Chamber Orchestra Kremlin: Cellist Boris Strulev is soloist with the Russian string orchestra under conductor Misha Rachlevsky for a program of Mozart, Haydn and Alfred Schnittke. 7:30 p.m. Friday at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive; $35-$60; 312-334-7777, harristheaterchicago.org
Chicago Philharmonic: The Lyric Opera Orchestra in its symphonic guise starts the season with two Rachmaninov favorites, Piano Concerto No. 2 (with soloist Julia Siciliano) and Symphony No. 2. Robert Trevino is the guest conductor. 7 p.m. Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston; $20-$70; 847-866-6888, chicagophilharmonic.org
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”), Wagner’s “Centennial Inauguration March” and Carlos Chavez’s “Sinfonia India” make up Asher Fisch’s varied program at 1:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday. Fisch replaces music director Riccardo Muti, who canceled his remaining residency weeks because of illness. CSO emeritus conductor Pierre Boulez directs Mahler’s sprawling and fascinating Symphony No. 7 at 8 p.m. Thursday (repeated Oct. 15-17). Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $23-$239; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Ensemble dal niente: The Chicago new-music group launches its seventh season with “How About Now?” featuring a world premiere by Chicago composer Marcos Balter along with recent works by Nico Muhly, Michel van de Aa and others. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse Ave.; $15; dalniente.com
Lyric Opera of Chicago — Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’: Barbara Gaines, artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, makes her operatic debut with a new staging of the Verdi masterpiece. Baritone Thomas Hampson and soprano Nadja Michael (debut) star as the ambitious thane and his bloodthirsty lady. Tenor Leonardo Capalbo portrays Macduff. Renato Palumbo is the conductor. Through Oct. 30 at Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $33-$207; 312-332-2244, lyricopera.org
Mariinsky Orchestra: The celebrated (formerly known as the Kirov Orchestra) from the historic Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg heads the downtown parade of visiting orchestras. Artistic director Valery Gergiev leads an all-Russian program — Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with Denis Matsuev as soloist. 8 p.m. Tuesday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $24-$179; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Ondas Ensemble: The group performs Baroque pieces and tango music as part of the 2010 Latino Music Festival. 3 p.m. Sunday at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; $12, $8 seniors; 847-866-6260, latinoculturalcenter.org
jvonrhein@tribune.com
