This March and April, Andris Nelsons returns to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he is Music Director, for a series of diverse concerts, highlighting music that ranges from Robert Schumann to John Adams to Outi Tarkiainen. 

March 19-22, Nelsons and the orchestra will be joined by pianist Yunchan Lim, who will play Schumann’s sensitive and introspective Piano Concerto. Schumann wrote the work for his wife, Clara, one of the most acclaimed pianists of her time, who premiered the concerto in 1845. In the second half, the orchestra will play Tchaikovsky’s Manfred, a four-movement work based on Lord Byron’s gothic play of the same name.

Opera stars Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson join Nelsons and the orchestra for selections from Adams’ Nixon in China on March 26-28. Fleming and Hampson have been widely praised for their portrayals of Pat and Richard Nixon, and recently performed the work together in Paris. The orchestra will then play Dvořák’s beloved New World Symphony, one of the world’s most popular compositions. The symphony is deeply inspired by African American spirituals and Native American music, as well as the wide-open landscapes of the United States. The ensemble will repeat this program on April 9 at New York’s Carnegie Hall. 

April 2-4, Nelsons leads the orchestra in a program that brings together three compelling voices. Japanese pianist Mao Fujita, one of classical music’s most exciting young talents, joins as soloist in Mozart’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 21. The orchestra will then play Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1, which draws deeply from his homeland’s folklore and cultural identity. Fellow Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen opens the program with her BSO co-commissioned work, Day Night Day, which weaves two traditional Sámi melodies into its fabric. Fujita, Nelsons, and the orchestra will also perform this program at Carnegie Hall on April 10.