The fiery and passionate Carmen inspired French composer Georges Bizet to create an opera that turned its protagonist into the fatal woman of classical music, and the piece into one of the most popular works of all time in its genre.

Almost a century later, Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin created a suite based on themes from Carmen and other Bizet operas, dedicated to his wife, the famous Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. The concert’s second half features Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, commissioned by the Finnish government for the composer’s birthday. Sibelius wrote of the experience: It was as if God himself was throwing pieces of mosaic from the heavens, asking me to discover the perfect pattern. The concert will be conducted by the highly promising Mikhail Gerts.