With Valentine's Day coming up, it's a good time for an intimate musical experience, especially when the performers go by the name D'Amore Duo. The twosome is made up of Russian-born oboist Vladimir Lande and American guitarist William Feasley. This particular combination of instruments is hardly common, but if you're looking for intriguing musical colors and moods, that's D'Amore.
Lande, who performs regularly with the Concert Artists of Baltimore and Baltimore Opera Orchestra, and Feasley, artist-in-residence at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, have put together a repertoire that spans at least three centuries and includes works written expressly for them.
D'Amore Duo will give a concert at 3 p.m. today at Catonsville Presbyterian Church, 1400 Frederick Road. Admission is free, but contributions will be welcomed.
For an intimate operatic experience, consider Henry Purcell's 1685 masterpiece, "Dido and Aeneas," one of the first great operas. The unhappy ending (Aeneas breaks the heart of the Carthaginian queen) may not make it the perfect fit for Valentine's week, but the music is marvelously lyrical and affecting. Dido's Lament ("When I am laid in earth"), in particular, remains among the most soulful, indelible arias in all of opera history.
Peabody Chamber Opera will present this baroque classic on a double bill with Marc-Antoine Charpentier's "Les arts florissants," which is contemporaneous with "Dido and Aeneas." This light-hearted, allegorical work celebrates the arts -- music, poetry, painting, architecture -- and reflects the values of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
The Charpentier / Purcell combo will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday in an appropriately intimate spot at the Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Tickets are $22, $11 seniors and Walters members, $8 students. Call 410-659-8124.