Composer

Sergei Prokofiev's famous musical fairy tale, performed in a charming version for wind quintet and narrator, will be performed by musicians from the BSOF. Our music educator Anne Kathrin Meier will read the story of the brave Peter, who takes on the wolf.

Family Concert "Peter and the Wolf"

Kloster Neuzelle

The wonderful Wisconsin-born soprano Emily Birsan -- now one of Chicago's indispensable classical artists -- returns following her exquisite "St. Cecilia Mass"  for another glorious French confection: Francis Poulenc's fabulous setting of the GLORIA, written in 1960 for the Boston Symphony....and once again, our LSO Assistant Conductor James Wilson will assemble a magnificent symphonic chorus for the occasion! A garland of classic American Holiday favorites graces the evening's first half, culminating in another brilliant return: La Crosse's own piano prodigy Andre Previn Peck, in Prokofiev's glittering First Concerto. John Finnegan's Christmas Sing-Along caps off what will be the perfect Holiday celebration.

Holiday Glories

Viterbo University

Russian extremes in fascinating proximity: Here you'll encounter the most tamed Prokofiev right next to the wildest Scriabin – and in the middle of it all, Tchaikovsky, who, as so often, takes on the role of the romantically suffering hero. Prokofiev's Symphonie Classique presents itself as a virtuoso masterpiece, reaching far back into the elegant world of Haydn's classics. Then you'll experience Tchaikovsky's most famous virtuoso piece: the passionate Piano Concerto No. 1 – played by Roman Borisov, who proves with every note that passion cannot be had without pain.

Scriabin: Le Poème de l'extase

Tonhalle Düsseldorf

Under the direction of Dr. Frank Cook, Northern Colorado’s biggest, baddest, and boldest brass section takes center stage for this spectacular evening of holiday hymns and carols! Resounding trumpets and triumphant horns declare the magic and majesty of the holiday season. The breathtaking artistry of the musicians resonate in intimate settings across Northern Colorado. Don’t wait, reserve your tickets now as these performances sell out quickly!

Christmas Brass

First United Methodist Church of Windsor

Generations Church

King of Glory Lutheran Church

Principal Flute of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra since January 2024, SFCM faculty Yubeen Kim has been praised worldwide for his musical prowess and a tone described as "unimaginably rich [and] robust at its heart," (SF Chronicle). 

EPSG:4326

Yubeen Kim, flute

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

who's music's being performed for the first time in this series of concerts, presented by the conductor Anja Bihlmaier. Grażyna Bacewicz, who was born in Poland, was a violinist, pianist and composer who taught at various conservatoires and wrote stories and books – an all-rounder and important representative of Polish music. Her concerto for strings draws an arc from neo-baroque to neo-classic, but is unmistakably 20th century music.

4th Sunday & Monday Symphonic Concerts

Alte Oper

Family Concert No. 2 »Peter and the Wolf«

Volkshaus Jena

The festival prize winners of the SIGNUM saxophone quartet prove that saxophones can also sound extremely festive when they invite the audience, together with musical friends, to the finale of the festival winter and send them off into the Christmas season in high spirits after a potpourri of Baroque, Romantic and even pop music.

SIGNUMs for the festival

Schloss und Gut Ulrichshusen

Prokofiev’s tale of a boy and his animal friends’ bravery is brought to life with a guest narrator. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra performs this classic musical fable, along with other seasonal and holiday favorites. Rated PG-13

Peter and the Wolf

Davies Symphony Hall

December Concert 2025

Castro Valley Center for the Arts

Snow sparkles in the pale winter sun, a horse-drawn sleigh glides through a light birch forest. Ice flowers grow on the window pane, while the samovar boils in the room. Tchaikovsky, with his First Symphony, makes a atmospheric declaration of love to the famous-infamous Russian winter with all its manifestations. In addition, two completely different but equally fascinating piano concertos are heard: Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto bursts with energy and sophistication. It is a youthful work full of spirit and shows Prokofiev as a true virtuoso of the piano. On the other hand, Ravel's Piano Concerto "for the left hand" is characterized by darker tones and was written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right hand in World War I. It is so cleverly composed that as a listener, one does not realize that in this almost 20-minute concert, piano and orchestra only play together for six minutes. A challenge for our Artist in Residence, who once again can demonstrate the full range of his abilities.

