For daytime listings, please see Daytime Grid. pg. 1

Wednesday 1

9 p.m. Carnegie Hall Tonight! Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night Gala with guest host Deborah Voigt. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic with Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin. Rachmaninoff: “Symphonic Dances.” Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. Stravinsky: Closing scenes from “The Firebird.”

Thursday 2

9 p.m. The New York Philharmonic Alan Gilbert conducts with Dorothea Röschmann, soprano; Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Steve Davislim, tenor; Eric Owens, bass; and the New York Choral Artists. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232.

Friday 3

9 p.m. The San Francisco Symphony with host Rick Malone. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts with Yefim Bronfman, piano. Di Castri: “Lineage.” Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor. Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3 in C minor.

Saturday 4

10 a.m. Handel: “Israel in Egypt.” John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.

1 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera (live) Verdi: “Ernani.” James Levine conducts with Angela Meade (Elvira); Francesco Meli (Ernani); Placido Domingo (Don Carlo) and Dimitry Belosselsky (de Silva).

Sunday 5

9 a.m. Handel: “Messiah.” Sir Colin Davis conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with Heather Harper, soprano; Helen Watts, alto; John Wakefield, tenor; and John Shirley-Quirk, bass.

2 p.m. Mahler: Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus with Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano.

4 p.m. Atop the Podium This week: Richard Bonynge.

6 p.m. From Sorrow to Joy A musical journey from Candlemas (Feb. 2) to Easter as reflected in the customs and traditions of Polish Americans. Eileen Koteras Elibol hosts.

8 p.m. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Jim Cunningham. Manfred Honeck conducts with Yo-Yo Ma, cello. Dvořák: “Carnival” Overture. Humperdinck: “Dream Pantomime” from “Hänsel und Gretel.” Prokofiev: “Cinderella” Suite No. 1. Tchaikovsky: “Sleeping Beauty” Suite; Variations on a Rococo Theme.

10 p.m. Pipedreams with Michael Barone. Music for Easter: Whether in Baroque chorale-preludes, Victorian anthems, or contemporary meditations, compositions for the Resurrection Festival always uplift.

Monday 6

9 p.m. The Chicago Symphony Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts with Cynthia Yeh, percussion. Prokofiev: Suite from “Lt. Kijé.” MacMillan: “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.” Revueltas: “Sensemaya.” Encore: Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra.

Tuesday 7

8 p.m. Tuesday Night with Virginia Barron. This month we cast a spotlight on tenor Placido Domingo, who will undertake a brand new role as Don Carlo, the lead baritone in the Met’s new production of Verdi’s “Ernani.” Placido Domingo, who already has sung more of the operatic repertoire than any other star singer in history, also takes on baritone roles and even steps onto the podium to conduct. We’ll feature some of the tenor’s greatest recorded performances this month each Tuesday night, starting with Puccini. Puccini: “Tosca.” James Levine conducts this 1980 recording. Renata Scotto sings a very dramatic, if mature, Tosca, who is jealous because her beauty is fading. Placido Domingo is an ardent, heroic, yet introspective Cavaradossi.

Wednesday 8

9 p.m. Carnegie Hall Tonight! Baroque Unlimited I: Bach’s Orchestral Suites with guest host John Hockenberry. Richard Egarr conducts the Academy of Ancient Music from the keyboard. J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D; No. 2 in B minor; No. 1 in C; No. 3 in D.

Thursday 9

9 p.m. The New York Philharmonic Alan Gilbert conducts with Robert Langevin, flute and Nikolaj Znaider, violin. Neilsen: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2, “Little Russian.”

Friday 10

10 a.m. Philharmonic Friday with Peter Hall.

9 p.m. The San Francisco Symphony with host Rick Malone. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts. Mahler: Symphony No. 9.

For daytime listings, please see Daytime Grid. pg. 2

Saturday 11

12 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera (live) Verdi: “Don Carlo.” Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts with Barbara Frittoli (Elisabeth de Valois), Ekaterina Gubanova (Eboli), Yonghoon Lee (Don Carlo), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Rodrigo Posa), Feruccio Furlanetto (Philip II), and James Morris (Grand Inquisitor).

Sunday 12

4 p.m. Atop the Podium This week: Thomas Beecham.

8 p.m. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Jim Cunningham. Manfred Honeck conducts with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Stock: Symphony No. 6. Orff: “Carmina Burana.”

10 p.m. Pipedreams with Michael Barone. Polish(ed) Gems: Focus on a further collection of compositions, instruments and performers from Poland.

Monday 13

9 p.m. The Chicago Symphony Christoph Eschenbach conducts. Beethoven: “Egmont” Overture. Rands: “…where the murmurs die…” Bruckner: Symphony No. 9. Encore: Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy Overture.

Tuesday 14

8 p.m. Tuesday Night with Virginia Barron. Wagner: “Lohengrin.” For this, the last of Wagner’s operas that George Solti was to record, the conductor made it clear he’d had enough of heldentenors and chose instead to cast Placido Domingo in the title role as the Grail Knight, Lohengrin. It was an inspired choice. Although some critics have found Domingo’s German accent not to their liking, the nobility of his portrayal overwhelms any small linguistic criticism. Dietrich Fischer Dieskau sings the role of the Herald. A young Jessye Norman is a fresh, vibrant Elsa, and the Vienna Philharmonic is beyond reproach.

Wednesday 15

9 p.m. Carnegie Hall Tonight! Great American Orchestras I with guest host John Schaefer. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony and New York Choral Artists with Gil Shaham, violin. Samuel Adams: “Drift and Providence.” Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2. Ravel: “Daphnis et Chloé.”

