With the Vietnam War raging at full bore and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy ripping apart the American social fabric, the late 1960s was a time of extraordinary tumult.
But all was not grim. Musical invention and cross-pollination flowered amid this discord, with some of the 20th century’s most original voices at work at the same time: John Lennon, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Paul McCartney, Luciano Berio, Yoko Ono and Leonard Bernstein.
Although they pursued sometimes sharply different approaches, they admired and influenced one another. Indeed, in 1969, Stockhausen and Lennon were scheduled to discuss a possible joint project.
A massive snowstorm derailed their meeting, but the failed encounter has served as the inspiration for “1969,” a provocative cross-disciplinary, multimedia program that focuses on that amazing era.
The touring offering, conceived by Alan Pierson, artistic director of the New York ensemble Alarm Will Sound, will be performed April 23 as part of the University of Denver’s Newman Center Presents series. (800-982-2787 or )
Excerpts from pieces — such as the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Bernstein’s “Mass” and Berio’s “Beatles Songs” — are set in a theatrical narrative, with actors taking the roles of the key musical protagonists.
“It’s a multifaceted work that engages audiences on multiple levels — on a purely entertainment level and at a level of ideas,” said Stephen Seifert, Newman Center executive director. “It’s not something that can be described in a short sound bite.”
In what turned out to be a happy coincidence, the University of Colorado at Boulder Opera will present a full performance of Leonard Bernstein’s stylistically diverse “Mass” three days later, April 26, in Boettcher Concert Hall. (303-492-8008 or )
Here’s a look at 10 other promising classical events happening between now and the end of May:
Jan. 30, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, pianist, Friends of Chamber Music, Newman Center for the Performing Arts. One of France’s top keyboard artists marks the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth with a program dedicated to works by the legendary romantic composer and pianist. 800-982-2787 or .
Feb. 8, Hwang-Ainomäe- Hsu Piano Trio, Trinity Presbyterian Church, 7755 Vance Drive, Arvada. Three of the area’s top musicians — CU-Boulder pianist Hsing-ay Hsu and two members of the Colorado Symphony, concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams and principal cellist Silver Ainomäe — perform their first concert together as a trio. 303-422-3656, ext. 25, or .
Feb. 12, 15, 18 and 20, “Rusalka,” Opera Colorado, Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Denver company presents its first-ever production of Antonín Dvorák’s beloved operatic fairy tale about a water sprite who seeks the help of a witch in her risky bid to become human and gain the love of a prince. 800-982-2787 or .
Feb. 21, CU-Boulder, Macky Auditorium, Feb. 22, Friends of Chamber Music, Newman Center,Hilary Hahn, violinist, Valentina Lisitsa, pianist. One of the most technically accomplished and musically adventurous violinists of our time performs a varied program, including works by Bach and Ives. Feb. 21, 303-492-8008 or .; Feb. 22, sold out.
Feb. 22, Anna Netrebko, soprano, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek. One of the world’s most sought-after operatic stars presents a gala concert benefiting the mountain arts center. A program has not been set, but it is likely to include arias and light classics. $150. 888-920-2787 or .
Feb. 26 and 27, Colorado Symphony, Douglas Boyd, conductor, Leon Fleisher, piano, Boettcher Concert Hall. Fleisher, one of the leading pianists of the past half-century, performs Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. 303-623-7876 or .
March 4, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St., March 5, Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave., “New World Baroque,” Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado. Guitarist Daniel Zuluaga joins the Denver-based ensemble for an exploration of little-known baroque music of Latin America. 303-889-1012 or .
March 25, “Like Father, Like Son?,” pianist Jeffrey Kahane and vocalist Gabriel Kahane,Newman Center Presents. The former Colorado Symphony music director joins his son for a program that explores their joint musical interests, as well as the distinct directions their careers have taken. 800-982-2787 or .
April 28, Escher Quartet, Friends of Chamber Music, Newman Center. Substituting for the originally scheduled St. Lawrence String Quartet, this fast-rising young quartet plans a program that includes the rarely heard Quartet No. 4 by Alexander von Zemlinsky, who fled the Nazis and settled in the United States. Sold out. 303-388-9839 or friendsof .
May 20, 21 and 22, Colorado Symphony, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor,Boettcher Concert Hall. This all-American program features a performance of bassist Edgar Meyer’s Triple Concerto, with the composer as one of the three soloists, as well as the U.S. premiere of Kenji Bunch’s Piano Concerto. 303-623-7876 or .
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
