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When Antonin Dvorak received a state stipend allowing him to compose full-time, music poured from him including his lovely String Serenade Op. 22. We’ll hear the original version of the serenade, contrasted with a compelling arrangement for winds and strings that’s inspired by a prior version of the serenade Dvorak then later scored for strings. It’s a fascinating comparison.

This week, you'll hear the Kansas City Symphony, Symphony Chorus and violin superstar Joshua Bell perform the music of Johannes Brahms. As the featured soloist, Bell adds his own original cadenza to Brahms' one and only violin concerto. Plus, soprano Layla Claire and baritone Christopher Feigum join the Kansas City Symphony and Symphony Chorus for a performance Brahms' "German Requiem." Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies explore the composer's process for each work.

Mozart’s music has been adapted in myriad ways – in his lifetime and to this day. We’ll hear two exquisite chamber works in different, but effective instrumentations that Mozart would probably have found intriguing.

In the continuing series of “Surprise Symphonies,” we have marvelous works by 20th century American composers Ned Rorem and William Schuman – both of which are titled Symphony No. 3. Rorem and Schuman helped to define the American sound in classical music and we’ll hear their genius on full display.

Among Christoph von Dohnányi’s many posts over his long career, his 18 years as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra was remarkable. He took this great orchestra to new heights, expanded its repertoire, and took it around the world. In this final show remembering him, we’ll hear studio and live recordings from his time in Cleveland – a tribute to his musical leadership.

The SLSO and St. Louis Dance Theatre come together in an adventurous collaboration to imagine Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite in an entirely new way. Ballet music from Claude Debussy and Albert Roussel complete a program that celebrates partnerships between dance and music.

The Polonaise is a Polish rustic dance dating back to the 16th century. It’s one of Poland’s national dances, and has inspired composers for centuries. We’ll hear Polonaises by six different composers, especially the great Frédéric Chopin who mastered the form.

Music for strings is often associated with heartfelt emotion, and for good reason. We’ve heard it in movies, television and anytime the drama requires a special tug at our heartstrings. We have gorgeous music by Richard Strauss, Anton Bruckner and a familiar work with a mysterious past.

With an affectionate nod to the Kansas City Ballet, this week co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies showcase three works linked to dance. We'll hear live performances of John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," a suite from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" and Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite No. 3.

This week, learn the full story behind Gioachino Rossini's "William Tell" Overture. Plus, we'll hear two towering musical expressions of nature with Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 1 and Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony. Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies delve into each composer's frame of mind and what it is required of the orchestra to perform each work.