Michael Lewin, director of Boston Conservatory’s Piano Masters series. Next up: Cecile Licad, Nov. 15. Liz Linder photograph
By Keith Powers
Cecile Licad, at Boston Conservatory’s Piano Masters series, Seully Hall, Nov. 15
“These are pianists that you can’t hear anywhere in Boston,” says artistic director Michael Lewin of the long-running Boston Conservatory Piano Masters series. “Our audience knows it. We’ve been back in person since last September (2021), and our hall has been filled for every concert.”
The monthly Tuesday evening recitals at Seully Hall have welcomed many notable performers: Kirill Gerstein. Till Fellner. Ursula Oppens. Awadagin Pratt. Anne-Marie McDermott. Lewin himself.
“Our piano students are almost expected to come,” Lewin says, “but we get piano students from other schools as well. For students who play, it’s always invaluable. The best of them show up with the score, listening closely. It reinforces what they’re already doing.
“There are actually limited choices for giving piano recitals in Boston,” he points out. “The city is international in some ways, but in other ways it’s closed off.”
Pianist Cecile Licad adds to the list of visiting artists on Nov. 15, performing Beethoven, Ravel, Beach and Chopin.
Mistral, Taylor, Arts in the Village: Chamber Music Events, Nov. 10–13
The Boston Baroque X-tet—all principals of the orchestra—perform Mozart, Kummer (Rossini and Bellini arias arranged for strings), Beethoven and Winter on Nov. 10 at the Lyman Estate in Waltham. Mistral leader Julie Scolnik teams with guitarist Jason Vieaux on Nov. 12 (Andover) and 13th (Brookline). Celebrity Series presents Solo(s) Together—works of Bitran, Desenne, Coleman, Roumain, Joachim—Nov. 12 at Harvard-Epworth Church. Music returns to Rehoboth’s Arts in the Village Nov. 12 with Ekstasis Duo. Christopher Taylor concludes his four-concert survey of the Liszt piano arrangements of the Beethoven symphonies (8 and 9) Nov. 13 on the Gardner Museum afternoon series. Singers for the 9th Symphony—a spectacular transcription—include Davóne Tines. Pianist Terrence Wilson performs Nov. 13 on the Ashmont Hill Chamber Music series. Pianist Kyoka Minami plays Brahms and Mussorgsky (Pictures) on Nov. 14 (afternoon) at Nordic Hall in West Newton.
Matthew DiBattista (l) and Omar Najmi in Benjamin Britten’s Prodigal Son, a continuation of Enigma Chamber Opera’s series of Britten’s chamber operas. Ashlee Rose Scott photograph
NOTED: Enigma Chamber Opera performed Benjamin Britten’s Prodigal Son Oct. 21. These productions—Kirsten Z. Cairns’s third Britten chamber opera—have established a baseline for smart, accessible stagings. All male voices: Matthew DiBattista, Omar Najmi, Aaron Engebreth and David McFerrin led a compelling cast. Horn/harp/strings/organ/perc sounded terrific (Edward Elwyn Jones conducted), in this thoughtful, direct and expressive performance.
Announced at the Boston Symphony Chamber Players Oct. 23 performance: principal horn James Sommerville retires this fall—this was his final performance with the chamber players. Anyone remember his premiere of the Elliott Carter horn concerto (2006)?