Music & Concerts
FALL ARTS PREVIEW 2017: Miley, Demi, Dolly and then some
Taylor Swift, Pink, Shania among eclectic fall album releases
The new release schedule for fall is loaded with long-awaited new albums from some of the biggest stars in music. There will be plenty of new tunes to keep music fans occupied.
Today (Friday, Sept. 15) is highlighted by the latest from local favoriteĀ Dave GrohlĀ andĀ Foo Fighters, who unleash their ninth studio album, āConcrete and Gold,ā featuring the electrifying first single āRun.ā
Also out is a live album and DVD documentingĀ MadonnaāsĀ record-breaking āRebel Heart Tour.ā Also out is the latest from new wave pioneerĀ Gary Numan, āSavage (Songs From a Broken World),āĀ YusufĀ (formerlyĀ Cat Stevens) with āThe Laughing Apple,ā Swedish EDM duoĀ GalantisĀ are back with āThe Aviary,ā former Vampire Weekend mainstayĀ RostomĀ will release his solo debut āHalf-Lightā andĀ MetricĀ vocalistĀ Emily HainesĀ is set to release her new solo album āChoir of the Mind.ā
More big new releases arrive the following week, with new wave revivalistsĀ the KillersĀ leading the way with āWonderful Wonderful.ā Also droppingĀ Sept. 22Ā is āDouble Dutchess,ā the long-awaited second solo album byĀ Black-Eyed PeasĀ divaĀ Fergie. It comes 11 years after her smash āThe Duchess,ā but judging from the singles so far it will be well worth the wait.
Other new albums due on the 22nd include the latest from trip-hop pioneerĀ Tricky, āununiform,ā folk-rock legendĀ Van MorrisonĀ with āRoll With the Punches,ā goth goddessĀ Chelsea WolfeĀ with āHiss Spun,ā Australian electro-pop groupĀ Cut CopyĀ with āHaiku From Zero,ā versatile R&B vocalistĀ LedisiĀ with āLet Love Rule,ā rapperĀ MacklemoreāsĀ first solo albumĀ in 12 years, āGemini,ā and a live album by acclaimed lesbian guitar virtuosoĀ Kaki King, āLive at Berklee.ā
Sept. 29Ā is a big week for multiple generations of female artists. The legendary country iconĀ Dolly PartonĀ will release a childrenās album, āI Believe in You,ā while country-pop superstarĀ Shania TwainĀ is back with her first new albumĀ in 15 years, āNow.ā
Demi LovatoĀ also returns on the 29th with āTell Me You Love Me,ā featuring her platinum single āSorry Not Sorryā andĀ Miley CyrusĀ delivers her latest, āYounger Now.ā British synthpop duoĀ HurtsĀ also have a new album on the 29th, āDesire,ā including the new single āReady to Go.ā
FormerĀ OasisĀ singerĀ Liam GallagherĀ has set his new solo album āAs You Were Availableā for anĀ Oct. 6Ā release. Alternative rockersĀ Wolf ParadeĀ are also back on the sixth with āCry Cry Cry,ā along with the debut album by the much-buzzed about R&B vocalistĀ Kelela,Ā the latest from indie-popstersĀ Ducktails, āJersey Devil,ā the new solo effort by openly gayĀ Bloc PartyĀ vocalistĀ Kele Okereke, āFatherlandā and glam-rockersĀ the DarknessĀ with āPinewood Smile.ā
Pop superstarĀ PinkĀ returnsĀ Oct. 13Ā with her first albumĀ in five years, āBeautiful Trauma,ā featuring the stunning first single āWhat About Us.ā On the same date, critically belovedĀ St. VincentĀ will deliver one of the yearās most anticipated albums with āMASSEDUCTION.ā Also scheduled for the 13th are new albums byĀ Beck, āColorsā; legendary Led Zeppelin frontmanĀ Robert Plant, āCarry Fireā;Ā William Patrick (aka Billy) CorganĀ with his collaboration with producerĀ Rick Rubin, āOgilalaā; and an intriguing collaboration between uber-talented troubadoursĀ Courtney BarnettĀ andĀ Kurt Vile, āLotta Sea Lice.ā
Also outĀ Oct. 13Ā is āThe Con X: Covers,ā a 10th anniversary celebration of āThe Conā by openly gay sistersĀ Tegan and SaraĀ with all of that classic albumās songs covered by various artists.
