Rachmaninoff, a virtuoso pianist himself, held nothing back when composing for his instrument; Simon Trpčeski is ideally suited for the challenge of Rachmaninoff’s demanding yet romantic First Piano Concerto. In mythology, Orpheus crossed paths with the god of bees — composer Dobrinka Tabakova wove their buzzing sounds into her dramatic Orpheus’ Comet, which also includes … Continued

Now considered one of Bach’s most opulent musical achievements, his Christmas Oratorio went unheard for over a century after its first performances, until a resurgence of holiday celebrations brought it back into fashion. Each of its six cantatas was intended for a Christmas high feast day; Music Director Ken-David Masur and the MSO are joined … Continued

“I am completely filled with your Requiem,” wrote Clara Schumann to her friend Johannes Brahms. “It is an immense piece that takes hold of one’s whole being like very little else.” Music Director Ken-David Masur conducts the orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, and Artistic Partner Dashon Burton through Brahms’s personal journey of sorrow and consolation.

“[Ingrid] Fliter plays with such grace and heartfelt sincerity… by whatever magical means, [she] touches the heart,” claims Gramophone; Fliter joins the MSO for Mozart’s smiling Piano Concerto No. 17. This heartfelt program continues with music from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, complete with a masquerade ball, declarations of love, and a tragic ending for … Continued

Ruth Reinhardt, “an elegant, versatile and committed conductor in the search for expressive colors” (Scherzo), helms this program, which includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 80 —too often overlooked, this turbulent music turns storms to sunlight. The winds sparkle in Hindemith’s enduring Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber; this music was originally sketched as … Continued