Fanfare is our curated weekly guide to classical music concerts in the Philadelphia area. Subscribe now to get Fanfare delivered to your inbox every Sunday. And if you have feedback or an upcoming event to share, let us know!
Spotlight: The Anonymous Lover — Friday & Sunday, The Academy of Music
Like many late-18th century comic operas, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges' The Anonymous Lover is a tale of romance across class boundaries. Leontine is an aristocratic widow who receives a series of admiring letters and gifts from an unknown suitor. The nameless beau is her friend Valcour, who keeps his crush a secret for fear of being rejected for his non-noble status. Will Leontine and Valcour emerge from the friend zone unscathed? Find out in Opera Philadelphia’s first-ever performance of this 1780 work, conducted by Kalena Bovell, directed by Dennis Whitehead Darling, and starring soprano Symone Harcum as Leontine and tenor Travon D. Walker as Valcour.
Jan. 31 at 8 p.m., Feb. 2 at 2 p.m., The Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street, $10 rush tickets available at the box office 2 hours before show, advance tickets sold out, call 215-732-8400 or email tix@operaphiladelphia.org to learn more; tickets and information.
Gregorius – The Holy Sinner — Thursday, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral
If anyone can turn a 12th century morality tale into an evening of edge-of-the-seat drama, it’s Benjamin Bagby. The brilliant medievalist, alongside his ensemble Sequentia, has an extraordinary gift for opening portals deep into our musical past. On Thursday, he introduces us to the world of Gregorius – The Holy Sinner, an epic poem written by the German knight Hartmann von Aue about an orphan who becomes the pope.
Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m., Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 19 South 38th Street, $46; tickets and information.
CKW Trio & Ricardo Morales — Friday, Perelman Theater
Few works embody the contradictions of the 20th century better than Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Written in 1941 while the composer, a French soldier, was interned in a German prison camp, this mystical masterpiece is at once earthy and otherworldly, delicate and violent, and fraught, yet at peace. Ricardo Morales, the principal clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, joins the CKW Trio for an intrepid ascent of Messiaen’s chamber music Himalaya. Although this concert (which also includes works by Debussy and Schumann) is currently sold out, you can join the waitlist on the PCMS website.
Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, sold out, but call 215-569-8080 or email boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org to join the waitlist; tickets and information.
Obstinate — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Various Locations
Ostinato, the use of a repeated musical rhythm, figure, or phrase, was a staple of the Baroque era. Who better to explore the various ways this technique was used to generate motion and meaning than Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia’s Baroque Orchestra, whose program Obstinate juxtaposes prominent ostinatos by Vivaldi, Purcell, Marais, and more.
Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., Christ Church Christiana Hundred, 505 E. Buck Road, Wilmington, DE; Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Trinity @ 22nd, 2212 Spruce Street; Feb. 2 at 4 p.m., Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, $35-$45; tickets and more information.
The Planets — Friday & Saturday, Marian Anderson Hall
The Philadelphia Orchestra looks to the heavens in this concert anchored by Gustav Holst’s magnificent crowd-pleaser The Planets. Guest conductor Daniele Rustioni captains this skyward journey, with extra propulsion offered by his Italian compatriot Alfredo Casella — his thrilling 1926 Concerto romano will feature the acclaimed organist Paul Jacobs.
As an appetizer to the Feb. 1 performance, Jacobs will be also performing a free pre-concert recital of organ favorites by Mendelssohn, Franck, Ives, and Bach.
Jan 31 at 2 p.m., Feb. 1 at 8 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $25-$200; tickets and information.
Paul Jacobs Organ Recital: Feb. 1 at 5 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, free with registration; more information.

Peter and the Wolf — Saturday, Marian Anderson Hall
Michael Boudewyns is perhaps the most esoteric specialist in the world of classical music: in the last 20 years, he’s narrated Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf a staggering 165 times. His 12th appearance with The Philadelphia Orchestra guarantees a morning of family fun, also including confections by Grieg, Rossini, and Ravel.
Feb. 1 at 11:30 a.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $22-$55, tickets and information.
Ahh… in search of beauty — Saturday, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
The Chestnut Hill-based community choir Philomusica Chorale opens its 46th season with Ahh… in search of beauty, a concert of placid and contemplative choral music by Samuel Barber, Ola Gjeilo, Adolphus Hailstork, and Paul Schaefer. For those who cannot make the show in person, the Chorale will be live streaming the performance via a link accessible on the ticket page.
Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, $25 advance/livestream, $35 at the door; tickets and information.