Ravel and Tchaikovsky

Palace of Culture

Jingle all the way into the holiday with the Lima Symphony’s beloved Bells, Brass & Bows! Led by guest conductor Conner Gray Covington and accompanied by the Lima Symphony Chorus, this festive concert will fill your heart with the spirit of the season. With a stunning blend of sacred music and holiday favorites, the evening features Leroy Anderson’s iconic “Christmas Festival Overture,” the whimsical “Troika” by Prokofiev, and a magical rendition of A Christmas Carol. The highlight of this year’s concert is the “Twelve Days of Ohio Christmas,” a delightful local twist on the classic carol. Bring your holiday cheer and join us for a musical celebration you won’t forget!

Bells, Brass & Bows

Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center

Enjoy traditional holiday music in an intimate setting. Bring the family for all your familiar favorites!

Christmas Candlelight Classics

Inspiration Hall

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! From classic carols to heartwarming orchestral favorites, Holiday Cheer brings festive magic to life for all ages. Whether you’re lighting the menorah, trimming the tree, or even airing grievances by an aluminum pole, this concert is your soundtrack to the season.

Holiday Cheer!

Central Presbyterian Church Denver

Mapleton Arts Center

Beethoven & Cinderella

Artis–Naples

A work of dark, searching grandeur, Prokofiev’s Fourth Symphony gathers sumptuous themes from his ballet music, revised in the postwar shadow of Stalin’s Russia. Britten’s Violin Concerto, a searing response to the Spanish Civil War, features James Ehnes, “a flawless technician and a serious, ever-perceptive musician” (The Guardian). Providing contrast is Debussy’s dreamy and sensuous prelude.

Noseda Conducts Debussy & Prokofiev 4

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Join us for the St James’s Piccadilly spectacular annual fundraising Christmas Gala featuring the St James’s Chamber Orchestra and BBC’s Sophie Raworth.

Christmas for All: Gala Concert

St James's Piccadilly

Here is an opportunity to hear the orchestra in its home town and set the Christmas season off to a rousing start. Join us in Christ Church for this popular concert of short works, which will appeal to young and old alike, and enjoy singing your favourite carols accompanied by the whole orchestra. The concert will be followed by mulled wine, soft drinks and minced pies.

A Concert for christmas

Christ Church Centre URC Henley

Celebrate December with the VSO’s festive music at the Flynn and a visit from Santa! Join Music Director Andrew Crust, guest singers, and your Vermont Symphony Orchestra for a concert that delivers a joyful mood for the season. Enjoy favorites like Sleigh Ride and selections from The Nutcracker, a new commission by Vermont composer Michael Schachter inspired by a Jewish folktale, a rousing audience holiday sing-a-long, a musical reading of selections from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and more!

VSO: Holiday Pops

The Flynn

Has your child ever heard a live symphony orchestra? Come to this fun and informal performance lasting around 45 mins. Meet Peter, the animals, and all the instruments of the orchestra that bring the story to life. Each character has its own special sound – come discover them all!  You will also hear Christmas Classics like Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride.

Such a powerful piano concerto had not been heard before. When Johannes Brahms premiered his First Piano Concerto in 1859, the audience was thrilled. Few knew how many years he had struggled to complete it. Initially, he wanted to write a sonata for two pianos, but that failed. Then he reworked his ideas for an orchestra, but he was still not satisfied. Finally, the saving idea came to him: to combine the orchestra and piano. Today, the piece is considered one of the most beautiful offerings of romantic music. Prokofiev's suites for Shakespeare's famous love story are also the result of a reworking, transforming the music from a complete ballet to pure orchestral music. He personally selected the most beautiful passages for this purpose. The result is like dramatic cinema for the ears...

Brahms Piano Concerto

Celebrate December with the VSO’s festive music and a visit from Santa! Join Music Director Andrew Crust, guest singers, and your Vermont Symphony Orchestra for a concert that delivers a joyful mood for the season. Enjoy favorites like Sleigh Ride and selections from The Nutcracker, a new commission by Vermont composer Michael Schachter inspired by a Jewish folktale, a rousing audience holiday sing-a-long, a musical reading of selections from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and more!

