Critic’s Choice

Thu Feb 27, 2020 at 2:02 pm

By Lawrence A. Johnson

Hannu Lintu. Photo: Veikko Kähkönen

In a massively packed weekend of promising music events, it’s a challenge to narrow down the slate to a couple items. 

Hannu Lintu makes his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut Thursday night with a diverting Scandinavian lineup. The Finnish conductor leads the orchestra in Sibelius’s Finlandia and Symphony No. 5, and Nielsen’s Helios Overture and Violin Concerto with soloist Pekka Kuusisto. Concerts are 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday at Orchestra Hall and 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wheaton College. cso.org; 312-294-3000

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Also Thursday night, John Eliot Gardiner and the period-instrument Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique open their Beethoven symphony cycle 7:30 p.m. at the Harris Theater, with the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies, the latter with the Monteverdi Choir. Ensuing installments will present the First Symphony and vocal items Friday night, Nos. 2 and 3 Saturday, 4 and 5 Monday, and 6 and 7 Tuesday. harristheatarchicago.org; 312-334-7777.

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Finally, Daniil Trifonov returns to Chicago with a typically thoughtful program, this time centered on music of Bach. In addition to the composer’s Art of Fugue, the Russian pianist will perform Bach arrangements by Brahms (Chaconne for the Left Hand), Rachmaninoff (Prelude, Gavotte and Gigue) and Liszt (Fantasy and Fugue in G minor). Concert time is 3 p.m. Sunday at Orchestra Hall. cso.org; 312-294-3000.

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