Newly appointed Music Director Designate Paolo Bortolameolli opens the 2026-27 season and a new era in the Phoenix Symphony’s history with Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, a triumph of power, lyricism and irony. Premiered war-torn Soviet Union in 1945 with victory over Nazi Germany within reach, Prokofiev’s popular symphony is famous for its sweeping melodies, rhythmic drive and rich orchestration. The curtain rises with Mikhail Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla, a dazzling opening to the new season. Featured prominently in the 1996 film “Shine,” Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is one of the most technically challenging works in the repertoire. Russian pianist Olga Kern, Gold Medalist of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, who performed all of Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos in 2012 for the Phoenix Symphony’s Rachmaninoff Festival, is soloist in the concerto that’s respected and even feared by pianists.