Get Thee to the Symphony

I've been scouting some fancy concert opportunities this morning. With the approach of autumn comes the symphony!

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's webpage is having some problems this morning but I've been able to see enough of it to know that they're not fucking around this season:

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
Orff's Carmina Burana
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Sibelius' Violin Concerto
Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1

The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus is celebrating its 30th anniversary so they're busting out all the major choral works of the repertoire. I am definitely gonna see Carmina Burana and Pictures. Plus, how can I not see Beethoven's 9th? Fuck man! It's Ludwig van!! In addition, they'll be performing a couple of Shostakovich's symphonies and a whole lotta Tchaikovsky.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a buttload of good stuff but I've been wanting to see The Rite of Spring for a while now and they'll be performing it on June 9th & 10th of next year! And they too will be doing Pictures. Other highlights include a bunch of Ludwig van's piano concertos and Finlandia by Sibelius.

A bit closer to home, the Madison Symphony Orchestra starts its season shortly with a program including Dvorak's "From the New World". But it's their last performance of the season that intrigues me the most as it will include Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.