Look for a newly remastered and expanded edition ofĀ the SmithsāĀ āThe Queen is Deadā onĀ Oct. 20. Originally released in 1986, itās widely considered one of their finest efforts.
October wraps up with two of the fallās biggest releases:Ā Kelly ClarksonĀ drops her latest, āMeaning of Life,ā onĀ Oct. 27, and on the same dateĀ WeezerĀ returns with āPacific Daydream.āĀ The-DreamĀ also hits on the 27th with āLove Affair,ā featuring the hit single āSummer Body,ā and emo-rockersĀ the UsedĀ return with āThe Canyon.ā
The much-anticipated newĀ Taylor SwiftĀ album, āReputation,ā arrivesĀ Nov. 10. Led by smash single āLook What You Made Me Do,ā itās likely to be the seasonās biggest-selling release. Also hitting on the 10th is the latest from moody alt-rockersĀ Evanescence, āSynthesis.ā
Nov. 17Ā is highlighted by the latest from that icon of wit and misery,Ā Morrissey, who is back with āLow in High School.ā The season is capped by the long-promised āSongs of Experienceā byĀ U2, the follow-up to their outstanding 2014 release āSongs of Innocence.ā Presumably, though, the new album wonāt show up on everyoneās iPhone automatically, or at least we can hope.
Kanye WestĀ may (or may not) unload his latest, reportedly titled āTurbo Grafx 16,ā this fall ā as always, he is hard to predict.Ā BjorkĀ is working with acclaimed gay electronic visionaryĀ ArcaĀ on an album expected in November, with the first single called āThe Gate.ā
Other artists expected to release new albums this fall but have yet to announce dates includeĀ Tei Shi,Ā Sam SmithĀ (who just released a new single, āToo Good At Goodbyesā),Ā Ne-Yo,Ā Paloma Faith,Ā Thirty Seconds to Mars,Ā En Vogue, ā80s heroesĀ Tears for Fears, ā90s rockersĀ the Offspring,Ā Travis Scott,Ā Charli XCX,Ā Barenaked Ladies,Ā Nas,Ā Clean Bandit,Ā Kylie Minogue,Ā MGMT,Ā Sara Bareilles,Ā Zayn,Ā Tove Lo,Ā Kiesza,Ā Avril Lavigne,Ā Mariah Carey, up-and-coming rapperĀ Kamaiyah,Ā Marilyn MansonĀ and a Christmas offering from one of popās hottest stars,Ā Sia. Inevitably some of these will get bumped to 2018.
Other possibilities includeĀ Christina Aguilera,Ā Vampire Weekend,Ā My Morning Jacket,Ā Spiritualized,Ā Bruce Springsteen,Ā Sky Ferreira,Ā Modest Mouse,Ā Juicy J,Ā Iggy AzaleaĀ andĀ Violent Femmes.
Music & Concerts
Gay Menās Chorus starting the year with a cabaret
‘Postcards’ to be performed at CAMP Rehoboth
The Gay Menās Chorus of Washington will perform āPostcards,ā a cabaret, on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5:00p.m. and 8:00p.m. at CAMP Rehoboth Elkins-Archibald Atrium.Ā
In this performance, the choir will share hilarious and heart-warming stories and songs about the travel adventures theyāve had and hope to have. Songs include āMidnight Train to Georgia,ā āStreets of Dublin,ā āMagic To Do,ā āHome,ā and āI Left My Heart in San Francisco.ā Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased on Camp Rehobothās website.
