A groundbreaking concerto performed by a virtuoso superstar and a powerful war-time symphony provide high-voltage excitement. The challenging solo part, rich orchestration, and breadth of expression in Beethoven’s concerto was revolutionary for its time, and provided a blueprint for the large-scale concertos of the Romantic era and beyond. Prokofiev’s symphony, written in 1944, is an audience favorite that has vivid orchestral colors, high drama, and kinetic energy. A moving work, Prokofiev called it “a symphony of the grandeur of the human spirit.”