George Frideric Handel was a master composer of both orchestral and choral music, penning some of the most influential vocal compositions of the Baroque era. Nicholas Kraemer, a leading specialist in Handel's music, conducts an all-Handel program of works ranging from the stirring anthem Zadok the Priest to the jubilant Music for the Royal Fireworks.

French conductor Emmanuel Krivine conducts a program featuring Liszt's dazzling symphonic poem Les preludes and acclaimed pianist Denis Kozhukhin in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 is full of charming sounds of nature.

Of Brahms' A German Requiem, Clara Schumann wrote, "It is a truly tremendous piece of art which moves the entire being in a way little else does." Jaap van Zweden returns to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in this emotional work. Mozart's Masonic Funeral Music and Wagner's groundbreaking Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde open the program.

James Levine makes his long-awaited return to the CSO podium with three masterpieces of orchestral color. Schoenberg described his Five Pieces for Orchestra as a "ceaseless flow of colors, rhythm and mood." Levine ends the program with Berlioz's epic Symphonie fantastique.

Sibelius' Violin Concerto opens with an exquisite melody that soars above shimmering strings. Latvian violinist Baiba Skride performs this work in a program of 20th-century music conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Strauss' tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra showcases the CSO's magnificent brass section.

Emanuel Ax, a Chicago favorite, performs Beethovens First Piano Concerto with David Afkham. Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony is a riveting portrait of Stalin's regime, a journey through grave brass chorales and satirical waltzes that leads to a triumphant finale.

CSO Principal Cello John Sharp, praised for his "exceptional lyric sensibility and a flawless technique" (Chicago on the Aisle), is given the spotlight in Schumann's Cello Concerto. Hindemith's thrilling Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass precedes Mussorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition, a signature CSO showpiece.

James Gaffigan, "a talented force to be reckoned with" (The Examiner), conducts the world premiere of Australian composer Carl Vine's trombone concerto Five Hallucinations. CSO trombonist Michael Mulcahy, who hails from Sydney, Australia, performs this special co-commission by the CSO and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Gaffigan also leads Prokofiev's interpretation of the enchanting fairy tale Cinderella.

Joyce DiDonato, "one of the finest singers of our time" (Gramophone), makes her much-anticipated CSO debut under Riccardo Muti in Martucci's La canzone dei ricordi (Song of Remembrance). Beethoven's celebratory Seventh Symphony, which closes the program, is a whirlwind of kinetic energy.

Riccardo Muti opens the concert with Mussorgsky's tone poem A Night on Bald Mountain, followed by Strauss' orchestral showpiece Don Juan. Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, one of his most popular, completes the concert.