Music & Concerts
WMCās āComfort and Joyā fuses drama, well-being, light
Soloist describes production as āreverent and beautifulā
āComfort and Joyā
Washington Master Chorale
Sunday, Dec. 22, 5 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G St., N.W.
washingtonmasterchorale.org
With its warmth and unfettered imagination, itās no surprise that the Washington Master Choraleās enduringly popular winter program remains a holiday favorite.Ā
This December the Washington Master Chorale (WMC), helmed by out artistic director Thomas Colohan presents āComfort and Joyā a selection of British and American works like āLute-Book Lullaby,ā āI Saw Three Ships,ā āPuer Natusā by Samuel Scheidt and āHosanna to the Son of Davidā by Orlando Gibbons.
In addition to these Christmas classics, WMC will perform 2022 Florence Price Commission Winner Mason Bynesās āEphiphanytideā and Äriks EÅ”envaldsā āNorthern Lights,ā the firsthand accounts of arctic explorers Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen and their experiences surrounding the fabled aurora borealis.
Described as āreverent and beautifulā by āNorthern Lightsā tenor soloist Opal Clyburn-Miller, āComfort and Joyā fuses drama and well-being, and the import of light.
And as an artist who uses they/them pronouns, Clyburn-Miller says where classical music is concerned, āit seems people are put in their boxes and thatās where they stay.ā They add, āthereās been some progress. Itās pretty much a traditional art form.ā
With regard to their career, Clyburn-Miller, the Baltimore based Peabody Conservatory student, says the work usually comes through word of mouth: āYou show up, youāre a good colleague and people want to work with you again.ā
The solo piece, according to Colohan, is perfect for Clyburn-Miller. The soloist says in response: āMaybe I have the imagination to think of what Northern Lights might look like in Eastern Europe. Iāve never been that far north but I can put myself in that sense of wonder and astonishment.ā
But the gig hasnāt been entirely without its tests. The lyrics are in Latvian, a new language for the meticulous singer.
āItās been a bit tricky getting the Latvian down,ā they say. āUsually in my singing experience, itās been German, Italian and French, and Iām familiar with Spanish and some Hungarian and Russian, but this is entirely new.ā
A perfect chorale venue requires easy parking; good acoustics; a concert level Steinway, and an excellent organ; a sanctuary wide enough to accommodate a 50-person chorale; and audience friendly loos, says Colohan.
The Church of Epiphany meets most if not all of these requirements.
Raised Catholic in Richmond, Colohan came out at Ohioās progressive Oberlin Conservatory. Around this time, he remembers visiting Washington for a music educatorās conference and partying at JR.ās, Badlands, and other bars. He says, āI saw that D.C. had a huge population of clean-cut gay boys. That journey which started with me being gay, prompted me to ask questions.ā
As WMC artistic director since 2009, Colohan, who lives with his partner in Silver Spring, became increasingly interested in secular poetry and literature, especially the ways in which it intersects with chorale music. For him, that became the heart of the art form.
āMy secular approach is wider than some. Iām like the curator of the museum going down to the basement to bring some stuff up. You cannot hear the music if we donāt sing it.ā
Heās remained conservative as an aesthetic but not an ethos. āI can wear a blazer and not be crazy right wing. Spiritually speaking, Iām Zen Buddhist now.ā
A lot of the concert is about darkness and light. Colohan says, āIn ancient times when the world became darker, the days leading to the solstice were scary and then on the 22nd they saw that days were getting longer and it was lighter.ā
āComfort and Joyā closes with a candle lit chorale memorably singing āSilent Night.ā
Music & Concerts
Pianist Jeremy Denk to play George Mason
Soloist performs Beethovenās Piano Concerto No. 4 alongside FSO
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University co-present Jeremy Denk ā one of Americaās foremost pianistsāon Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. Denk joins the FSO as soloist for Beethovenās Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert, conducted by FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman, also includes the regional premiere of āShe Dreams of Flyingā by American composer Quinn Mason, and Rachmaninoffās Symphonic Dances. Tickets are available through the Fairfax Symphony and the Center for the Arts: $65, $55, $40 and half-price for youth through grade 12 (service fees may apply).
A pre-performance discussion with Denk and Maestro Christopher Zimmerman, moderated by Mason Dewberry School of Music Professor John Healey, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
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