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CLASSICAL NOTES

A meeting of remarkable women. Increasingly, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society is booking power couples that you'd gladly hear individually but that, together, create a drop-everything occasion. Soprano Dorothea Röschmann and pianist Mitsuko Uchida come

Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with  the  Netherlands Radio Choir: "Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé"
Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with the Netherlands Radio Choir: "Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé"Read more

A meeting of remarkable women. Increasingly, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society is booking power couples that you'd gladly hear individually but that, together, create a drop-everything occasion. Soprano Dorothea Röschmann and pianist Mitsuko Uchida come together at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Kimmel's Perelman Theater for a recital of Schumann's Liederkreis, Op. 39 and Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 plus Berg's Seven Early Songs - all core composers for both artists. Technically, it's sold out, but with last-minute cancellations, wait-list patrons are rarely turned away. Information: 215-569-8080 and www.pcmsconcerts.org.  

- David Patrick Stearns

YNS at his best? Though Yannick Nézet-Séguin made his early recording career on Bruckner, Ravel is where many first recognized the conductor that he is today. So his new Bis label recording of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe - the complete ballet - is a state-of-art address: The performance has a healthy sense of continuity, strong characterization of dramatic events, a distinctive otherworldly delicacy, plus excellent playing from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in atmospheric SACD sound. - D.P.S.

Help! How much should you push your child to practice? Is the teacher who seemed right last year still the best choice? When should you invest in a good instrument? Parents of young musicians are hungry for answers, and Amy Nathan provides some in The Music Parents' Survival Guide: A Parent-to-Parent Conversation (Oxford University Press). Nathan drew on the experiences of 265 parents and educators for this book of advice, emotional support, and important reminders of why the pursuit of music is worth the sacrifice.

One charming - and illuminating - story, from a mother named Shirley Bell: At 21/2, her son would stretch rubber bands from the knobs of his dresser to various degrees of tension, "then pluck them to pick out the melodies of tunes he had heard me play on the piano." In case you haven't guessed, the fact that she interpreted this bit of enterprise as a sign of talent worth developing eventually produced violinist Joshua Bell. - Peter Dobrin

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