophical Society
When saxophonist Valentin Kovalev visited WRTI’s studios for a conversation with John T.K. Scherch this summer, he described the “immediate impression” that the “shiny golden instrument” made when he first heard it being played in a café in his native Siberia.
On Tuesday, this now Philly-based musician gets the chance to make an immediate impression of his own on the audiences of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. His recital debut with pianist Amy Yang promises to be a superb vehicle for his burnished tone and nuanced lyricism, including Debussy’s Rhapsodie, transcriptions of works by Brahms and Schumann, and contemporary pieces by Fazil Say and Takashi Yoshimatsu.
Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, $25, tickets and information.
Amerita Chamber Players — Wednesday, Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel
This free Wednesday night concert from the resident ensemble of The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia carries the curious title “The Gallbladder Operation.” If this (understandably) grosses you out, fear not: no scalpels will be used in this eponymous piece for viola, harp, and narrator by the French Baroque composer Marin Marais, which charts his pain and ultimate relief at having his gallbladder excised in 1720. Works by Paisiello, Valentini, Donizetti, and Vitali round out this program from violinist Nancy Bean, cellist Glenn Fischbach, and harpist Anne Sullivan.
Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, 300 South 18th Street, free, more information.
Gil Shaham Plays Dvořák — Thursday through Saturday, Marian Anderson Hall
An unusual and intriguing pairing. The first half of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s final non-holiday program of 2024 features violinist Gil Shaham in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, a warhorse of the Romantic repertoire; after intermission is Prokofiev’s Sixth Symphony, a bombastic yet tender response to the ravages of World War II. Guest conductor Xian Zhang, the newly appointed Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, is sure to find fascinating sonic counterpoints in these far-afield works.
Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 6 at 2 p.m., Dec. 7 at 8 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $25-$195, tickets and information.
Iestyn Davies, countertenor; Fretwork — Friday, The Church of the Holy Trinity
Lauded for his probing interpretations and the purity of his high register, the British countertenor Iestyn Davies will be joined by the formidable viol consort Fretwork in music from 17th-century Germany, including works by J.C. Bach, Buxtehude, Scheidt, and Schütz. Given that the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society titled this program Lamento, it would be wise to have extra tissues at the ready.
Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, $30, tickets and information.
Carols By Candlelight — Saturday, The Church of the Holy Trinity
Conductor Donald Meineke and Choral Arts Philadelphia literally capture the warm glow of the holidays with their annual Carols by Candlelight performance. The concert includes more than a dozen Yuletide favorites — including the Carol of the Bells, Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, Bethlehem Down, and The Twelve Days of Christmas — set in the magnificent acoustic and tenebristic ambiance of Rittenhouse’s The Church of the Holy Trinity.
Dec. 7 at 4 p.m., The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, $40, $15 students, $50 premium; tickets and information.
Dolce Suono Ensemble — Saturday, Trinity at 22nd
The art of arranging takes center stage in the second concert of the Dolce Suono Ensemble’s 2024-25 season. Founding flutist and artistic director Mimi Stillman is joined by frequent collaborators — including pianist Charles Abramovic, clarinetist Ricardo Morales, violinist Amy Oshiro-Morales, and guitarist Gideon Whitehead — for a colorful program of pieces by Bach, Mozart, Piazzolla, and Marko Tajčević cleverly reconceived for various chamber configurations.
Dec. 8 at 3 p.m., Trinity at 22nd, 2212 Spruce Street, $10-$30, tickets and information.
