#5: Florentine Opera’s “Golden Days” at Vogel Hall.
Why? Because before Jerome Kern, before Rodgers and Hammerstein, and certainly before Stephen Sondheim, there was Herbert, Friml and Romberg. Not a law firm, but the American songwriters who formed the foundation for the American musical theater. The Florentine Opera’s talented quartet of Studio Artists will pick and choose from the Golden Days of American operetta in this debut program.
#4: Fine Arts Quartet at Helen Bader Concert Hall.
Why? Because the quartet’s 200 year birthday celebration of Robert Schumann features a special guest. Pianist Xiayin Wang has drawn raves in solo recitals around the country, and her recordings have been equally celebrated. She’ll join members of the quartet for a trio and quartet by Schumann, and the Cesar Franck Piano Quintet. And if you press her for an encore, she might even play one of Earl Wild’s arrangements of George Gershwin songs, which are featured in her latest recording.
#3: Nordic Film Festival at UWM Theater.
Why? Because the nights are long in Scandinavia, which is probably why its residents make more than their share of great movies. This wide-ranging celebration of Midnight-Sun-land includes everything from the classic (Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night) to the contemporary (Nuummioq, said to be the first feature film produced in Greenland) to the delightfully weird (a 1922 silent about the history of witchcraft that was banned in the United States). We’ve heard rumors that lutefisk-flavored popcorn will be available, but we can’t confirm that just yet.
#2: Mike Birbiglia at the Pabst Theater.
Why? Because he’s more storyteller than stand-up. But that doesn’t mean an evening with him isn’t filled with laughs, as fans of his appearances on This American Life and Comedy Central well know. Recently, he’s turned his experiences as a real-life sleepwalker into a book and Off-Broadway show. And a film is in the works. But nothing beats Birbiglia’s in-person way with a deadpan yet earnest comment.
#1: Edgar Meyer and the Milwaukee Symphony at Uihlein Hall.
Why? Because Meyer is not only a master of the bass violin, he is also a major force in bringing that fine-tuned bohemoth into the spotlight as a respected solo instrument. Meyer will showcase his talents in his own concerto, and play a duet with the MSO’s bass wunderkind, Zachary Cohen. And if that isn’t enough fireworks for one concert, guest conductor Perry So will strike up some Ravel, and Stravinsky’s “Firebird” Suite.
