Haydn starter

Haydn wrote so many symphonies — more than 100 — that it's difficult to know where to begin. No. 102 is a fine option. One of the masterpieces of Haydn's late period, it brims with wit, verve and geniality and serves as the capstone to this St. Paul Chamber Orchestra program. Also featured are Mozart and Schreker, plus the SPCO's new principal clarinetist Sang Yoon Kim playing Weber's Rondo for Clarinet and Strings. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater; 8 p.m. Fri., Wayzata Community Church; 8 p.m. Sat., St. Paul's United Church of Christ; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley; 11 a.m. & 8 p.m. Sept. 28, Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sept. 30, Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls. $11-$50; 651-291-1144, thespco.org)

Another great Cantus collaboration

The eight men of Cantus join the nine women of Boston's elite Lorelei ensemble. If previous Cantus collaborations with Chanticleer and Sweet Honey in the Rock are any indication, an evening of high-quality music is in the offing. The two groups sing separately and together, with music by Chesnokov, Whitacre and Duckworth. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul. $30-$55; 651-224-4222, cantussings.org)

Superstar pianist

Brahms' tongue was firmly in his cheek when he called his Second Piano Concerto "tiny." While more relaxed and genial than the intense First Concerto, it's still one of the most technically demanding pieces in the repertoire. Long a master of the piece, pianist Emanuel Ax opens the Minnesota Orchestra's new season with his seasoned interpretation. Also on the program are Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1" and Copland's "Appalachian Spring," with music director Osmo Vänskä on the podium. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $30-$107; 612-371-5656, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Miró Quartet returns

The Schubert Club opens its 2018-19 Music in the Park series with a return visit by the Texas-based Miró Quartet, one of the finest chamber ensembles on the international circuit. Quartets by Schumann and Mendelssohn frame a program featuring Kevin Puts' "Credo," commissioned by the Miró Quartet more than a decade ago. (4 p.m. Sun., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, St. Paul. $21-$31; 651-292-3268, schubert.org)

Wagner loves Beethoven

The latest concert in the St. Paul-based Artaria String Quartet's Basically Beethoven series focuses on the composer's late, great Op. 131 quartet, with an opening movement so admired by Wagner. Also featured is Ravel's elegant, mercurial String Quartet, a fascinating counterpoint to Beethoven's philosophical profundities. (7:30 p.m. Mon., MacPhail Center for Music, Mpls. $15-$20; artariaquartet.com)

TERRY BLAIN