The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) 99th season continues in Overture Hall in November with “Momentum” as audience and orchestra favorite Garrick Ohlsson returns for his much anticipated eighth appearance. Guest conductor Michael Stern, hailed as “a dynamic force on the podium, conducting with exaggerated gestures and forceful mannerisms” by the Atlanta Journal, makes his MSO debut. Stern begins the program with Jonathan Leshnoff’s Rush for Orchestra, a driving and exciting work that builds a tremendous amount of energy throughout. Then, with sublime mastery, Ohlsson performs Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, a romantic masterpiece infused with the spirit of his Norwegian homeland. The concert is brought to a close with Dmitri Shostakovich’s powerful Symphony No. 5, which he humbly described as “the practical answer of a Soviet artist to justified criticism” in a subtle and bitter reaction to the Russia of Joseph Stalin.  

“Momentum” performances will take place on Friday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 17 at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.