From the Cape to the Berkshires and Vermont, concerts head for the hills
BOSTON GLOBE – ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Rockport’s jewel box of a hall, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, overlooks Sandy Bay and is one of New England’s most picturesque spots for chamber music. Under the direction of Barry Shiffman, this summer’s enticing lineup includes pianists David Deveau, Marc-André Hamelin, and Kirill Gerstein; the Brentano String Quartet with soprano Dawn Upshaw; and A Far Cry. June 11-July 10, and Aug. 12-14. Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X With this keenly anticipated performance of Anthony Davis’s rarely spotted opera from 1986, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera kick off the multiyear project “As Told By: History, Race, and Justice on the Opera Stage.” Bass-baritone Davóne Tines sings the title role. June 17. Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road. 617-635-1403, bmop.org
TANGLEWOOD With its open-sided Koussevitzky Music Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home is well-ventilated and planning for a packed pre-pandemic-style summer. Highlights should include a concert performance of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” (July 16), a slew of world premieres, a 90th-birthday tribute to John Williams, and a season-concluding visit from guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. June 17-Sept. 4. 617-266-1200, tanglewood.org
MARLBORO MUSIC Pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss are back to direct the 71st season of this venerable chamber music festival and retreat. Most programs are not announced far in advance but the cathderal-in-time ethos of the place coupled with the caliber of the participants means it’s safe to just pick a weekend and go. This year’s composers-in-residence are Libby Larsen and George Benjamin, whose early chamber opera “Into the Little Hill” will be performed on Aug. 12. Festival runs July 16-Aug 14. Marlboro, Vt. 802-254-2394, www.marlboromusic.org
YELLOW BARN This intimate, adventurous Vermont festival often pairs bread-and-butter chamber masterworks with repertoire that’s off the beaten path. In the former category will be the Brahms B-flat Major String Sextet and quartets by Fauré, Bartok, and Beethoven. In the latter will be music by Jörg Widmann, Ana Sokolovic, George Lewis, and Shulamit Ran, who will be this summer’s composer-in-residence. July 8-Aug. 6. Putney, Vt. 802-387-6637, www.yellowbarn.org
NORFOLK CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Performances by noted chamber ensembles (including the Dover and Brentano Quartets) as well as the Philharmonia Baroque anchor the schedule this summer at Norfolk. And a thoughtfully curated “Music for Peace” program (Aug. 5) will feature works by Schoenberg, Messiaen, and Valentin Silvestrov. July 6-Aug. 20. Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate, Norfolk, Conn. 860-542-3000, norfolk.yale.edu
ASTON MAGNA The venerable period-instrument chamber music festival returns with four weekends of programming spread across several different venues. Among the composers to be represented will be Scarlatti and Stravinsky (June 23-25), Robert and Clara Schumann (June 30-July 2); Bach (July 7-9); and Handel (July 14-16, with Dominique Labelle); and Couperin (July 21-23). Concerts will take place in Brandeis University’s Slosberg Music Center; Hudson Hall in Hudson, N.Y.; the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, and Saint James Place, in Great Barrington. 413-528-3595, astonmagna.org
NEWPORT CLASSICAL Formerly known as the Newport Music Festival, this summer’s series in historic venues around Newport will feature the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; pianists Joyce Yang and Sarah Cahill; and the Junction Trio (violinist Stefan Jackiw, pianist Conrad Tao, and cellist Jay Campbell) among others. July 1-17, Newport, R.I. 401-849-0700, newportclassical.org
BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL A thinking listener’s festival, Bard sets its sites on one composer per summer and spotlights their life and times through concerts, panels, and other events over two weekends in August. This year, it’s “Rachmaninoff and His World” from Aug. 5 to Aug 14. In addition, this year’s SummerScape Festival offers a rare staging of Richard Strauss’s comic opera “Die Schweigsame Frau” (“The Silent Woman”) (July 22-31). 845-758-7900, fishercenter.bard.edu
CAPE COD CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Why should the Berkshires get all the chamber music? Four string quartets — the Ying, the Borromeo, the Ariel, and the Verona — anchor this summer’s programs at venues across Cape Cod, with an emphasis on much-loved staples of the chamber literature. Aug. 2-19. 508-247-9400, capecodchambermusic.org
Read more . . .
By Jeremy Eichler