Holiday Pops – Barre

Barre Opera House

Paramount Theatre, VT

Part three of Esa-Pekka Salonen's residency, where the honorary conductor leads the the Swedish Radio Choir, the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and soloists Malena Ernman and Jennifer France in György Ligeti's Requiem, written for the choir in 1965 and used by Stanley Kubrick in his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Additionally, Janine Jansen joins the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Sergei Prokofiev's lyrical and virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major. The concert begins with the Swedish premiere of Salonen's Tiu  (Finnish for a dozen), which was written for the 20th anniversary of Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Salonen himself describes the work as 'palindromes, fanfares, and clouds for orchestra.’

Salonen, Jansen & Ligeti's Requiem

SR Berwaldhallen

Part three of Esa-Pekka Salonen's residency, where the honorary conductor leads the the Swedish Radio Choir, the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and soloists Malena Ernman and Jennifer France in György Ligeti's Requiem, written for the choir in 1965 and used by Stanley Kubrick in his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Berwaldhallen

"Romeo and Juliet" is known by almost everyone. It's no wonder, as the famous love drama by Shakespeare has been "translated" into various art forms over the centuries: from musicals to operas to purely orchestral music. The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev succeeded in this with his ballet music in an outstanding way. After a short initial failure, it is now considered one of the best musical adaptations of the story. This is clearly due to its quality! Not only ballet enthusiasts, but also the concert audience couldn't get enough of it - on one hand, the melting melodies, and on the other hand, the dynamic dances, sometimes outrageously virtuosic, sometimes thrilling with their powerful rhythms. At the beginning of the concert, Malte Arkona briefly introduces the piece, and afterwards, he speaks in the After Concert Talk with the artists of the evening about what makes "Romeo and Juliet" so exciting for them.

Best of Classics: Romeo and Juliet

Among the most famous movements of any of Bruckner’s symphonies, the Adagio from Symphony No. 7 is melodically rich and expansive in scope, resolving into serene acceptance. Miguel Harth-Bedoya considers the music from Cinderella to be some of Prokofiev’s most beautiful and dynamic; he has selected movements from the original ballet score to recreate the beloved fairy tale.

Prokofiev’s Cinderella

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

When Sergei Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto was first performed in September 1913, with the composer at the piano, the audience was furious: "To hell with futuristic music. Cats on the roof make better music." Prokofiev bowed as if being applauded – and played an encore. Over a century later, what today's ears consider a rather "moderate" concerto, which begins with an almost romantic theme and features the most difficult solo cadenza of all time, has long been recognized as a masterpiece. The jubilation for soloist Alexander Gadjiev is surely genuine. This is the first time the polyglot pianist, born on the Italian-Slovenian border, has appeared with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Alexander Gadjiev / Gergely Madaras

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Once upon a time… Love Story. Love… a passionate and oh-so-human impulse. The common thread of our destinies. The one for which we live and die, the true driving force of all existence. For centuries, no subject has so inflamed minds as love. The Ensemble Émeraude, formed within the OPRL, explores its various aspects through works by German, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Russian composers. The concert is passionately presented by Stéphane Dado, art and music historian and OPRL Project Manager.

Love Story

Philharmonic Hall of Liege

This program presents the season's motto "Planet Shostakovich" for the first time in chamber music. It focuses on Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev – two internationally acclaimed Russian composers who created masterful works in the tension between artistic independence and political pressure. Their relationship was characterized by rivalry as well as mutual inspiration. The selected works explore different creative phases and contexts: A "Moderato" by Shostakovich for cello and piano from the 1930s, rediscovered in 1986, is followed by "Five Pieces" based on stage and film scores – a suite in miniature format for violin, cello, and piano, arranged by Levon Atovmyan. Prokofiev is represented by his Violin Sonata in F minor, a piece of intimate form but with an epic content of symphonic grandeur, as well as selected scenes from his admired ballet music "Romeo and Juliet," arranged for viola and piano by Vadim Borisovsky, who, as a brilliant interpreter and arranger, popularized the music of both composers. /JN

Culinary Sunday Matinee № 3 

Hotel & Restaurant Schwarzer Bär

The Quatrâmes quartet's repertoire is vast, from baroque to classical, including arrangements of tangos, opera arias, and film music. These musicians, members of the Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie, will offer you unforgettable musical moments and share with you their passion and love for music.

