Critic’s Choice

April 19, 2016 at 11:46 am

By Aaron Keebaugh

Richard Pittman

This Saturday, Boston Musica Viva will conclude its season with music inspired by mad scenes drawn from the writings of Shakespeare and Petrarca.

The music of Bernard Hoffer is regularly heard on programs of the New England Philharmonic, which Boston Musica Viva director Richard Pittman also leads. Hoffer’s Lear in the Wilderness, a setting of King Lear’s rave from the final act of the play, will make its world premiere.

The other recent work on the program, Andy Vores’ Fabrication 15: Amplification may not be inspired by a mad scene. But the music, which is woven from a slow rag, concerns, as Vores notes, feelings of hovering and hesitation.

Arnold Schoenberg’s Serenade, based on a sonnet by Petrarca that tells of revenge, will round out the program. Baritone David Kravitz will perform as soloist.

The performance will take place 8 p.m. Saturday at the Tsai Performance Center. bmv.org

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