St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Dvorak's Eighth Symphony

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Dvorak's Eighth Symphony at Powell Symphony Hall

Some concerts feel like a playlist. This one feels like a program. On December 4 at 10:30 AM, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra brings Dvořák's Eighth Symphony to Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis, and the morning is built around a lineup of works that invites you to listen closely and leave with something to talk about.

Start with the podium. Dinis Sousa conducts Dvořák's Symphony No. 8, and he also leads Saariaho's Lumière et Pesanteur and Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2. That is three distinct pieces in one outing. Come for the symphony in the title, and you also get a chance to hear music you may not run into on an ordinary day. Curious listeners will like that. So will anyone who enjoys finding a new favorite.

Then there is the soloist. Jeremy Denk is the announced pianist, which puts a live performer at the center of the Bartók concerto. Hearing a piano concerto in the room is different from hearing it through earbuds. You see the collaboration between soloist, conductor and orchestra as it happens. A late-morning start also makes this an easy one to share. Invite a friend, a parent or a fellow music lover, and give yourselves a plan worth looking forward to. Afterward, you will have plenty to compare: which piece surprised you, which one stayed with you, which moment you want to hear again. Don't let this one pass you by. Reserve your seats for Dvořák's Eighth at Powell Symphony Hall.