Skylark reboots with 'Carmen'

The year 2016 was a blank one for Skylark Opera Theatre, as the company restructured and considered its long-term future. The reboot is now complete, and Skylark relaunches with "The Tragedy of Carmen," a searing adaptation of Bizet's opera first staged in 1981 by famed theater director Peter Brook. Much of Bizet's music is retained in Brook's adaptation, including all the murderous sexual passion. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat, 2 p.m. Sun.; Midpointe Event Center, St. Paul; $24-$29, 612-343-3390 or skylarkopera.org)

Like a Viennese salon

Franz Schubert as party animal? The idea sounds ridiculous, but the truth is that the composer enjoyed nothing more than socializing with his Viennese coterie, singing his own songs at the piano and quaffing alcohol until the wee hours. The spirit of these "Schubertiaden" will be resurrected with the latest installment of the MacPhail Spotlight Series. A performance of Schubert's great Octet is the centerpiece, with actor Ryan Lear reading excerpts from Schubert's letters and diaries, plus a selection of Schubert's songs by vocalist Victoria Vargas. (8 p.m. Sat., Antonello Hall, MacPhail Center for Music, Mpls.; $15-$25, 612-767-5250 or macphail.org)

More Venetian treats

In a career spanning half a century, Catalan gamba player Jordi Savall has gradually become a legend of the early-music movement. Savall and his Hespèrion XXI ensemble open this year's Casa de España International Spanish Music Festival with a program of Venetian music from the 16th and 17th centuries. (7 p.m. Wed., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $26-$57, 651-224-4222 or ordway.org)

International piano star

In two previous appearances at the Frederic Chopin Society, English pianist Benjamin Grosvenor was still a teenage prodigy of immense promise. Now 24, he returns as a conquering virtuoso of the international piano circuit. His wide-ranging program features music by Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, Scriabin, Granados and Liszt. (3 p.m. Sun., Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College, St. Paul; $15-$25, 612-822-0123 or chopinsocietymn.org)

'Carnival of the Animals'

The Chamber Music Society of Minnesota offers fun for the whole family with its performance of Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals." This lighthearted piece is performed in tandem with the premiere of "Lake Stone Moon," a new work inspired by the Boundary Waters by Twin Cities composer Steve Heitzeg. (4 p.m. Sun., Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $15-$25, 651-450-0527 or chambermusicmn.org)

TERRY BLAIN