Turandot, Songs from Ireland, and more on WETA Classical this week

​This month on Front Row Washington we have a Czech inspired performance from the Arts Club of Washington featuring the Washington Arts Ensemble. In this concert we’ll hear Siwoo Kim on violin, Loewi Lin on cello, and Christopher Schmitt on piano. From their November 2023 performance, they perform piano trios by some of the most iconic Czech composers, Antonín Dvořák, and Bedřich Smetana (who turns 200 this year!). These composers brought their national heritage together with Germanic classical traditions, creating a unique sound and taking the music world by storm. Join me every Monday night at 9 on WETA Classical for live concert recordings from the Washington area. 

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Puccini's thrilling and gorgeous fairy tale, Turandot, has captivated audiences for generations with sublime music and a compelling tale of a cold princess who subjects her suitors to a deadly game of riddles, and the determined prince who wins her love. This live Metropolitan Opera performance stars Elena Pankratova in the title role, conducted by Oksana Lyniv.

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This weekend on Choral Showcase, songs and airs from Ireland arranged for chorus and traditional instruments. We'll also take in hymns and antiphons from the 10th century in praise of another Irish saint, St. Columba.

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A talented 12-year-old cellist performs The Swan by Saint-Saëns, a flutist with a passion for marine biology plays a dreamy Fantasie by Hüe, and the winner of Interlochen Arts Academy’s Concerto Competition performs a difficult but rewarding work by Ysaÿe. We also meet a violist with a love for Formula One racing who gives an evocative performance of Schumann. Finally, we hear a conversation between a teen clarinetist and his mentor, the principal clarinetist of the Minnesota Orchestra, who share much in common including leaving their homes in Costa Rica to study at Interlochen Arts Academy.