Weekly Classical Music Agenda

The spring concert season is upon us. From choral, to avant-garde chamber groups, many local groups seem to have something to play. In addition, Bach-o-rama (aka the Bach Festival of Philadelphia) still continues, with a full list of events here.

Tuesday
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Emanuel Ax, piano in an evening of Beethoven and Schumann. If you’ve never heard Beethoven’s Appassionata in performance, now is your chance.
Perelman Theater (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $22

Friday
The Kimmel Center presents Sarah Chang as part of its Master Musicians series. This child prodigy and Philadelphia native will play a program of Beethoven and Prokofiev.
Verizon Hall (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $26-$67

Musicians from Marlboro II (more than one group from the Marlboro Music Festival tours) come to Philadelphia for a concert of chamber music by Ravel, Stravinsky, Brahms, and more.
Perelman Theater (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $22

Relâche began as a composer-performer collective in 1977, dedicated to performing daring new works by Philadelphia composers. Now it is an internationally-acclaimed chamber group performing the world premiere of Elliot Sharp’s Evolute and many more avant-garde works by upcoming composers.
Trinity Center (22nd & Spruce Streets); 8 PM; $20

Saturday
Concert Operetta presents The Cousin from Batavia performed in a new English translation by Traubner, a notable scholar of operetta. The plot may be outrageously silly, but the music and singing should be quite appealing.
AVA (19th And Spruce); 4 PM (Sunday as well); $25

The Choral Arts Society will also perform a world premiere this week at their 25th Anniversary Concert at the newly restored Congregation Rodeph Shalom. Opening with Elgar's fabulous setting of Psalm 29, the choir will follow with a world premier performance of a composition by Roxanna Panufnik and end with Felix Mendlessohn's heart-stopping Lobgesang.
Congregation Rodeph Shalom (615 N. Broad); 5 PM; $25-$30

The Moscow String Quartet comes to Haverford for a concert of more traditional string quartets by Beethoven and Borodin, and a Navajo ceremony-inspired work by Cacioppo.
Roberts Hall, Marshall Auditorium (Haverford College); 8 PM; $15

Sunday
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will play Mozart’s Haffner Symphony.
Perelman Theater (Kimmel Center); 2:30 PM; $24-$62

Barbara Dever, mezzo-soprano, with Jeffrey Uhlig, piano, presents a a rather saucy recital including Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder and de Falla’s Siete Canciones populares Españoles.
The German Society of Pennsylvania (611 Spring Garden Street); 3 PM; $20

Piffaro joins many other early-music musicians in an evening of Habsburg wedding music by 16th century composer Orlande de Lassus .
Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion (21st and Chestnut); 4 PM; $25-$30

The Temple University Symphony Orchestra and Combined Choirs will perform the wistful Brahms’ Nänie and Bruckner’s bombastic Te Deum at their annual Kimmel Center Concert.
Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center; 7:30 PM; $10-$25

Image via Flickr.com user Woweezowee