Paavo Järvi opens his 10th anniversary season with the long-awaited return of the beloved Ohio-born soprano Kathleen Battle. She’ll convey the heart-on-sleeve emotion of music by Strauss in a program that also includes “Zarathustra,” of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame.

You’re destined to have a great evening with Beethoven’s delightful Concerto No. 1, performed by Mihaela Ursuleasa, who toured with the CSO in 2000. She sets the stage for Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, some of the most beautiful music ever composed. Rising star James Gaffigan leads a world premiere by the Haitian-born artist “DBR,” whose collaborators include Lady Gaga.

Returning conductor Carlos Kalmar leads a Hungarian-influenced program featuring Yuja Wang (Gramophone Magazine’s 2009 Young Artist of the Year) in her CSO debut. She performs Bartók’s virtuosic Concerto No. 2, by turns fiery, fierce and lyrical. Brahms’ hot-blooded “gypsy” finale brings the concert to a spectacular close.

A favorite of CSO audiences and acclaimed worldwide for his electrifying performances, Barry Douglas plays the majestic Emperor Concerto.  The dynamic Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard leads Sibelius’ luminous Fifth Symphony, harkening to a shining moment from the CSO’s 2004 European tour.

An expert on the music of 18th-century masters, Sir Roger Norrington leads a program of appealing orchestral works, including Mozart’s witty Divertimento and his exquisite, Haydn-influenced Linz Symphony. Soloists from the orchestra gather at center stage for Haydn’s delightful orchestral tête-à-tête.

The Mozart Festival concludes with the soaring voices of the May Festival Chorus in three gems from Mozart’s remarkable output of sacred choral works, including the soaring Exsultate jubilate (with its famous "Alleluia"). Music by Salieri, whose strained, perhaps devious, relationship with Mozart was brought to light in Amadeus, provides an intriguing contrast.

It’s Beethoven-times-three in this captivating program under the direction of the distinguished Austrian conductor Hans Graf. The drama and heroic tragedy of the Concerto No. 3, imparted by Beethoven specialist Jeffrey Kahane, sets the stage for the powerful, rhythmic energy of Symphony No. 7.

Mozart’s Turkish Concerto is especially memorable for its whirlwind finale and for the violinist who plays it: Hilary Hahn, the dazzling two-time Grammy-winning violinist and 2008 Gramophone Artist of the Year. We also bring you sparkling works by three 20th century masters, equally witty as Mozart.

No holiday season would be complete without Messiah. Soaring and uplifting, quiet and consoling, this timeless story of redemption will warm your heart this holiday season. Hallelujah!

Violinist Viviane Hagner summons her passionate artistry for the romantic, sweetly lyrical and wholly uplifting Glazunov concerto. Led by the dynamic American conductor Hugh Wolff, Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony is brash and boisterous, witty and impish, right up to the brass-filled grand finale.

One of today’s most celebrated superstars, André Watts lends his sizeable skill and artistic elegance to Beethoven’s concerto of many contrasts—serene and melodious at first, then boisterous and virtuosic. We close with the intimate and soul-penetrating Requiem of Gabriel Fauré.

Paavo wished to celebrate his 10th season with an orchestral event to show off the CSO’s full range of technical brilliance and color. Mahler is in good hands, and so are you, with Paavo’s interpretation of the Symphony No. 7, a panorama of human emotions, from optimism and joy to solemnity and innocence.

Violinist Vadim Repin, noted as one of today’s most compelling musicians, will play the soulful and technically dazzling Sibelius Concerto. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s wildly popular Fifth Symphony, music that never fails to enthrall audiences everywhere.

Yefim Bronfman focuses his Grammy-winning virtuosity on the Concerto No. 1, whose famous opening chords hint at the sweeping lyricism and pianistic fireworks to come. In the hands of conductor Peter Oundjian, Tchaikovsky’s gift for melody shines in the romantic love songs of his Fifth Symphony.

Jian Wang, featured in the Oscar–winning film From Mao to Mozart, lends his copious technical gifts to Schumann’s ravishing Cello Concerto. Mostly Mozart music director Louis Langrée leads the CSO in Brahms’ first symphony—a work that inspired Schumann to declare him the heir apparent to Beethoven.

After the premiere of his Fanfare, the multi-faceted Stewart Goodyear bridges the centuries with performances of Bach and Messiaen. Incorporating the eerie, wavering tones of the ondes Martenot (an early synthesizer), Messiaen’s boisterous masterpiece derives from Sanskrit words meaning “love song.”

Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu opens this attractive program with New York Philharmonic composer-in-residence Magnus Lindberg's flamboyant depiction of a Spanish festival. Augustin Hadelich, the 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant-winning violinist, brings out all the sunny elegance of Haydn's First Violin Concerto. The picturesque conclusion is Haydn’s Symphony No. 100—whose "military" special effects include a battery of percussion—and Debussy's intoxicating Ibéria, portraying the sights and sounds of Spain.

Acclaimed conductor Roberto Abbado (nephew of Claudio) leads a program of classics by Russian legends. Peter Serkin conveys the beauty and playfulness of two provocative works by Stravinsky, while deftly conquering their technical pyrotechnics. And the orchestra vividly paints Mussorgsky’s majestic Pictures at an Exhibition.

The distinguished Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck steps to the podium for a concert of heroic proportions. Beethoven’s Second Concerto is joyful showcase for the elegance and effortless technique of Markus Groh. Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben is a sumptuous tale of love, courage and the ultimate quest for redemption.

Perhaps the most famous work for cello, the ultra-romantic, technically dazzling Dvořák concerto will be no less than breathtaking in the hands of the reigning superstar of the instrument, Yo-Yo Ma. This sure-to-sell-out event is capped off with the “New World” Symphony—music Paavo and the CSO performed to enthusiastic acclaim on the 2009 Japan Tour.

This all-American program features dazzling clarinetist Martin Fröst performing Copland’s captivating fusion of jazz, Charleston rhythms, boogie woogie and Brazilian folk tunes. Edgar Varèse, a fixture on the New York music scene who influenced Frank Zappa, composed the program finale, a raucous soundscape of unwavering excitement.

Paavo’s 10th anniversary celebration closes with a gathering of great friends. The piano concerto of Erkki-Sven Tüür, whom Paavo met during his conservatory days in Estonia, is a thrill ride of rhythmic intensity and poetic expression—a brilliant showcase for another friend of Paavo and CSO audiences, Awadagin Pratt. We close with Mahler’s epic Fifth Symphony, in all its sonorous and life-affirming glory.