Quatrâmes Quartet

Espace Culturel François Calvet

Kyu-Young Kim Plays Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

When Prokofiev composed his Fifth Symphony in the summer of 1944, the war in Europe was still raging. He described it as a tribute to “the generosity, strength and spiritual purity of the free and happy man.” For Prokofiev personally, it was a time of great creativity – but perhaps he sensed what lay ahead for his homeland, the Soviet Union. The symphony’s playful, fast-paced movements are set in stark contrast to the slow third movement, steeped in unease and anxiety. After the war ended, tensions between East and West escalated, and the Cold War soon took hold.

Lindberg and Prokofjev

Stockholm City Hall

The musicians of the Orchestre de Paris put their talent at the service of an ad hoc quartet, which takes on the most seductive ‘miniatures’ by Bartók and Prokofiev. 

Miniatures

Cité de la Musique

It’s been twenty years since Aurora Orchestra tore up the rule book and made its name worldwide as a boundary-breaking ensemble, creating extraordinary musical experiences by incorporating drama and choreography and making even the most familiar classical works feel new-minted by performing them entirely from memory.

Aurora Orchestra

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

The 107th Holiday Afternoon Concert

Tokyo Opera City Tower

Nothing lifts the spirits quite like the opening of Mendelssohn’s symphony, which bursts into life with an irrepressible energy that could lift you off your feet. The composer once referred to it as ‘blue sky in A major’ and these postcards in sound from an epic 10-month foreign tour seem drenched in Mediterranean sunshine. Prokofiev’s concerto, written on the cusp of his resettlement in the Soviet Union, melds exquisite surface beauty with dark foreboding in his gripping, emotionally-charged concerto, performed by Chloë Hanslip. And to open, Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, inspired by a performance of a Haydn string quartet.

Mendelssohn 4 – UK Tour

Saffron Hall

Sergei Prokofiev's musical fairytale has, of course, long been a classic, introducing all sorts of orchestral instruments and requiring little further explanation. We look forward to Peter, his grandfather, the bird, the duck, the cat, and, with some anticipation, the Big Bad Wolf...

Staatstheater Mainz

Live from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall at Severance, COYO's 2025-26 season welcomes you back for an exciting new series of performances by this critically acclaimed ensemble.

COYO Autumn Concert

Severance Music Center

Step into the timeless tale of love and tragedy with Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, masterfully brought to life in this live-recorded performance. Matthew-John Knights’s Lines, Layers, Ligaments explores the intricate connections between the human body and the natural world, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 3 stirs with gripping drama and intensity.

Romeo & Juliet

David Pecaut Square

Rimsky-Korsakov acknowledged his debt to Liszt for his concerto’s lyricism and virtuosity, but gave it a marked Russian flavour by using a Russian folk song as its main theme.

Evgeny Kissin: One Concert, Three Concertos

Southbank Centre

Perhaps the most gifted classical pianist of our time, Evgeny Kissin takes centre stage with two rarely-performed jewels of the piano concerto repertoire.

Admired – even venerated – as the heir of the great Russian piano tradition, Kissin has an impressive list of awards, firsts and ‘youngest-evers’ to his name, including a Grammy for his recording of Prokofiev piano concertos with the Philharmonia.

His extraordinary programme brings together two bold, brilliant piano concertos by Prokofiev and Scriabin, alongside two dramatic Russian symphonic tone poems: Rachmaninov’s evocative The Rock, and Mussorgsky’s stormy A Night on the Bare Mountain which promises to thrill audiences with its wild and terrifying Witches’ Sabbath.

Evgeny Kissin: one concert, two concertos

Early one morning, Peter opened the gate and went out into the big green meadow… and if you know Prokofiev’s “symphonic tale for children”, you’ll already be humming that tune. Age doesn’t matter with music as enjoyable as this!

Afternoon Performance: Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf

City Halls

A concert to transport your imagination through storytelling and tall tales - from the romp that is Strauss’ Overture to Die Fledermaus, relating the farcical misadventures of a man dressed as a bat, to romantic tales of the Arabian Nights in Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade. En route, drift off to a place of great calmness and tranquillity with Barber’s sublime Adagio for Strings and hear the tumultuous life story of an imaginary soldier in Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite.

Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra

The Anvil

Step into a world where science, art, and music converge in What Music Is, a transformative concert-theatre experience that explores the profound role music plays in our lives and the universe. Created by composer Bill Barclay, this immersive, family-friendly performance features a full orchestra, captivating spoken narrative, and stunning animations that bring to life the universal language of music.

What Music Is

Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center

Featuring Sharon Roffman, Violin | Sharon Roffman returns to Longmont to perform Brahms’ beloved Violin Concerto, and your Longmont Symphony performs one of Prokofiev’s most enduring works, Symphony No. 5. Composed in 1944 as Russian troops were advancing on Nazi forces, this symphony expresses heroism, tragedy, and the resilience of the human spirit. Prices for this performance range from $15 - $48 (plus fees).

Prokofiev & Brahms: Triumph & Tragedy

Skyline High School

First, Prokofiev's dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3 : it displays his unbridled virtuosity and his rhythmic energy is adorned with captivating melodies. Between passages of mechanical precision and lyrical flights, this score embodies all the genius of the Russian composer. Then Thomas Adès's Exterminating Angel Symphony transports you into a dreamlike and disturbing universe, inspired by the cinematic work of Buñuel. This recent creation deploys an eminently rich language where each instrument participates in a strange and captivating ceremony. In a grand finale, Debussy revolutionized orchestral writing with La Mer , a painting of the ocean in all its majesty and diversity. Under the baton of Roderick Cox, with the sparkling piano of Sergey Belyavsky, immerse yourself in three fascinating musical universes where the modernity of languages ​​rubs shoulders with the eternal evocative power of symphonic music.

Between sky and sea

Opéra Berlioz

Vasily Petrenko conducts two works by Sergei Prokofiev that, in their own way, rose from the ashes: Piano Concerto No. 2, which was lost in a fire and had to be rewritten, and Symphony No. 3, based on the abandoned opera The Fiery Angel.

Vasily Petrenko Nobuyuki Tsujii

Oslo Concert Hall

What are the dreams of the next generation? What kind of world do young artists want to build? The OM gives the floor to two of its favourite stars: conductor Glass Marcano and pianist Tony Siqi Yun. The Venezuelan El Sistema graduate made a highly acclaimed debut at the OM in 2024, earning the admiration of both the orchestra and the audience. Here, she returns with a work that reflects her vibrancy and passion—Dvořák’s New World Symphony—to be followed by Kauyumari, a piece by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz.

A New World

Église catholique Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Place des Arts

Salle Marguerite-Bourgeoys

Between the most mysteriously sensual pages of Wagner and Scriabin, Yuja Wang takes to the keyboard to perform Prokofiev's awesome Concerto No.2 with his usual brio.

Orchestre de Paris / Esa-Pekka Salonen

Philharmonie de Paris

Sergei Prokofiev was the bad boy of Russian music; Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told. Not an obvious match – but somehow, they clicked, and Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet drives straight to the raw, tender heart of Shakespeare’s drama. Tonight, it’s one of three very different visions of paradise from guest conductor Elim Chan. Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt plays the sun-kissed concerto that William Walton composed on a Mediterranean island. Meanwhile, with the UK premiere of Contested Eden, composer Gabriela Lena Frank joins our Harmony with Nature debate with a very personal response to California’s wildfires.

Romeo and Juliet

Vasily Petrenko and Nobuyuki Tsujii perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 – the concerto that was lost in a fire and had to be rewritten.

Classical Hour Vasily Petrenko Nobuyuki Tsujii

Not an obvious match – but somehow, they clicked, and Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet drives straight to the raw, tender heart of Shakespeare’s drama.

The last Pro Musica concert of the year offers three very different, but incredibly integrated works. Brahms had actually put the work of composing on the shelf and had retired, but after hearing a concert with Meininger Hofkapelle's solo clarinetist, Richard Mühlfeld, he found the sheet music again and wrote four works for the talented clarinetist, which we will play at tonight's concert first of the works, namely the sublime clarinet trio in A minor.

