The Los Angeles area chamber music schedule is packed this week with many fine artists and programs. Saturday night will be well spent with the much sought-after Mandelring Quartet from Germany; they will be playing their signature Shostakovich in Beverly Hills. The week ends with outstanding singing – soprano Dawn Upshaw and pianist Emanuel Ax will be at Disney Hall Tuesday evening, and internationally acclaimed tenor Ian Bostridge will be at Royce Hall on Wednesday. Consider starting the following weekend by supporting a Haiti and Chile relief benefit in Palos Verdes titled “Classics & Crossroads” with mezzo-soprano Charlene Chi in a trio with celebrated cellist Alexander Suleiman and pianist Yana Reznik.
Mandelring Quartet
Ace Gallery Institute of Contemporary Art presents the acclaimed Mandelring Quartet from the German town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. The program will include the Haydn String Quartet in D Major, Op.33 No.6, Shostakovich’s String Quartet in A-flat Major, Op.118, and Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Op.59 No.1.
Live concerts and recordings by the Mandelring Quartet are broadcast throughout Europe, and their award-winning recordings (German Record Critics, Cannes Classical Award nomination), include the 15 string quartets by Shostakovich. Expect a highly polished and comfortable display.
Curator Eric Wilson has established a reputation for recruiting top-tier ensembles for the Ace Gallery Chamber Music Series. Recent performers include the Emerson String Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Borodin Quartet, among others.
Saturday, March 20, 8 p.m.
Ace Gallery Institute of Contemporary Art, 9430 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills
Tickets: $60. Limited seating available. For tickets or information, call (323) 935-4411.
Emanuel Ax and Soprano Dawn Upshaw
Tuesday evening the Los Angeles Philharmonic will present world-renowned pianist Emanuel Ax with internationally acclaimed Soprano Dawn Upshaw. The Program includes selections from Chopin’s Songs, Op.74, and Four Mazurkas, Op.41, as well as Stephen Prutsman’s “Piano Lessons” and a dozen songs by Schumann.
Tuesday, March 23, 8 pm..
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., LA
Tickets: Call (323) 850-2000 for availability.
Tenor Ian Bostridge at UCLA Live
UCLA Live presents distinguished recording artist and international star tenor Ian Bostridge with pianist Julius Drake at Royce Hall on Wednesday, performing Franz Schubert’s Winterreise song cycle. Bostridge has received four Gramophone Awards since 1996, including one for his EMI Classics recording of Schubert and Schumann Lieder.
Wednesday, March 24, 8 p.m.
Royce Hall, UCLA campus, Westwood
Tickets: $75, $62, $48, $36 / $18 UCLA students
“Classics & Crossroads” Benefit Concert for Haiti and Chile
Charlene Chi
On Friday, Hyperium Conservatory and St. Francis Episcopal Church will present “Classics & Crossroads” to benefit Haiti and Chile. Mezzo-soprano Charlene Chi will sing in a trio with celebrated cellist Alexander Suleiman and pianist Yana Reznik.
USC Professor Suleiman mentors and concertizes internationally, and serves as Director of the newly established Arts Academy in the state of Bremen, dedicated to cultivating promising artists from developing countries. Acclaimed South Bay pianist Yana Reznik performs internationally, and currently is Artistic Advisor for the new Classical Live at the Lounge series in Hermosa Beach. Dr. Charlene Chi is a recent Thornton School graduate in vocal music, and performs throughout Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. She is a recent winner of the Bohemian Foundation & Opera Association of Los Angeles Competition.
Come out and support this worthwhile relief benefit for Haiti and Chile – and hear some great music too.
Friday, March 26, 8 p.m.
2200 Via Rosa (at Palos Verdes Blvd.), in Palos Verdes Estates (free parking)
Tickets: $20 for adults, $8 for children under 12
Proceeds will be donated to Haiti and Chile via the American Red Cross and Episcopal Relief & Development. For information or to purchase tickets in advance, contact mediaHYPERIUM at (310) 378-1078 or conservatory@mediahyperium.com, or St. Francis Episcopal Church at (310) 375-4617.
See Jim Eninger’s Clickable Chamber Music Newsletter for an extensive calendar of upcoming events around Los Angeles.