The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes its former longtime music director Maximiano Valdes for two concerts celebrating works of European masters Wagner, Liszt and Sibelius. Max, as Buffalo knows him, and the musicians will be joined by pianist Drew Peterson for the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1.
Concerts are at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 15, preceded by complimentary coffee and doughnuts for those who arrive at 9:30 or later, and at 8 p.m. Nov. 16. There is a chance to hear from the artists directly for the Saturday evening show during “Musically Speaking,” at 7 p.m., hosted by the BPO’s current conductor, JoAnn Falletta.
Valdes led the BPO from 1989 to 1998. He currently is affiliated with orchestras in Spain and Puerto Rico. Tickets for the BPO shows start at $29; go to bpo.org.
Karolina Fraczak will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Christ the King Chapel, located on the Canisius College campus.
Another part of Europe will be heard from at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 when Canisius College welcomes violinist Karolina Fraczak performing music of Moniuszko, Szymanowski and Wieniawski. Fraczak will be accompanied by pianist Yuet Yang Siew; both musicians are studying at Missouri State University.
The concert, sponsored by the college’s Permanent Chair of Polish Culture and the Polish Arts Club, is free and open to the public; it will take place in the Christ the King Chapel at the center of campus, 2001 Main St.
Two concerts at 3 for free
Musicians from the Amherst Chamber Ensembles will perform a variety of works at 3 p.m. Nov. 17 in a concert appropriately titled “Eclectic Selections.” Among the composers included will be Mozart, Beethoven, Tomaso Albinoni, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saens, Rachmaninoff and others. The performance will be in the Trinity Performing Arts Center of Trinity Methodist Church (711 Niagara Falls Blvd., just north of Longmeadow). The building is accessible, with plenty of free parking in the lot behind the building on Marion Street. Admission is free and donations are encouraged.
The same day and time (3 p.m. Nov. 17), the Buffalo Chamber Music Society presents a recital in its Gift to the Community series. Violist Randall Goosby, a student of Itzhak Perlman who has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and other orchestras, will appear in the Mary Seaton Room of Kleinhans Music Hall (3 Symphony Circle). No tickets or reservations are needed to attend.
Goosby will be joined by pianist Zhu Wang in works by Vitalli, Debussy, William Grant Still and Richard Strauss. Prior to their performance, students from the BRAVO Chamber Music Workshop and Buffalo String Works will perform, beginning at 2:15 p.m.
The Chamber Music Society also is sponsoring a concert by the Aizuri Quartet performing Haydn’s “String Quartet Op. 64 No. 2,” Bartok’s “String Quartet No. 2” and Armenian folk songs at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Mary Seaton Room. Tickets are $30 at bflochambermusic.org.
