Brahms Symphony No. 1 and Other Famous Firsts

You might find it heartening to think that all great artists had a rocky start—but unfortunately, that's just not true. The Louisiana Philharmonic's Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts two evenings of famous firsts, in a program beginning with Samuel Barber’s very first orchestral composition, the brilliant Overture to School for Scandal. With celebrated soloist and 2016 New Orleans International Piano Competition Gold Medalist Xiaohui Yang at the piano, Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini offers a technical interlude. The concert ends with Johannes Brahms’ intense, painstakingly composed Symphony No. 1. All are highly listenable and might have even landed on their mother's refrigerators. 7:30 pm each night at the Orpheum Theater. $20–$140. lpomusic.com.