From the Spring Festival to a zoological carnival, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week:
New York City Ballet revives Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals for five performances this week, running February 12-16. The ballet adapts Camille Saint-Saëns’ animal-inspired suite into a nocturnal tour of a museum with narration written by John Lithgow, who will also appear on stage as the narrator. Carnival of the Animals will be performed alongside two classic ballets by George Balanchine: Divertimento No. 15, set to the work by Mozart; and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, set to a movement from Swan Lake. Performances also continue this week of an all-Balanchine program including Scotch Symphony, set to the third symphony by Felix Mendelssohn; Sylvia: Pas de Deux, an excerpt from the classic ballet by Léo Delibes; and Stravinsky’s Firebird, a collaboration between Balanchine and NYCB’s other co-founding choreographer Jerome Robbins, featuring designs by the painter Marc Chagall. NYCB Principal Dancer Ashley Boulder will give her final performance with the company February 13, dancing the title role in Firebird.
The New York Philharmonic celebrates the Lunar New Year February 11 with a special concert conducted by Tianyi Lu and featuring violinist Inmo Yang. The program will include Li H.’s Spring Festival Overture, an excerpt from Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, suites from Casella’s La donna serpente and Bizet’s Carmen, and Chen Yi’s Chinese Folk Dance Suite. The Philharmonic will then celebrate Valentine’s Day with an Artist Spotlight concert featuring soprano Renée Fleming and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, performing songs by Fauré, Messiaen, Hahn, Richard Strauss, and Alan Fletcher.
Conductor Karina Canellakis will join the New York Philharmonic to lead three performances February 13, 15, and 18, of a modern and impressionistic program including Saariaho’s Lumière et pesanteur, Messiaen’s Les Offrandes oubliées, Debussy’s La Mer, and Berg’s Violin Concerto with soloist Veronika Eberle.
Musicians from the New York Philharmonic will also perform at the Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall February 16 in a NY Phil Ensembles concert. A chamber ensemble of eight NY Philharmonic musicians, joined by pianists Hélène Jeanney and Sean Botkin, will perform works by Kodály, Schuman, and Brahms.
The Orchestra Now will present Transcription as Translation at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium February 11. The concert program comprises three transcriptions of piano and chamber works: Mily Balakirev’s Chopin Suite, George Szell’s orchestration of Smetana’s quartet From My Life, and Felix Weingartner’s orchestration of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier sonata.
Vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices will perform at Carnegie Hall’s in-the-round Zankel Hall Center Stage February 11. Led by Artistic Director Paul Hillier, the ensemble will perform Michael Gordon’s A Western, the U.S. premiere of John Luther Adams’ A Brief Descent into Deep Time, and the world premiere of a new work by Julia Wolfe. On February 13, The Brentano String Quartet will present an all-Haydn program at the venue, performing the composer’s first six string quartets. Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall will house performances this week from Ensemble Connect February 10, and countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen February 13. Also on the 13th, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s will perform at Carnegie’s Hall’s Stern Auditorium, giving a concert of works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents an all-Russian program at Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio February 13, featuring Arensky’s Quintet in D major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sextet in A major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos. There will be two performances of the program, one at 6:30 PM, and then a late-night performance at 9 PM.
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