by Daniel Hathaway

When cellist and conductor Michael Gelfand first saw the proposed program for the Chagrin Valley Chamber Music Series Holiday Concert on December 15, he said to himself, “Woo — what have we got here?” After all, most holiday concerts follow a predictable pattern (CVCM, for example, normally performs Handel’s Messiah). This one opens its arms wide enough to embrace both an aria from Bach’s Matthew Passion and Frosty the Snow Man.

Credit that variety to the series’s artistic director, violinist Hristo Popov, and the contacts he’s made during his travels. “The whole thing comes about because of Hristo,” Gelfand said. “He’s a terrific impresario who pulls together friends from all over the world and this series is pretty amazing. It’s a delight in this case to have Lara Nie come from New York to sing.”

That explains the choice of Erbarme dich, the Bach aria, which Nie will sing on Sunday along with two opera arias by Handel from Ariodante and Alcina. [Read more…]