Operatic Vivaldi

Vivaldi is best known for his "Four Seasons" concertos, but did you know that he also wrote operas? More than 90 of them, he claimed, though fewer than 20 survive in manuscript. One of those is "Motezuma," a tale about the medieval Aztec ruler. The opera was incomplete when rediscovered in 2002, and Matthias Maute is the latest musicologist to put together a new performing edition. His Bach Society of Minnesota presents a semi-staged version of "Motezuma" with a cast of soloists from the United States, Mexico and Canada. (7 p.m. Tue., Trinity Chapel, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato; 7:30 p.m. Wed., Beutow Music Center Auditorium, Concordia University, St. Paul; $5-$30, 612-440-6219 or bachsocietymn.org)

Another conducting debut

Karina Canellakis, an American who won the 2016 Georg Solti Conducting Award, recently became the first female chief conductor of a Dutch orchestra, and her Minnesota Orchestra debut will be interesting. The main showpiece is Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, a piece tailor-made for both conductor and orchestra to make a powerful impact. Extra interest is added by the choice of soloist for Ravel's Piano Concerto — the outstanding Italian pianist Francesco Piemontesi, a protégé of the great Alfred Brendel. Music by Canadian composer Zosha Di Castri completes the program. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $12-$125.75. 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

'Cesare' condensed

A full performance of Handel's great opera "Giulio Cesare" takes four hours, so it's useful to get a pared-down introduction in a concert this week by the Minnesota Bach Ensemble. A selection of the opera's key arias will be sung by soprano Linh Kauffman, and mezzos Nerea Berraondo and Christina Christensen. (3 p.m. Sun., MacPhail Center for Music, Mpls.; $10-$30, mnbach.org)

Mozart and more

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra goes conductorless this week in a concert that puts Mozart's ebullient Symphony No. 29 at its center. Flanking it is less familiar repertoire — Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances, and SPCO violinist Maureen Nelson's arrangement of Romanian composer George Enescu's String Octet in C. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater; 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $11-$50, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

Songs by Santora

The ever-imaginative MacPhail Spotlight series continues with "Songs for a Cavernous Space," a new work by its artistic director, Mischa Santora. Tailored for a large church acoustic and scored for tenor (Dennis Petersen), organ and horn, the piece shares a program with music by Pärt and Messiaen. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Basilica of St. Mary, Mpls.; $5-$12, 612-767-5250 or macphail.org)

TERRY BLAIN