WFMT now gives you a daily connection to the amazing wealth and variety of classical music in the Chicago region. Music in Chicago is heard weekdays at noon, featuring recordings and live performances by area soloists and ensembles and visiting artists. This Monday, we’ll share a recording by Camerata Chicago. On Tuesday, we’ll hear a past Dame Myra Hess concert with Esther Lee and Sung Chang. On Wednesday, we’ll take you downtown for a live Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert with pianist Tom Zalmanov. On Thursday, we’ll hear Michael Abels’ Winged Creatures, performed by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra with Anthony and Demarre McGill, and Friday’s program features the Brasil Guitar Duo.
Amelia Piscitelli, violin
Monday, July 15 — Camerata Chicago
Camerata Chicago’s new recording tells the story within the music of Vivaldi’s popular Four Seasons. The double album contains a historical narrative, Vivaldi’s descriptive poetry, and musical excerpts illustrating his clever sound effects, as well as the music itself. Music Director Drostan Hall conducts the ensemble with young violinist Amelia Piscitelli, and Steve Robinson provides the narration.
Music
“Summer” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
Piano Duo Sung Chang and Esther Lee
Tuesday, July 16 — Esther Lee & Sung Chang
Husband and wife duo Sung Chang and Esther Lee have been playing together since 2010. After only six months as a piano duo, they won first prize in the 17th International Schubert Competition for Piano Duo. Chang and Lee reside in Los Angeles and continue to perform together as a duo, as soloists, and as chamber musicians around the world. They came to Chicago on May 29, 2019, to play in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series.
Music
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor by Franz Liszt
Pianist Tom Zalmanov
Wednesday, July 17 — Tom Zalmanov
Israeli-born pianist Tom Zalmanov is a student at the Buchman-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv. He is a first prize winner of the Voice of Music “Young Artist” competition and “Piano Forever” Competition in Israel. Zalmanov performs in Israel as well as in Europe, Asia, and the United States, both as a soloist and as a devoted chamber musician.
Music
Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major, K. 333 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-Sharp Minor by Alexander Scriabin
“Winged Creatures” and other Works for Flute, Clarinet, & Orchestra
Thursday, July 18 — CYSO with Allen Tinkham and Anthony & Demarre McGill
Anthony McGill, the New York Philharmonic’s principal clarinetist, and brother Demarre McGill, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s principle flutist, return to a beloved training ground, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, for an album of works for flute, clarinet, and orchestra. It features world-premiere recordings of specially commissioned duo concertos. The album’s title track, celebrated African-American composer Michael Abel’s Winged Creatures, was commissioned for the project by Cedille Records.
Music
Winged Creatures by Michael Abels
Brasil Guitar Duo
Friday, July 19 — Brasil Guitar Duo
Brasil Guitar Duo, a 2006 winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, is equally at home on a classical or a world-music series. Its innovative programming features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a full global touring schedule and a growing catalog of critically acclaimed recordings. The duo performed on February 15, 2019, at Northeastern Illinois University’s Recital Hall.
Music
Allemande; Les Cyclopes by Jean-Philippe Rameau