5

M O N D A Y

Improvisation encounters the strictures of the monastery with Officium, in which ECM maestro Manfred Eicher marries his twin enthusiasms for early vocal music and austere Eurojazz. Although there are moments when listeners might wish that saxophonist Jan Garbarek had taken a vow of silence, his performance is generally complementary to the Hilliard Ensemble‘s immaculate renderings of works by mostly anonymous (and frequently Eastern European) pre-classical religious composers. The Ensemble and Garbarek perform at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. NW. FREE, although donations to the organ fund are “welcome.” (202) 347-3215. (MJ)