Brahms & Prokofiev

Odense Concert Hall

Revered for the intelligence and depth of her interpretations, Beatrice Rana is sought-after worldwide for playing that has a delicate, almost weightless quality. Her gift for weaving gossamer textures comes to the fore in a program matched by a fearless technical address that blurs dreams and reality. In a recital that covers a kaleidoscopic range of colors and styles, Rana makes her PCMS recital debut with some of the most demanding and dazzling music written for piano.

Beatrice Rana, piano

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

At just 18 years old, Russian pianist Alexandra Dovgan has a career that has already taken her all over Europe and as far away as Buenos Aires and Detroit. A protégé of Grigory Sokolov, who predicted "a great future" for her , she stands out with a sound of incredible beauty and precision, served by an authentic personality. After the darkest and most passionate of Schubert's last three sonatas, she takes on Franck's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue , a combined homage to Bach and Liszt, then to the young Prokofiev - just 21 years old - who wrote a 2nd Sonata already tending towards modernism.

Alexandra Dovgan

We’ve got the home side playing tonight – Royal Northern Sinfonia and their Artistic Partner, the brilliant Maria Włoszczowska, plus star pianist Martin Helmchen.

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

After a triumphant jump-in performance last season, we’re delighted to welcome back Guest Conductor Darko Butorac. Butorac’s program features a favorite piece of his, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, a powerful work written near the end of World War II that captures the struggle and optimism of the human spirit amidst wartime. The program is balanced by Mozart’s sweet and pure 4th violin concerto played by young prodigy Karisa Chiu.

Masterworks 3: Darko

Martin Woldson Theater

Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 is a folk tale for children written by Sergei Prokofiev, in which the instruments illustrate each character in the story. All ages welcome!

Peter & the Wolf

Herrick District Library

Called “a marvelously expressive interpreter with a keen sense of how to get to the emotional heart of a work” by Minnesota’s Star-Tribune, Beatrice Rana returns to Celebrity Series with a program that shows off her refinement and virtuosity. She brings her storytelling prowess and emotional expressiveness to two well-loved ballet suites: highlights from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker suite.

New England Conservatory of Music

BYSO partners with the Boston Ballet School for this family-friendly classic. Peter and the Wolf is a symphonic fairy tale told through distinct themes assigned to specific instruments that illustrate a story of adventure, teamwork, and bravery.

Peter and the Wolf | Family Concert 

Boston Symphony Hall

"Opening this concert is Bernstein's Overture to Candide, which the BPYO will be playing for the first time. It was last played by the senior Boston Philharmonic Orchestra in 2001 at the Jazzical Gala.

Bernstein / Brahms / Prokofiev

French pianist Alexandre Kantorow makes his debut with the San Francisco Symphony in Prokofiev’s fiendishly difficult Third Piano Concerto, conducted by Karina Canellakis. Prokofiev’s music leaps from Paris to Pavlovsk, from the 19th century to the 20th and beyond. Not quite neoclassical, the concerto is too sly to be Romantic, too approachable to be Modern. Sibelius was inspired by nature and by the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, to create his own deeply personal form of folk expression. This fiercely original, arguably autobiographical music reclaimed the cultural birthright of a nascent people—and stirs the hearts of non-Finns, too. Dvořák composed Scherzo capriccioso while mourning his mother. Complex and dynamic, it guides listeners through the many stages of grief to the catharsis of an ecstatic coda.

Canellakis Conducts Prokofiev & Sibelius

Composed in 1943, Shostakovich's Eighth is the most tragic of his three war symphonies. Its sarcasm, despair, and violent outbursts, which maintain tension until the very end, nevertheless give way to a denouement full of hope and renewal. Violinist Lorenzo Gatto has charted a remarkable career since winning Second Prize at the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition. For his return to Liège, he will perform Prokofiev's moving First Concerto  (1923), a work of striking intensity, brilliantly combining profound lyricism with passages steeped in sarcasm.

Shostakovich 8

Grand Manège

There is a true world star on the program when we present a unique concert experience with the world-famous trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger, who will perform as both soloist and conductor this evening.


With a career spanning four decades, Hardenberger is known as one of the most prominent and innovative trumpet players in the world. He has collaborated with some of the greatest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and he continues to set new standards for what can be achieved with the trumpet. This evening, Hardenberger presents, among other things, one of the greatest classics of trumpet literature, Haydn's Trumpet Concerto, which with its elegant melody and virtuoso challenges is a work that truly shows the many facets of the instrument.

