The Berkshire Opera Festival brings a fully-staged, reimagined version of the classic French opera, Faust, by Gounod, to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm. Faust has remained one of the world’s most popular operas ever since its premiere and is considered Gounod’s masterpiece. Based on Goethe’s play, the story introduces the original “Faustian bargain,” in which old Dr. Faust sells his soul to the devil to be young again, only to suffer devastating consequences. (Fri, Aug 30)
Contemporary orchestral collective the Knights perform a program of old and new works at the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Saturday at 4pm. The concert features a double violin concerto by Joseph Bologne, and the world premiere of a new composition by Kyle Sanna, Undone Landscape, featuring renowned Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh as guest soloist. (Sat, Aug 31)
Singer-songwriter Helen Gillet brings her delirious mix of original songs, French chanson, alt-rock, avant-garde jazz and classical minimalism to Opus 40 in Saugerties, N.Y., on Sunday at 1pm. Gillet’s primary instruments are cello and voice, and she often employs loops to turn her solo performances into full-sonic experiences. Recommended to fans of PJ Harvey, X-Ray Spex, and Bang on a Can. (Sun, Sep 1)
Also of note:
Judy Collins, Indigo Girls, and Rufus Wainwright along with special guest Lucy Wainwright Roche perform an evening of modern folk music at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., tonight at 7pm.
DromFest ‘24 at the Avalon Lounge in Catskill, N.Y., tonight through Sunday, features three days of indie-rock and spoken word artists, including the Figgs, Thalia Zedek, King Missile, Karen Schoemer, and John S. Hall.
Terra String Quartet will perform works by Mozart, Britten, and Mendelssohn at Tannery Pond in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday at 7:30pm, in a presentation of Capital Region Classical.
Vermont-based Bow Thayer brings his Trio of Aether jams to Studio 9 at Porches in North Adams, Mass., on Saturday at 7pm.
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams brings its psychedelic folk-rock sounds to the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday at 8pm.
Seven-time Grammy Award nominee Joan Osborne brings her rootsy, folk-pop mix to the Colony in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday at 8pm.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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