Thursday 16

9 p.m. The New York Philharmonic Alan Gilbert conducts with Cater Brey, cello. Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor. Bach: Suites for Unaccompanied Cello No. 1 & 2.

Friday 17

10 a.m. Philharmonic Friday with Peter Hall.

9 p.m. The San Francisco Symphony with host Rick Malone. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts with Emanuel Ax, piano. Mahler: “Blumine.” Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. Copland: Music from the film “Our Town.” Debussy: “La Plus que lente.” Delius: “On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring.” Grieg: “The Last Spring,” Opus 34, No.2. Rachmaninoff: “Vocalise,” Opus 34, No.14. Delibes: “Cortège of Bacchus” from “Sylvia.”

Saturday 18

1 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera Shostakovich: “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” James Conlon conducts with Eva-Maria Westbroek (Katerina) and Brandon Jovanovich (Sergei).

Sunday 19

4 p.m. Atop the Podium This week: Wolfgang Sawallisch.

8 p.m. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Jim Cunningham. Manfred Honeck conducts with Yulianna Avdeeva, piano. Barber: Adagio for Strings. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K 467. Dvořák: Symphony No. 8.

10 p.m. Pipedreams with Michael Barone. Americans Abroad: Though relatively few in number, some significant instruments by organ builders from the U.S. have found themselves as musical ambassadors in foreign settings.

Monday 20

9 p.m. The Chicago Symphony Riccardo Muti conducts with Christopher Martin, trumpet. Panufnik: Concerto in modo antico. Stravinsky: Suite from “The Firebird.” Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3, “Polish.” Schubert: Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished.”

For daytime listings, please see Daytime Grid. pg. 3

Tuesday 21

8 p.m. Tuesday Night with Virginia Barron. Offenbach: “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” Offenbach never really finished “The Tales of Hoffman.” He left it as a tantalizing puzzle of many scenes and tunes. Seiji Ozawa conducts a French orchestra and chorus as he picks arias and scenes from both the modern sprawling Oeser edition of the “operetta” with its intrusive dialogue and the old fashioned Chouden edition that did its best to present the work as a compact, fully fledged “opera.” The result is the most satisfying presentation of Offenbach’s masterpiece on record. Placido Domingo’s performance as the title role is one of the reasons the recording is so successful. Although his top notes are not as bright as when he recorded “Hoffmann” for Bonygne, Domingo’s technique is much stronger, bringing a new depth to the central role of the opera.

Wednesday 22

9 p.m. Carnegie Hall Tonight! Recital: Keyboard Virtuosos I with guest host David Hyde Pierce. Daniil Trifonov, piano. J.S. Bach (trans. Franz Liszt): Fantasy and Fugue for Organ in G minor. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111. Liszt: Transcendental Etudes, S. 139.

Thursday 23

9 p.m. The New York Philharmonic Alan Gilbert conducts with Leila Josefowicz, violin. Liadov: “The Enchanted Lake.” Stravinsky: “Petroushka.” John Adams: “Scheherazade. 2.”

Friday 24

10 a.m. Philharmonic Friday with Peter Hall.

9 p.m. The San Francisco Symphony with host Rick Malone. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts with Leila Josefowicz, violin. Lully: Overture and Passacaille from “Armide.” Thomas Adès: Three Studies from Couperin. Stravinksy: Violin Concerto in D. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, “Scottish.”

Saturday 25

12:30 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera (live) Cav & Pag Mascagni: “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Leoncavallo: “Pagliacci.” In “Cav,” Fabio Luisi conducts with Eva-Maria Westbroek (Santuzza), Marcelo Alvarez (Turiddu), Željko Lucic (Alfio), and in “Pag,” with Patricia Racette (Nedda), Marcelo Alvarez (Canio), George Gagnidze (Tonio), and Lucas Meachem (Silvio).

Sunday 26

4 p.m. Atop the Podium This week: Evgeni Svetlanov.

8 p.m. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Jim Cunningham. Nikolaj Znaider conducts with Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin. Bruch: “Scottish Fantasy.” Schumann: Symphony No. 4. Mendelssohn: “Hebrides” Overture.

10 p.m. Pipedreams with Michael Barone. Toccatas, Again: The original touch piece has manifested itself in many different ways, dependent on time and place.

Monday 27

9 p.m. The Chicago Symphony Trevor Pinnock conducts with Pavel Gomziakov, cello. Fauré: “Masques et Bergamasques.” Haydn: Overture to “L’Isola Disabitata”; Cello Concerto in C. Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. Encore: Rameau: Suite from “Les Boreades.”

Tuesday 28

8 p.m. Tuesday Night with Virginia Barron. Verdi: “Otello.” If there is one role for which Domingo is to be remembered, it is his role as Shakespeare’s moor. Domingo recorded the role of Otello at least four times, but the performance collectors talk about most often is a recording made at the opening night of the 1976 season in Milan’s Teatro la Scala. Carlos Kleiber was in the pit directing a tense, searing reading of the score. Mirella Freni shone as Desdemona, especially affecting when singing the famous “Ave Maria.” But it is the barely controlled, brilliant-voiced Domingo who propels the drama to its tragic end.

Wednesday 29

9 p.m. Carnegie Hall Tonight! Great American Orchestras II with guest host Isaac Mizrahi. Riccardo Muti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mendelssohn: “Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt,” Op. 27. Debussy: “La mer.” Scriabin: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 43, “The Divine Poem.”

Thursday 30

9 p.m. The New York Philharmonic Alan Gilbert conducts with Liang Wang, oboe. R. Strauss: “Also sprach Zarathustra.” Rouse: Oboe Concerto. R. Strauss: “Don Juan.”