Berliner Philharmoniker

Sir Simon Rattle brings his world-class orchestra to town for just over a week. They won't be messing around, either. Kicking off Carnegie Hall's season with a gala performance on Oct 1, they play Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the company of star soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter—as well as Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and closing scenes from Stravinsky's Firebird. (On the evidence of a thrilling recent live broadcast from Berlin, these players are putting quite a lot of blood into the Dances.) On Oct 2, they play Stravinsky's ballet in complete form, and give the Rachmaninoff another spin. On Oct 5, they pivot to an all-Schumann program: the First and Second symphonies. The composer's Third and Fourth follow, sensibly enough, on Oct 6, though with an added twist: the U.S. premiere of contemporary composer Georg Friedrich Haas's beguiling dark dreams comes between the Schumann entries. If you're wondering whether 21st-century spectralism can hang on a program with works of high Romanticism, rest assured that Rattle and his orchestra (particularly the strings) can articulate their love for Haas's strange, swelling chords in most ardent fashion. And that's all before the Berliners head to the Park Avenue Armory, on Oct 7 and 8, for two performances of their internationally acclaimed version of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, directed by Peter Sellars. These players are putting on quite a show for New Yorkers—and some of the lower-ticket prices on select dates are a considerable value.