Daniil Trifonov

September 27 and 28 at the Orpheum

Celebrated young Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov will put his fingers to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff in a performance of the master’s roilingly dark Isle of the Dead with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The superstar was named Gramophone’s 2016 artist of the year, and he’s receiving raves around the world; the Guardian has called him “one of the finest pianists in the world today”.

Vetta String Quartet

September 26 and 27 at West Point Grey United Church

The String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor was one of the first quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, and it’s an eccentric, sometimes manic little masterpiece. The Vetta String Quartet kicks off its season with a rendition of the work, with Maria Larionoff and Joan Blackman on violins, David Harding on viola, and Eugene Osadchy on cello. Just for fun, they’ve added Dmitri Shostakovich’s first quartet (No. 1 in C Major) to the program, as well as Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s last one (No. 3 in B Minor).