Best of the Week: Patricia Kopatchinskaja, 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' Bon Jovi, more
Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra won a Grammy this year for their "Death and the Maiden" recording, featuring movements from Schubert's string quartet alongside other dark works. Now the artists reunite for an equally innovative project called "Fragments," slotting pieces by Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag between the movements of Mozart's masterful Symphony No. 40 in G minor.
TERRY BLAIN
7:30 p.m. Thu., Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater; 8 p.m. Fri., Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie; 2 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; 7:30 p.m. May 1, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley; 8 p.m. May 2, Carleton College, Northfield; 8 p.m. May 4 & 5, Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $11-$50, thespco.org
Katie Crutchfield of the elegant but stormy Birmingham, Ala., band Waxahatchee and Alynda Segarra of the rootsy but edgy New Orleans ensemble Hurray for the Riff Raff make a perfect if not obvious pair for a co-headlining tour. Each of the visionary songwriters delivers imaginative, poetic yet topical and sometimes radical tunes. Each put out one of last year's best rock albums. And each has also already delivered excellent live shows locally.
Chris Riemenschneider
8 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, Mpls., $18-$20, First-Avenue.com
Playwright Todd Kreidler has added depth and wit to this take on the 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Director Timothy Bond's must-see Guthrie production features sublime performances by the likes of Sally Wingert, David Manis and JaBen Early. But when was the last time you saw a play, not a musical, with not one but two showstoppers? Harmonies from Regina Marie Williams and Greta Oglesby hover like angels.
Rohan Preston
7:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat.; 7 p.m. Sun. Thru May 27. Guthrie Theater, Mpls. $29-$77, guthrietheater.org
A mere two weeks after Howard Stern inducted Bon Jovi into the Rock Hall of Fame with — what else? — a bunch of penis jokes, the Jersey boys will return to St. Paul to prove that 100 million fans can't be wrong. "Don't bore us, get to the chorus," Stern said of the motto of Jon Bon Jovi, who responded with a long, boring acceptance speech. "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive" or even the new "When We Were Us" won't bore anyone at the X.
Jon Bream
7:30 p.m. Sat. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, tickets start at $29.50-$149.50, ticketmaster.com
When you see Lisa Fischer with Grand Baton, you'd never guess that she was a backup singer for the Rolling Stones for 25 years. Gone are the glamazon wigs, high heels and "Gimme Shelter" screams. Instead she has an Earth-mother persona as she weaves organic, mystical interpretations of songs by Led Zeppelin, Luther Vandross, the Stones and others. She also dusts off her own 1991 hit, "How Can I Ease the Pain," in a way that hits you where your heart aches.
Jon Bream
7 and 9 p.m. Sat.-next Sun. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls., $40-$60, dakotacooks.com
Ragamala Dance Company has wowed Twin Cities audiences for 25 years with its contemporary takes on the Indian tradition known as Bharatanatyam. Dancer Ashwini Ramaswamy joins Ragamala's mother-daughter leadership (aka her family) for this immersive new show celebrating the company's silver anniversary. "Body, the Shrine" draws from 12th-century Hindu poetry and features a live music ensemble from South India.
Sheila Regan
7:30 p.m. Thu. and Fri., 6:30 p.m. Sat., Cowles Center, Mpls., $25-$75, thecowlescenter.org
Enduring pop surrealist Robyn Hitchcock, a Brit living in Nashville, walks the line between twang and psychedelia on his 2017 eponymous album, his 22nd studio effort. Assisted by producer Brendan Benson, Hitchcock goes for pop jingle-jangle on "Mad Shelley's Letterbox" and for unabashed honky-tonk on "I Pray When I'm Drunk." Most intriguing is "Raymond and the Wires," a veddy British remembrance of his late father, who was a writer and cartoonist.
Jon Bream
8 p.m. Wed.-Thu. Turf Club, St. Paul, $20, etix.com
Designated to be a Tree City USA, Eden Prairie invites folks to lace up some comfortable shoes for its annual Arbor Day Walk. Take a stroll through Staring Lake Park to search for signs of spring. Then stop and chat with a variety of experts on tree health. Activity stations are designed to educate attendees about reducing their carbon footprints. The first 150 guests will receive free seedlings to plant … after all that snow melts, of course.
MELISSA WALKER
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat, free. Staring Lake Park, Eden Prairie, Edenprairie.org
Fans of Joshua Bell will relish this opportunity to hear the superstar violinist play two relative rarities: Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 and Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" (or "Gypsy Airs"). This one-off Minnesota Orchestra program also includes Sibelius' "En Saga" and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Osmo Vänskä conducts.
Terry Blain
7:30 p.m. Mon., Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $50-$130, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org
about the writer
Massive burritos, brothless ramen, cake muffin and a cup of Dayton’s nostalgia.