thursday19
Thursday19
Tobias DeliusInternational Contemporary EnsemblePaul Lewis
Friday20
AventuraDJ/Rupture & Matt ShadetekPaul Lewis
Saturday21
A.A. BondyTobias DeliusJohn FogertyFuck ButtonsHalf RatsPaul LewisSaviours
Sunday22
Tobias DeliusJump SmokersPaul LewisPine Leaf BoysSepteto Nacional
Monday23
Tobias Delius
Wednesday18
Baroness
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PAUL LEWIS Between 2005 and 2007 young British pianist Paul Lewis performed all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas on tour in Europe and the U.S., meanwhile recording them in sets; Harmonia Mundi released them in four volumes, and the last volume won Gramophone‘s 2008 Record of the Year. It’s a monumental undertaking for any pianist, and Lewis, born in Liverpool in 1972, didn’t even start taking piano lessons until age 12, after two uneventful years on cello; he entered Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester at 14 and went on to London’s Guildhall School, where a master class with Alfred Brendel led to regular coaching in his early 20s. Last November Lewis gave a recital in Orchestra Hall that included a sublime rendition of Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 18, in which he revealed an approach similar to the one he brings to Beethoven—he aims to get out of the composer’s way, staying as transparent as possible. At times the strictness of his tempos leaves me wishing for a little breathing room, but what he does is impressive—he’s a thoughtful player with abundant technique that includes remarkably well-balanced chords and an ability to convey an exceptional range of moods and timbres. He makes his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart’s exquisite Piano Concerto No. 12; the program also includes Bartok’s folk-inspired Divertimento for String Orchestra and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts. See also Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 8 PM, Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, 312-294-3000, $22-$199. —Barbara Yaross
AVENTURA Latin pop inhabits a kind of parallel universe in the U.S., under the radar of the English-language media, but whether you’ve heard of them or not, Aventura are filling arenas around the country. The bilingual Bronx quartet formed in the mid-90s, and within a few years they’d become international stars. They play bachata—the slinky, guitar-driven romantic music of the Dominican Republic—kissed with contemporary R & B, and their latest full-length, The Last (Premium Latin Music), spent 15 weeks atop Billboard‘s Latin album charts this summer, selling more than 200,000 copies and going double platinum. Still, most Americans have no idea they exist. On The Last Aventura further urbanize the sound of bachata, retaining the fluid acoustic-guitar patterns and hand percussion from the music’s rural past but adding glossy radio-ready production, breathy teen-idol singing from 28-year-old front man Anthony “Romeo” Santos (complete with the occasional lick of Auto-Tune), and impossibly sweet vocal harmonies from his bandmates. (In traditional bachata there’s usually only one singer at a time.) Aventura’s urban-pop trappings have earned them the epithet “Dominicano ‘N Sync,” and a few of the tunes on The Last are blatant crossover stabs—”All Up 2 You” has jacked-up beats and a cameo from Akon—but most of the group’s output rests on a recognizable foundation of bachata. It’s not for listeners who like their traditional sounds uncut—this is unquestionably mainstream stuff—but it’s absurdly catchy, confident, and accomplished. 9 PM, Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim, Rosemont, 847-635-6601 or 312-559-1212, $50-$125. —Peter Margasak
saturday21
HALF RATS Lafayette, Indiana, has been producing old-fashioned party-centric rock ‘n’ roll for the better part of the decade—the Romance Novels, Eric & the Happy Thoughts, the Sweet Sixteens—and as representatives of that fertile scene the Half Rats are as good as any. Think of the sock-hop deep cuts Dick Biondi plays on WLS when he’s not besieged by Abba requests from lame-o suburbanites, and you’ll get the idea. In fact, Sir Biondi would probably be able to sneak the heartbroken girl-group number “Johnny Savage” or the surfy teen-boy plea “For the Sake of Love” on the air between the Gentrys and the Shangri-Las. Ever since guitarist-singer T.J. Brock moved to Chicago and joined CoCoComa earlier this year, the Half Rats have been less active, but thankfully they’re playing some midwest dates with Shannon & the Clams, an Oakland band smitten with the same sort of vintage sounds. With local boys the Yolks on the bill too—they released a high-energy hip shaker of a debut LP this summer—this show might be your last best chance to break out your dance moves before Chicago freezes over. The Half Rats headline; Shannon & the Clams and the Yolks open. 9:30 PM, Cole’s, 2338 N. Milwaukee, 773-276-5802. —Brian Costello
