Music for Buster Keaton
Los Angeles composer Stephen Prutsman lands at the Ordway this week with new music for a classic silent film: Buster Keaton's 1927 "College." Also featured is Lotte Reinige's "Cinderella," with music by Karim Al-Zand. Screenings are paired with live accompaniment by Twin Cities chamber group Accordo, with Prutsman lending his skills on piano. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $21-$32.50, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)
Mahler meets Kurt Weill
The Minnesota Orchestra continues its investigation of Mahler's symphonies, an ongoing project with Swedish record label BIS. Next up is Symphony No. 1, with music director Osmo Vänskä leading three performances this week. The concerts open, imaginatively, with Kurt Weill's Violin Concerto, featuring concertmaster Erin Keefe as soloist. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $12-$101, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)
Strong sisters
The effort continues to disinter female composers swamped by the male-dominated history of classical music. "Strong Sisters" features St. Paul Chamber Orchestra soloists performing a piano quintet by Amy Beach (America's first woman composer of major significance, born in 1867) and early-20th-century works by French sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger. Rounding out the recital is "No stars, not even clouds," a piece for string quartet by contemporary New Zealand composer Gillian Whitehead. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Turf Club, St. Paul.; 7 p.m. Fri., Capri Theater, Mpls.; 8 p.m. Sat. & 2 p.m. Sun., St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, $15-$20, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)
Reimagining 'Rigoletto'
One of Verdi's most musically memorable operas, "Rigoletto" concerns a court jester whose efforts to defend his daughter from sexual predation end in tragedy. Minnesota Opera's brand-new production gives the action a contemporary spin, framing it instead as a study of "power without consequence, men who abuse and have no moral judgment," according to director Austin Regan. This production concludes conductor Michael Christie's six-year tenure as music director. It also features star baritone Olafur Sigurdarson in the title role. (7:30 p.m. Sat., March 22, 24, 27, 29, 31, 2 p.m. March 25; Ordway Music Theater, St. Paul, $25-$200, 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org)
Baroque flute
Telemann is often bracketed with his contemporary Bach, but their music sounds very different. The Flying Forms ensemble offers a selection of Telemann's chamber pieces, including flute sonatas played by Immanuel Davis and David Ross. Also included are works by Boismortier, Blavet and Forqueray. (7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun.; the Baroque Room, St. Paul; $15-$20, thebaroqueroom.com)
TERRY BLAIN