Stardust on trumpet with Håkan Hardenberger

Alsion Concert Hall

On 21 October 1898, when Edward Elgar came home exhausted from work, after supper he sat down to the piano and began improvising. “What is that?” asked his wife Alice, who was captivated by the unknown motif. “Nothing,” he answered. “But it could be something.”

Czech Philharmonic • Evgeny Kissin

Rudolfinum

An original text brings this concert to life, where the confidences of a bird prelude the eternal enchantment of Peter and the Wolf. It's a cross-border journey for all the family! 

Peter, the Wolf and the Bird

Two extraordinary Bulgarian musicians are featured in this electrifying concert program. Young conductor Delyana Lazarova leads her compatriot Dobrinka Tabakova's Orpheus Comet. German violinist Clara-Jumi Kangnous leads us into a fabulous display of virtuosity and lyricism with Prokofiev's Second Concerto . The irresistible melody of the Andante assai opens a visual world echoed in Gustav Holst's fascinating Planets . Having inspired John Williams's Star Wars score , this unique score draws on astrology to paint a musical portrait of the planets.

Holst's Lights on the Planets

Grand Théâtre de Québec

Piano Recital

Royal Academy of Music

Beatrice Rana brings her exquisite artistry to a program brimming with color and intensity. In Debussy’s Etudes, Book II, she demonstrates “a clear understanding of what can make that composer’s music so magical” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune). Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet enchant with vivid storytelling and virtuosity. The program concludes with Prokofiev’s bold and powerful Sonata No. 6, a 20th-century masterpiece.

Beatrice Rana

One of the world’s most extraordinary pianists, Nobuyuki Tsujii is renowned for his technical virtuosity and deeply emotional performances. With formidable technique and a natural gift for pianistic color, Tsujii transcends the boundaries of music with his unique ability to express the purest forms of emotion through the piano. Despite being blind from birth, Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii (Nobu)’s breathtaking artistry and expressive power have earned him a place among the greatest musicians of his generation. Described by The Observer as the “definition of virtuosity,” his performances resonate with audiences worldwide, whether performing Chopin’s delicate nocturnes, the grandeur of Rachmaninoff, or his own interpretations of classical and contemporary works.

Nobuyuki Tsujii

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

One of the world’s most extraordinary pianists, Nobuyuki Tsujii is renowned for his technical virtuosity and deeply emotional performances. With formidable technique and a natural gift for pianistic color, Tsujii transcends the boundaries of music with his unique ability to express the purest forms of emotion through the piano.

Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano

The classic orchestral fairy tale of an adventurous child and his encounter with a wolf.

This timeless tale of a young boy who confronts a menacing wolf with the help of his animal friends returns to the Winspear stage. Experience the ESO play the delightful score that cleverly introduces young audience members to the different musical instruments while the classic musical fable is narrated live. The whole family will love this charming story and wonderful musical experience.

Symphony For Kids concerts are designed to be the ideal child-sized introduction to orchestral music. Family-friendly activities are available in the lobby prior to each SFK concert, so be sure to arrive early – and, of course, there will be fresh popcorn!

Winspear Centre

A candlelit symphony of love! Tchaikovsky composes our first tale of love, the overture-fantasy based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.  This melodious theme of tragic love is one of the most splendid in Western Classical music. Step into the enchanted music of Prokofiev’s Cinderella where a fairy godmother sets true love’s destiny in motion with narration by Paris Schutz.

Composer

Sergey Prokofiev

Events

Upcoming events

19 - 22 Dec, 2025

Scriabin: Le Poème de l'extase · Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

30 - 31 Dec, 2025

New Year’s Concert at the Opera House 2025 · Royal Danish Orchestra

10 - 11 Jan, 2026

Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto · Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Jan 11, 2026

Altstaedt & Chan · Opernhaus Zürich

14 - 15 Jan, 2026

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker · Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Dec 21, 2025

Family Concert "Peter and the Wolf" · Brandenburgischen Staatsorchesters Frankfurt

Dec 20, 2025

Holiday Glories · La Crosse Symphony Orchestra

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