SPCO plays Schubert

"Think of a man whose health can never be restored, and whose brightest hopes have come to nothing." Franz Schubert was just 27 when he wrote these words and suffering the early symptoms of the mysterious illness (possibly syphilis) that eventually killed him. Mortality pervades "Death and the Maiden," the string quartet he wrote during this period. And it forms the centerpiece of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's concert with the iconoclastic violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Works by Klein, Kurtág, Dowland and Mendelssohn also feature in richly stimulating juxtaposition. (11 a.m. & 8 p.m. Fri., 8 p.m. Sat. Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun. Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls. $13-$53, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org.)

Exploring the music of Jerusalem

The oud, a kind of fretless, short-necked lute, is widely used in Middle Eastern music but rarely seen on Western concert platforms. The instrument features in "Jerusalem: Treasures from the Holy Land," a program the Rose Ensemble is touring to a dozen locations around Minnesota. Sufi mystical songs, Latin and Yemenite chant and Hebrew cantillation are among the musical types examined in a concert that mixes vocal and instrumental music related to the Holy City — from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Sacred Heart Music Center, Duluth; 7 p.m. Sun. Backus Community Center, International Falls, Minn. $6-$15, 651-225-4340 or roseensemble.org.)

Ukrainian connections

Théodore Akimenko is remembered, if at all, as Stravinsky's first composition teacher, but his music recently has been resurrected by his fellow Ukrainian, a violinist named Tatiana Chulochnikova. She plays selections from her new Akimenko CD featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and, yes, Akimenko in a recital with pianist Anastasia Dedik. (5 p.m. Sat. The Museum of Russian Art, Mpls. $25-$30, tmora.org.)

Minnesota Orchestra sampler

Fancy going to a Minnesota Orchestra concert? Here's your chance to find out which one suits you. Check in at Orchestra Hall on Thursday evening for a specially priced opportunity to sample the coming season, as Sarah Hicks conducts highlights from key works scheduled for the 2016-17 program, with commentary to illuminate the music. (7:30 p.m. Thu. Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $25, 612-371-5656 or ­minnesotaorchestra.org.)

Forgotten Spanish master

Composer Enrique Granados died a hundred years ago, but the anniversary has gone virtually unnoticed outside Spain, the composer's native country. Rochester Chamber Music Society puts that right, in a season-opening concert devoted to the music of Granados, including his Piano Trio and shorter works for violin, cello and piano. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Christ United Methodist Church, Rochester. Free, rochesterchambermusic.org.)

TERRY BLAIN