In Franz Schubert’s tragically short life, his Viennese friends loved arranging musical soirees where his music was featured. They called these events “Schubertiades.” In this episode, we have our own Schubertiade featuring his glorious final piano sonata.

Celebrate the transformative power of music and community as nearly 300 musicians fill the stage and captivated audiences fill Powell Hall. The SLSO performs the lush soundscapes of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, collaborations with the IN UNISON and St. Louis Symphony Choruses, and music by two of the SLSO’s dearest friends.

The Leningrad Philharmonic of old was a legendary musical experience. This episode features two of Russia’s greatest instrumental soloists in live 1960s performances with that great orchestra. It’s dynamic and not to be missed.

Assistant Conductor Samuel Hollister makes his SLSO classical debut leading the orchestra in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s exhilarating Third Symphony and an imaginative work that gazes skyward by composer and environmentalist Gabriella Smith. Gabriela Montero takes on Prokofiev’s emotionally turbulent Third Piano Concerto in her SLSO debut.

Iconic British composer Sir Edward Elgar is known for his marvelous “Enigma Variations,” but he also composed symphonies and a variety of other music. His second symphony from 1911, is a thought-provoking expression of the end of the Edwardian era and the full measure of the new 20th Century.

Jan Lisiecki performs one of Mozart’s spellbinding piano concertos at the center of a deeply spiritual program. Returning to the SLSO podium, Hannu Lintu leads the orchestra through Wagner’s shimmering melodies, Samy Moussa’s visionary expression of timelessness and paradise in Elysium, and the mysticism and wonder of Respighi’s Church Windows.

Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony creates a soul-stirring orchestral experience. This monumental symphony is paired with a new concerto by Carlos Simon performed by two of the brightest stars in the string world: three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn and Grammy-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods.

The music of Spain is as varied and as delicious as its cuisine. Host Frank Byrne shares three contrasting works, culminating with a dynamic ballet score that fuses indigenous dances and songs, into a thrilling narrative.

Dedicated to Music Director Stéphane Denève and the SLSO, Kevin Puts’ Concerto for Orchestra is a complex, beautiful, and satisfying emotional journey. This music resonates in Powell Hall alongside a new work by Chinese composer Jasmine Guo and Beethoven’s heroic Emperor Piano Concerto, performed with finesse by acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson.

Richard Wagner is known for his over-the-top operatic spectacles. But earlier in his life, he composed other music that shows his budding talent and a different side of this legendary and complex genius.