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Spotlight: Kronos Quartet – Sunday, March 30, Zellerbach Theater
This venerable new-music quartet has lived on the cutting edge of concert music for more than half a century. Thanks to its long and deep experience with the newest of the new – an interesting paradox – and a bank of over 1,000 commissions, Kronos Quartet has richly earned its legendary status. Still, any time an ensemble lasts this long, there are personnel changes along the way. Three-quarters of the Kronos seats have turned over in the two years since the group’s 50th birthday. Founding violinist David Harrington remains; cellist Paul Wiancko joined in 2023, and violinist Gabriela Díaz and violist Ayane Kozasa came on board just a year ago. This concert, presented by Penn Live Arts and largely concentrating on music of Terry Riley, offers the chance to hear Kronos’s renewed chemistry in action. An early start to the evening also leaves time for an extra treat: a post-concert chat with the artists.
March 30 at 7 p.m., Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, $39-$89; tickets and information.
Zoltán Fejérvári – Tuesday, Benjamin Franklin Hall
Regular Philadelphia Chamber Music Society attendees will recognize this Hungarian pianist from his appearances with Musicians from Marlboro. His profile is higher in Europe than Stateside, but he’s a soloist well worth hearing, especially with a well-formed playlist like this one. Robert Schumann’s beloved Kinderszenen and Johannes Brahms’s granitic Piano Sonata No. 1 are the program’s anchors – but as much as I love them, the rare chance to hear some of Leoš Janáček’s marvelous cycle On the Overgrown Path in recital holds the strongest attraction for me. Humoresques by Antonin Dvořák are thrown in for good measure.
March 25 at 7:30 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut Street, $30; tickets and information.
Tarta Relena – Wednesday, MAAS Building
Vocalism spanning the border between classical and indigenous traditions is the territory of this Catalan duo, with repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant and Hildegard von Bingen to Sephardic songs and folk music from around the Mediterranean. That range seems irresistible and promising, even though no details are provided about the exact content of this program. The vocal duo – Helena Ros and Marta Torrella – is joined by the instrumental duo Tongue Depressor in the multidisciplinary performance space at the MAAS Building.
March 26 at 8 p.m., MAAS Building, 1325 North Randolph St. $15-$25; tickets and information.
The Philadelphia Orchestra with Nathalie Stutzmann and Edgar Moreau – Friday and Saturday, Marian Anderson Hall
Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann returns to Philadelphia to lead the powerful Fifth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich – a pivotal work in his output, produced while he endured two years of public censure by the Soviet authorities after a decade of sweeping successes. That precipitous and wrenching fall from grace finally ended with the 1937 premiere of the Fifth Symphony, greeted by huge ovations that soon restored Shostakovich to official favor – though he never fully recovered from the trauma of authoritarian pressure. Robert Schumann’s late, enigmatic Cello Concerto promises to be an ideal vehicle for the superb young French soloist, Edgar Moreau. Philadelphia-area native Missy Mazzoli, whose music has pleased Orchestra audiences in recent years, provides the program’s prelude, Orpheus Undone.
March 28 at 2 p.m. and March 29 at 8 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $25-$195; tickets and information.
Looking Ahead: Mitsuko Uchida – April 4, Perelman Theater
In another delectable offering from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, pianist Mitsuko Uchida plays a towering masterwork from the heart of her repertory: Schubert’s final Piano Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960. Also firmly in her home territory is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 90. György Kurtág and early Schoenberg complete this can’t-miss program.
April 4 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.
