Jader Bignamini, Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, conducts a suite from Stravinsky’s The Firebird; the music of this fairytale ballet, including its scintillating “Infernal Dance,” still feels fresh and wild. Stravinsky learned a great deal from his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov; here the MSO explores the latter’s Spanish-accented Capriccio espagnol, from its first alborada (morning … Continued

“Paul Jacobs is one of the great living virtuosos … he is utterly without artifice,” declares The Washington Post. Witness the musicianship of the first and only organist to win a Grammy Award as Jacobs performs Saint-Saëns’s “Organ” symphony, a work so expressive the composer claimed, “I have given all that I had to give.” … Continued

MSO Concertmaster Jinwoo Lee steps into the spotlight to perform Saint-Saëns’s third violin concerto, a veritable showpiece for the instrument’s sparkling character and color. Conductor Iván López Reynoso, who made his U.S. orchestral debut with the MSO, returns to conduct Rachmaninoff’s second symphony, rife with deliciously heartbreaking tunes and romantic melancholy. What to Expect: Rachmaninoff’s … Continued

“[Clara] signals my gratitude to all the women who, in their time, challenged the society they were raised in by manifesting their artistic oeuvre,” says composer Ortiz of her tribute to Clara Schumann, which opens this program. Violinist Nancy Zhou takes center stage for Clara Schumann’s Three Romances, which The Times (London) referred to as … Continued

The MSO welcomes Eric Jacobson, “an interpretive dynamo” (The New York Times) to conduct Dvořák’s seventh symphony, a work of tragic grandeur flecked with sunlight. MSO Principal Tuba Robyn Black takes center stage for Vaughan Williams’s tuba concerto, which begins with a brisk march, ends with an energetic flurry of sound, and showcases the unique … Continued

Hailed as one of the greatest violinists of our time, Augustin Hadelich returns to the MSO to perform Mendelssohn’s soulful violin concerto. Music Director Ken-David Masur conducts Brahms’s third symphony, a nostalgic work with a recurring musical theme of “free but happy;” wrote Clara Schumann, “All the movements seem to be of one piece, one … Continued

Copland & Twain: An America 250 Celebration World premiere by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra This exciting new theatrical concert from director Bill Barclay and Concert Theatre Works marries Aaron Copland’s stirring incidental music with Mark Twain’s poignant observations of a changing America. Copland’s compositions, including Music for Movies and Music for the Theatre, meet excerpts from Twain’s … Continued

At a time when the church was questioning the morality of art, Bach gave the world a musical triumph of faith and spirit, and few masterpieces of this scope are as intimate and personal as his St. Matthew Passion. In these performances, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus — celebrating its golden anniversary — sings the text … Continued

A highly distinguished pianist and the first classical performer to be granted a MacArthur Fellowship, Sir Stephen Hough’s magic is best experienced live — in these concerts, he performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, which begins cautiously but soon dives into its true warmth and urgency. Guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni guides this rollicking dance across … Continued

Music Director Ken-David Masur opens his phenomenal final season with a festive fanfare by Andrea Tarrodi. The celebration continues as the MSO raises a ruckus with R. Strauss’s tone poem Ein Heldenleben (“A Hero’s Life”), rife with, in the composer’s words, “lots of horns, horns being quite the thing to express heroism.” Ravel was determined … Continued