Strauss & Scriabin with Daniil Trifonov

Daniil Trifonov returns to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center for a series of concerts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fabio Luisi. The program pairs Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor with Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony), and there are three chances to catch it: Friday, May 14, at 7:30 PM; Saturday, May 15, at 7:30 PM; and Sunday, May 16, at 2:00 PM.

Trifonov takes the lead on the Scriabin, a rhapsodic concerto that shifts between wistful melancholy and fevered romance. The New York Times has described his playing as having an "elegant touch, witty grace and poetic insight," and this is one of those pieces where that kind of phrasing really gets to breathe. It's a work that leans into the emotional swings, and Trifonov is known for leaning right into them.

Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie is a different kind of animal entirely. It's a titanic piece of writing for a massive orchestra, and it doesn't stop at the usual strings and brass—it calls for wind and thunder machines and offstage brass bands to build out the sound. The whole thing draws on Strauss' own teenage adventures in the Austrian Alps, so it's less a formal symphony and more a musical travelogue of a mountain climb. Between the two, the program moves from the intimate, interior world of the piano concerto to the wide-open scale of the symphony.

If you're not coming in with a background in these composers, there's a way to get your bearings before the music starts. Before every classical concert, the DSO presents "Preludes"—free, informal talks led by local musicians and musicologists who share stories and insight about the program. They take place in Horchow Hall and are free for all concert patrons, so you can get a bit of context before you take your seat. Tickets start at $44.