The cultural highlights for our region this weekend include chamber music, orchestral music, Latin music, Irish music, jazz, theater … plus a whole lot more.
Clarion Concerts presents the Shanghai Quartet in a livestream on Saturday at 5pm. The venerable chamber group, now in its 37th year, will perform Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7; and Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor, Op 59, No. 2. The concert will first be streamed on Saturday at 5 p.m., and will then be available for streaming through Monday, April 19. For more info, visit clarionconcerts.org
Debra Jo Rupp stars in a virtual reading of a new comedy called “Mother’s Day,” by Bekah Brunstetter, at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Mass., tonight, Saturday, and Sunday nights. In “Mother's Day,” Mara and Andy are determined to have a baby, but they can't do it on their own. With the help of a new doctor (played by Debra Jo Rupp), they explore the dizzying world of injections, IVF, and ice cream sandwiches. Visit barringtonstageco.org for details.
A new sound installation has taken over the galleries at MASS MoCA in North Adams as part of that cultural laboratory’s Auditory After Hours series, this one created by Ladama, a Latin alternative ensemble comprised of four musicians and activists from Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, and the United States. The group’s highly percussive and celebratory sound should provide a unique soundtrack to accompany a walk – or even a dance -- through the galleries. The event takes place on Saturday between 7 and 8 p.m. Timed tickets are required; visit massmoca.org for details.
The Bard College-based Orchestra Now will livestream a concert from the Fisher Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. Led by music director Leon Botstein, the orchestra will perform Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony and Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium). Also on the program is the 2008 work Ácana from Cuban-born composer Tania León, and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, performed with pianist Blair McMillen. Visit fishercenter.bard.edu for more details.
On Sunday at 7 p.m., the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., presents the one and only Don Byron with his quartet. The program by the world-renowned clarinetist, saxophonist, and all-around musical visionary – who calls the Hudson Valley home -- will include original compositions, standards, and interpretations of Hank Williams and the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for violin.
Fans of Irish music take note: On Sunday evening at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon, N.Y., members of Cherish the Ladies, including cofounders Joanie Madden and Mary Coogan, bring their award-winning, virtuosic Celtic blend of ballads and dance tunes to the cafe.
This week marks the final archival videostream in the BSO NOW ONLINE series, featuring former BSO music director Seiji Ozawa leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s score to the ballet “Swan Lake.” The performance will remain available for viewing through May 8 at www.bso.org/now.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.com
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