2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Beethoven, a composer who upset conventions and exploded the realm of musical expression. This week, guest conductor James Gaffigan leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in an exuberant piece at the cusp of the Romantic era: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.

Also on the program, ASO Principal Oboe Elizabeth Koch Tiscione journeys into the soulful sounds of English folksong in the 1944 Oboe Concerto by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Bringing the mashup of popular and classical music into the present, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays Jessie Montgomery’s stylishly energetic Starburst.

Thursday evening includes a pre-concert chamber music recital at 6:45 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall. Free for all ticket holders of the Jan. 23 and 25, 2020 concerts. [text from Atlanta Symphony Website]