“The bad wordplay comes to mind almost as fast as the beers hit the bar,” writes Zachary Reid on Wednesday (1/6) in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia). “The Richmond Symphony Orchestra has classics on tap. The musicians are brewing up a good time. There’s a cask of instruments in the tasting room. ‘As long as people are enjoying themselves, it’s OK,’ [Richmond Symphony Director of Orchestral Operations] Laura Adams said on a pleasant night back in October…. Then, as will happen again Jan. 14 (and Feb. 18 and May 5), a selection of symphony musicians set up shop at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.… ‘We’re always looking for ways to expand our audience,’ Adams said. ‘The Rush Hour and Casual Fridays are a big part of that.’ ” For October’s Rush Hour concert, featuring music by Bartók, Weber, and Mozart led by Associate Conductor Keitaro Harada, “the symphony sold 250 tickets but there were only 125 seats. There was plenty of room to stand.” The January program includes music by Ives, Tchaikovsky, and Haydn, and in February the repertoire consists of Stravinsky, Strauss, and Beethoven. “The series concludes with ‘Mother Goose,’ a night of Fauré, Ravel and Mendelssohn music.”
Posted January 7, 2016
