When leaders of the University of Denver’s Lamont Opera Theatre Department decided to add a fall production to its annual lineup, they wanted to begin with a bang.
Breaking for the first time from the program’s usual all-student casting, they decided to showcase a noted professional artist, and they had just the person in mind: bass Hao Jiang Tian.
The Chinese native, who made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 and has gone on to win international acclaim, earned his master’s degree from the University of Denver in 1987 and has maintained close ties to the community since.
“It’s a one-time happening,” said Kenneth Cox, director of the opera theater department. “It was thought that having Tian come and be the headliner for this production would give it a kind of splash and get the word out that we’re now doing a fall opera, as well as a spring opera.”
The singer’s return highlights a fall classical season in the Denver area sprinkled with an impressive lineup of big, such as violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Leon Fleisher and an array of stalwart and lesser-known works from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” to Thomas Adès’ String Quartet, “The Four Quarters.”
The opera theater department gave Tian his choice of operas, and he selected Charles Gounod’s “Faust,” which provides a juicy role for the bass as Mephistophelès — the devil.
He will appear in performances on Nov. 3 and 5 in DU’s Gates Concert Hall, and Cox, a noted bass as well, will take the role on Nov. 4 and 6. (303-871-7720 or )
Here’s a look at 10 other notable classical events this fall:
“Songs of Farewell — A Nation Reflects,” St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, Sept. 11, Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church (303-298-1970 or stmartins ). Hubert Parry’s “Songs of Farewell” form the centerpiece of this 10th-annivesary remembrance of the tragic events of Sept. 11.
Violinist Joshua Bell, conductor Peter Oundjian, Colorado Symphony, Sept. 18, Boettcher Concert Hall. (303-623-7876 or colorado ) Bell, one of the most sought-after figures in classical music, opens the symphony’s fall season as soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto.
Emerson String Quartet, Sept. 20, Friends of Chamber Music, Gates Concert Hall. (303-388-9839 or ) This veteran ensemble, which remains the gold standard of the quartet world, returns for its record-setting 13th appearance on the Friends series.
“The American Four Seasons,” violinist Robert McDuffie, conductor Peter Oundjian, Colorado Symphony, Oct. 15 and 16, Boettcher. (303-623-7876 or colorado ) Though inspired by Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” this new violin concerto is decidedly contemporary and composed in Glass’ well-known minimalist aesthetic. It has become an immediate hit in the classical world.
“Ritmos Hispanos: Piano Trios From Spain and Latin America,” Trio Cordilleras, Oct. 18, University of Colorado at Boulder. (303-492-8008 or ) Three CU-Boulder faculty members — violinist Beth Kipper, cellist Thomas Heinrich and pianist Alejandro Cremaschi — team for a program of works by such composers as Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D’Rivera and Luis González.
Irish Chamber Orchestra, pianist Leon Fleisher, Oct. 25, CU-Boulder Artist Series, Macky Auditorium. (303-492-8008 or cupresents ) As part of an eight-city American tour, the orchestra will perform a program including Mícheál Ó Suilleabháin’s “Termon (10th Anniversary of 9/11).”
Organist Paul Jacobs, Nov. 5, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. (303-577-7717 or ) As part of the rededication of the cathedral’s newly restored Kimball pipe organ, Jacobs, the only organ soloist to win a Grammy Award, will perform a recital on the historical instrument.
“Abraham Inc.,” Nov. 12, Newman Center Presents, Gates Concert Hall, University of Denver. (303-871-7720 or newmancenter ) David Krakauer, a noted classical and klezmer clarinetist, joins forces with two unlikely yet artistically compatible partners: trombonist Fred Wesley from James Brown’s band and DJ Socalled.
“Venus and Adonis,” Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Nov. 19, First Congregational Church, Boulder, and Nov. 20, Bahá’í Center of Metro Denver. (303-889-1012 or ) This Denver-based ensemble offers a concert version of John Blow’s 17th-century adaptation of the mythological tale. It is considered to be the first surviving opera in English.
Time for Three, Dec. 1, Lakewood Cultural Center. (303-987- 7845 or center) After a busy one-week residency last summer at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, this adventuresome, cross-genre ensemble returns to the state for a concert in this ideal chamber-music venue.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost
