YourClassical

An abridged guide to summer Classical Music festivals

Eastern Music Festival
Dana Auditorium at Guilford College, location of the Saturday features for the Eastern Music Festival
Courtesy the festival

At 10 a.m. each day this week, we'll give you a guided preview of one of the best summer classical music festivals.

Through recordings of top performances from featured artists — or live recordings from previous years — we'll have the sound and feel of a summer classical music festival.

Monday

Antonin Dvorak: Cello Concerto London Symphony Orchestra; James Levine, conductor Lynn Harrell, cello

The Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, has been under the direction of conductor Gerard Schwarz since 1997. He'll lead the festival's orchestra in a performance of Dvorak's magnificent cello concerto with soloist Lynn Harrell on July 27.

Tuesday

Ernest Chausson: Poeme Quebec Symphony Orchestra; Yoav Talmi, conductor James Ehnes, violin

Ehnes plays French favorites, including this Poeme by Chausson, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival on Sunday, July 21.

Wednesday

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Quintet Tokyo String Quartet; Richard Stoltzman, clarinet

On August 21, Stoltzman joins several talented friends to play Mozart at the Music at Angel Fire festival in northern New Mexico; also on the program, the premiere of a quartet for clarinet, piano, violin and cello by this year's Composer-in-Residence, Chick Corea.

Thursday

Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto Philharmonia Orchestra; Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor Gil Shaham, violin

Shaham's taking several concertos to several major festivals this year, and will play Sibelius' exuberant showpiece with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, August 9-11. (If Tanglewood's too far, he's also playing it with the New York Philharmonic at Bravo! Vail on July 26th.)

Friday

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano

You'll find Beethoven's piano concertos on the schedule at many of the larger orchestral festivals around the country. Emanuel Ax's performance of Beethoven's second concerto with the Mostly Mozart Festival's orchestra at Lincoln Center is sure to be worth the trip to New York City.

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