Critic’s Choice
Performances of Stravinsky ballets are hardly rarities in the concert hall. But how often does one get to hear the composer’s three most important scores written for Ballet Russes in a single evening by the world’s leading Russian conductor?
Valery Gergiev brings his Mariinsky Orchestra to Symphony Center tonight for a rare and generous program that will serve up Stravinsky’s Firebird, Petrushka, and Rite of Spring. Concert time is 7 p.m. cso.org; 312-294-3000.
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The University of Chicago Presents series opens its season this weekend with the first two programs marking the centennial of Benjamin Britten’s birth.
The Jupiter Quartet will kick off the Britten Festival 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mandel Hall with Britten’s First and Third String Quartets, along with the String Quintet No. 2 by Brahms, in which they will be joined by violist James Dunham.
The Pacifica Quartet will do the honors 3 p.m. Sunday at the Logan Center for the Britten Second Quartet, along with Beethoven’s Op. 130 String Quartet (with the Grosse Fuge). chicagopresents.uchicago.edu; 773-702-8068.
Turning to another composer birthday anniversary, there is also a feast of Verdi this weekend. The Lyric Opera opens its season Saturday night with Verdi’s Otello starring Johan Botha and Ana Maria Martinez. And the acclaimed concert performances of Verdi’s Macbeth by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra continue 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday. cso.org; 312-294-3000.
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