Karina Canellakis & Randall Goosby

How do we sum up our lives? Shostakovich confronted this question as he began his Fifteenth Symphony while confined to a hospital bed. The piece bursts with memories of his earlier symphonies and quotes of Wagner and Rossini before it fades into ethereal silence. In contrast, Mozart was just 19 and poised for greatness when he composed his effervescent Third Violin Concerto, to which Randall Goosby brings his “perfect balance of intelligent artistry and showmanship” (The New York Times). Beethoven captures another epic life’s tale — that of a 16th century Flemish resistance fighter — in his searing Egmont Overture.