8 pm Music Freebie

8pm Music Freebie

Hear Joseph Haydn the way he heard himself. In the last of a series of recitals devoted to music by the Austrian composer, Thomas Beghin plays sonatas by Haydn, including those in G minor, Hob. XVI:44, and C minor, XVI:20, on the clavichord, said by some to be the most expressive of 18th century keyboard instruments.

Thomas Beghin, Schoenberg Hall Organ Studio, UCLA, Westwood, 8 p.m. Free, but reservations required. (310) 825-2101.

8pm Film Music

British pianist composer Michael Nyman, in town to collaborate with the Stephen Petronio Company this week, conducts a concert of his film scores, with his Michael Nyman Band, in Royce Hall. Long associated with filmmaker Peter Greenaway, Nyman also worked with film directors Jane Campion (“The Piano”) and Neil Jordan (“The End of the Affair”), and his band of classical and modern instruments is customized for his haunting but dynamic music.

The Michael Nyman Band, Royce Hall, UCLA, 8 p.m. $25 to $35. (310) 825-2101

8pm Theater

A Noise Within celebrates the spirit of the season with the world premiere of “A Wilde Holiday,” directed and adapted by Sabin Epstein. The heart of the show is three multilayered, soulful fairy tales by Oscar Wilde about faith, devotion, beauty and courage: “The Selfish Giant,” “The Happy Prince” and “The Star Child.” Poetry by Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti and others is interwoven throughout, and the original music is by four-time Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman.

“A Wilde Holiday,” A Noise Within, Masonic Temple, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. $22 to $38. (818) 240-0910.

7pm Tour

The Heritage Square Museum’s eighth annual Holiday Lamplight Tour will allow visitors to step back in time to holiday seasons of yesteryear. The museum’s tour of its three historic houses, each representing a different era--1876, 1887 and 1941--in Southern California history, will feature a living history presentation of the people, issues and culture of that time.

Holiday Lamplight Tours, Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer St., Highland Park, 7 to 9 p.m.; also Saturday and Sunday, 6 to 9 p.m. $17 to $20. Reservations required. (626) 796-2898.

all day Movies

Wes Anderson, who established himself as one of the most promising young American directors with “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore,” returns with his most ambitious film to date, “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover and Bill Murray form an impressive ensemble in Anderson and co-scenarist Owen Wilson’s comedy about a family of prodigies whose second-act lives have fizzled.

“The Royal Tenenbaums,” rated R for some language, sexuality/nudity and drug content, opens Friday in limited release.

all day Art

“Richard Diebenkorn,” opening Friday at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, provides an intimate view of one of the California art community’s favorite sons in a small but special exhibition of 14 little-known gouache drawings. The dynamic, richly colored abstractions are displayed with several of the artists’ trademark oil paintings.

“Richard Diebenkorn,” Norton Simon Museum, 411 Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Ends April 8. Wednesdays to Mondays, noon to 6 p.m.; Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. Adults, $6; students and seniors, $3; youth 18 and under, free. (626) 449-6840.

all day Movies

During the last days of the Spanish Civil War, a new arrival at an orphanage discovers the school’s dark secrets in the ghost story “The Devil’s Backbone.” Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“Cronos,” “Mimic”) directs this horror film with an allegorical political subtext. Fernando Tielve, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi and Eduardo Noriega star.

“The Devil’s Backbone,” rated R for violence, language and some sexuality, opens Friday exclusively at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. (310) 478-6379, through Jan. 10.

8:15pm Pop Music

If you like your “Good King Wenceslaus” decked out in gaudy finery, then the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the Christmas show for you. The project, helmed by Aerosmith associate Paul O’Neill and partner Robert Kinkel, brings a symphonic-rock attack to the seasonal songbook, abetted on its current tour by Megadeth guitarist Al Pitrelli.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. $27 to $47. (818) 622-4440.