Folk revival

Early-20th-century England was a period of fervent interest in folk song. Enthusiasts hoped to stop it from being swamped by urban expansion and the Industrial Revolution, with composer Ralph Vaughan Williams collecting songs directly from singers. Soprano Maria Jette revisits several of Williams' song settings with her fascinating "Bushes and Briars" recital. The program also features music by Englishmen Gustav Holst and Ernest John Moeran as well as Irishman Herbert Hughes, with a guest appearance by St. Paul violinist Vivian Murphy in Vaughan Williams' ethereal "The Lark Ascending." (7:30 p.m. Sat., St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Mpls.; $10, ourcathedral.org)

Best of baroque

For its final concert of the season, Lyra Baroque presents the rare opportunity to hear all six of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos on a single evening. Violinist Marc Destrubé leads the music-making. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Rochester; 7:30 p.m. Sat., Sundin Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $10-$25, lyrabaroque.org)

Scarlatti surprises

Italian baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 keyboard sonatas that are relatively short and simple in structure, but they are endlessly inventive rhythmically and full of chirpy tune-making. These days, French pianist Alexandre Tharaud is one of Scarlatti's finest exponents. He'll launch his Schubert Club recital with seven Scarlatti sonatas that are sure to set the pulses racing. Rachmaninov's "Morceaux de Fantaisie" and Ravel's "Miroirs" round out the concert. Tharaud also plays his own transcription of the beautiful Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony. (7:30 p.m. Thu., 10:30 a.m. Fri.; Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $28-$67, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

Maureen Nelson solos on Dvořák with the SPCO.

Enter the strings

A few years ago, string parts were discovered for composer Randall Thompson's Requiem, a work originally for a cappella choir. Now the Oratorio Society of Minnesota stages the world premiere of this accompanied version. (8 p.m. Fri., Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls.; $15-$35, oratorio.org)

Mendelssohn and more

Mendelssohn's zippy Italian Symphony is the main event on this St. Paul Chamber Orchestra program, but William Walton's String Quartet in A Minor — in a version for the orchestra's full string section — is sure to entice. Also: Newly appointed SPCO violinist Maureen Nelson solos in Dvořák's Romance in F Minor. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley; 7:30 p.m. Thu., Temple Israel, Mpls.; 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $13-$53, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

TERRY BLAIN