Orpheus and His Lyre

Close Encounters With Music opens its 12th season with another thoughtfully conceived program in its new (well, new-to-them) home, the Mahaiwe Theatre in Great Barrington, Mass. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice—she’s carted off to the underworld, he braves the very gods to retrieve her—has been an inspiration for artists through the centuries, and this program features works old and new. Music will include arias from Gluck’s opera Orpheo ed Euridice; Schubert’s Trio in E-flat Major; and the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s twist on the Orpheus myth.

Russian-born pianist Auerbach (pictured) is a highly regarded up-and-coming composer. Composer Robert Beaser, quoted in a 1998 article in The New York Times, was unrestrained in his praise: “Her versatility is almost unbelievable. She is a passionate pianist with huge amounts of temperament, a natural composer and performer, quick to absorb and utilize everything around her.”

To complement the music, author Joanne Greenburg (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) will read her updated version of the Orpheus myth.

Close Encounters With Music will present Orpheus and His Lyre on Sunday (Oct. 26) at 3 PM at the Mahaiwe Theatre (Great Barrington, Mass.). Tickets are $25. For reservations and information, call (800) 843-0778, or visit www.cewm.org.

Charlie Louvin

Elvis opened for this guy—seriously. What more do you need to know? It sounds like a joke, an impossible boast, but the Louvin Brothers (Charlie and his late brother, Ira) were one of the most popular country acts of the mid-’50s. So, on a tour in 1955, a promising young whippersnapper named Elvis got up to do his thing before the important act hit the stage.

The Louvins were not only popular but, over the long haul, one of the most influential acts in country: Legend has it that in the ’60s, Gram Parsons used to pay friends to scour record stores for copies of the Louvin Brothers’ records, absorbing their lessons and incorporating them into his own work with the Byrds and Emmylou Harris (The Byrds recorded the Louvins’ “The Christian Life” and Harris’ first hit was their song “If I Could Only Win Your Love.”) More recently, singer-songwriter and musical historian Marshall Crenshaw identified the Louvins as “tied with the Everly Brothers as the greatest harmony act” ever. And it’s an odds-on bet that if you yell out a Louvin request at your next No Depression show you’ll be able to get “Cash on the Barrelhead” or “The Great Atomic Power.”

But if you want it straight from the source, you can head over to Valentine’s on Saturday when the septegenarian legend swings through town supporting his new album, Livin’ Lovin’ Losin’, which boasts the support of some of Charlie’s big-name fans such as Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and James Taylor (ever heard of them?).

Charlie Louvin plays Valentine’s (17 New Scotland Ave., Albany) on Saturday (Oct. 25). Opening acts are the Bob Bates Band and MotherJudge. Tickets for the 7 PM show are $10. For more information, call 432-6572.

Tanja Softic: Works on Paper

According to Bosnian-born artist Tanja Softic, her current work “explores memory and the tenuous relationship between images and ideas.” In other words, Softic uses the images and ideas of science and architecture to create her large-scale prints and drawings in order to explore personal and cultural identities, mostly by analyzing memory. She incorporates elements of the natural world to serve as symbols and metaphors to create what she calls “an open-ended visual dialogue that draws the viewer into an evolving history of disparate worlds.” For example, the print pictured (Allegory of Desire) takes images from nature and science to piece together a tale for the viewer to examine. We did our best to explain it to you—the rest is up to your own interpretation of the work.

Tanja Softic: Works on Paper opens tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 26) at the College of Saint Rose Art Gallery (Center for Art and Design, Picotte Hall, 324 State St., Albany) and will run through Dec. 7. Softic will also present a slide lecture in conjunction with the exhibit on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 PM in the auditorium of St. Joseph Hall (985 Madison Ave., Albany). A preview reception will precede the lecture in the Saint Rose Art Gallery from 5 to 6:30 PM. For more information and gallery hours, call 454-5102