While it may seem a slight detour from the typical agenda for CAMA’s “International Series” of touring orchestras from far and near, next Thursday’s (May 18) Granada Theatre appearance by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra is actually deeply rooted and influential in the classical music cosmos. The Curtis Institute of Music, in Philadelphia, is one of the world’s premiere music schools, with an illustrious alumni list — Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, and Peter Serkin — on the long and starry roster.
The Granada date is part of the orchestra’s first West Coast tour, being led by the esteemed Osmo Vänskä (who will also lead the Music Academy Orchestra on July 1) and with pianist Yefim Bronfman as soloist. The orchestra is bringing an enticing program to town, with old-schoolers Schumann and Rimsky-Korsakov balanced out with a premiere piece commissioned for the tour, Da Wei’s Awakening Lion.
Bach in the Spotlight and the Bones
When the sublime German violinist Augustin Hadelich played the Lobero, solo, recently, it was not the first or last time we will have been graced by his presence in town. But it was the best so far, and certainly one of the most powerful and moving classical events of the year — if not the apogee. Hadelich has been heard here in recital with a pianist and as an orchestra soloist — under the auspices of CAMA, which also posted his Lobero triumph. The Music Academy has also swept him into their world, and he will be heading there for a recital (July 11) as a makeup gig for last year's COVID cancellation.
