You may know and love Beethoven’s recognizable Fifth Symphony, Stravinsky’s thrilling Rite of Spring, and Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic piano concertos that have become staples of orchestral concerts, but all too often, we miss out on some of these esteemed composers’ lesser-known and lesser-performed works. Take advantage of the vast repertoire offerings throughout the summer—you might just discover a new work by your favorite composer. Some of these pieces haven’t been heard on an Aspen stage in decades! 

Richard Strauss’s Duet-Concertino (Friday, July 5)
Richard Strauss is known for his epic tone poems and operas, but his musical prowess and elegance shine through in his more sparingly scored works. Don’t miss your chance to hear this work that uniquely features the clarinet and bassoon as duo soloists in front of string orchestra.

Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1 (Thursday, July 11)
You can hardly call Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major unknown, but it is often overshadowed by the other great cello concertos. There’s perhaps no better chance to hear this quaint concerto for the first time than at the ever-popular Baroque Evening recital performed by cello virtuoso Steven Isserlis. 

Milhaud’s La création du monde, op. 81 (Monday, July 15)
Captivated by the lively jazz scene of 1920s New York, composer Darius Milhaud of the famous “Les Six” avant garde group of French composers wrote this short, jazz-inspired ballet on a 1923 commission from the Ballet Suédois. Milhaud would come to Aspen 30 years later, in 1951, and was a powerful presence in Aspen for the next two decades teaching composition and mentoring conducting students. Revel in this unique work by a composer with deep Aspen ties! 

Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D major (Sunday, July 28) 
Concerned by the ‘curse of the ninth,’ Gustav Mahler purposefully postponed writing his Ninth Symphony. The superstition followed the fact that for many composers—Beethoven, Bruckner, Schubert, and Dvorak, to name a few—their ninth symphony proved to be their last. The largely foreboding mood of his Ninth reflects the composer’s concern of falling victim to the same fate, and rightly so: he died just a few years later, leaving his Tenth Symphony unfinished. This captivating 81-minute work is a centerpiece of the season, and the only of Mahler’s nine that Music Director Robert Spano has yet to conduct in Aspen. Also catch his Fourth (Aug. 2) and Fifth (Aug. 14) Symphonies this summer.

Stravinsky ’s Concerto for Strings in D major, “Basel” (Wednesday, July 31) 
Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments wasn’t met with quite the outcry and riot scenes that his infamous Rite of Spring was, but this work, written for a small wind orchestra, features ornamental flourishes and dramatic musical punctuation distinct to his compositional style and similar to those heard in his most famous work and will certainly appeal to all Rite of Spring aficionados.

J. S. Bach’s Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Thursday, August 8) 
Although it has been revered as one of the greatest pieces of western art, it’s not often that Bach’s Mass in B minor gets performed on the orchestral stage. The last time this monumental work was performed in Aspen was over four decades ago; this year’s performance is a nod to the special reverence for Bach at the AMFS’s founding event in 1949. Sit back, relax, and make it an evening to remember! 

Stravinsky ’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments (Friday, August 9)
If you like Stravinsky, but an all-string orchestra is more your style, see the Aspen Conducting Academy perform Stravinsky’s Concerto for Strings in D major, “Basel,” one of his final tonal works that leans into a neo-baroque style. The work was most recently performed at the AMFS in 2007.