Boston Classical Review

Andris Nelsons will conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa January 8 & 10, 2o26. Photo: BSO

Music by Mahler, Loeffler, Koechlin, Saint-Saëns and Beach. Boston Symphony Chamber Players/Earl Lee. October 5.

Most of the offerings for the BSO’s season-opening celebration of Symphony Hall’s 125^th birthday are strictly canonic, but this concert from the Chamber Players spreads its wings nicely. Of particular note are items by former BSO violinist Charles Martin Loeffler and Amy Beach, as well as Arnold Schoenberg’s arrangement of Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. The latter features mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. bso.org

Verdi: Requiem. Boston Philharmonic Orchestra/Benjamin Zander. November 23.

The BPO’s 47^th season includes the usual illuminating parade of late-Romantic symphonic favorites. But Verdi’s electrifying Requiem promises its own brand of fireworks. The orchestra is joined by soprano Ailyn Perez, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, tenor John Osborn, bass Maharram Huseynov, and Chorus pro Musica. bostonphil.org

Barber: Vanessa. Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons. January 8 & 10.

BSO music director Andris Nelsons has proven a reliable opera-in-concert conductor and his tenure has been marked by a commendable willingness to lead 20^th-century American repertoire with which he’s not usually associated. Both attributes collide in January’s presentation of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa, which stars Jennifer Holloway in the title role. bso.org

What is Your Hand in This? Davón Tines, bass-baritone; Ruckus. January 31.

The upcoming 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence promises plenty of musical food-for-thought, such as this Celebrity Series concert featuring Tines—one of the day’s great and thoughtful young artists—and the period ensemble Ruckus. A survey of hymns, ballads, and more, the evening promises “a musical journey” that spans the Colonial era to the present day. celebrityseries.org

Music by Schnittke, Greenwood, and Ravel. Danish String Quartet. February 27.

Three years after their astonishing last visit, the Danish String Quartet’s upcoming Boston appearance doesn’t advertise any folk tune arrangements. But it does include works by Alfred Schnittke (String Quartet No. 2) and Johnny Greenwood (Suite from There Will Be Blood), as well as Ravel’s evergreen String Quartet in F. celebrityseries.org

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra makes its first Boston appearance in 25 years on March 1 led by Klaus Mäkelä. The Celebrity Series event features music of Beethoven and Berlioz. Photo; Todd Rosenberg

Music by Beethoven and Berlioz. Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Klaus Mäkelä. March 1.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns to Symphony Hall after a 25-year hiatus with music director-designate Klaus Mäkelä on the podium. Their Celebrity Series program packs a couple of showpieces suitable to the occasion: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. celebrityseries.org

Music by Bartók and Mahler. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Andris Nelsons. March 3.

Two nights after the CSO comes in from the cold, the Vienna Philharmonic follows suit, making their first Symphony Hall stand since 2003. Nelsons conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Lang Lang is the soloist in Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3. celebrityseries.org

Music by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert. Víkingur Ólafsson, pianist. March 20.

There’s something about E—the key, that is. At least that’s the case in pianist Ólafsson’s latest recital program, his Symphony Hall debut, which explores that special harmonic realm by way of sonatas, partitas, and a prelude. celebrityseries.org

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. Boston Lyric Opera/David Angus. March 20-29.

BLO gives Mahler’s extraordinary song cycle, heard in Arnold Schoenberg’s chamber arrangement, the theatrical treatment. Mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis and tenor Brandon Jovanovich are the soloists. blo.org

Music by Adams and Beethoven. Boston Symphony Orchestra/Dima Slobodeniouk. April 30-May 3.

The BSO’s rediscovery of John Adams this year is one of the season’s happy developments, not least because it means that the ensemble is finally reprising the Worcester-born icon’s choral masterpiece, Harmonium (last heard at Symphony Hall in 1991). Also on tap is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. bso.org

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