Irish Chamber Orchestra
Beloved flutist James Galway and conductor JoAnn Falletta join the Irish Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1963, on a tour of the U.S. that makes a stop in Orange County. Galway steps to the fore with Mozart’s Flute Concerto, K. 314, and Philip Hammond’s “Carolan Variations” (in which he is joined by his wife, flutist Jeanne Galway). Falletta and the orchestra offer performances of Harty’s tone poem “In Ireland” and Mozart’s Olympian “Jupiter” Symphony as bookends. 8 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $35-$250. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. 949-553-2422 or philharmonicsociety.org
Frederica von Stade
Legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, 68 and now mostly retired from the operatic stage, stops by Cal State Fullerton to perform a recital of songs and arias, both old and new. American composers, including Ned Rorem, Jake Heggie, Virgil Thomson, William Bolcom and Steven Sondheim, are well represented in her program. She’ll also offer tunes by Puccini, Ravel, Poulenc and others. 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20-$25. Meng Concert Hall, Cal State Fullerton. 657-278-3371 or fullerton.edu/arts
Pacifica/Hamelin
The Pacifica Quartet and pianist Marc-André Hamelin join forces to open Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ chamber music season. Their program promises the rare opportunity to hear American avant-garde composer Leo Ornstein’s Piano Quintet from 1927. Also on the agenda: Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7 (a Pacifica specialty) and Dvorák’s masterful and folksy Piano Quintet. 8 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $29-$69. Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts. 714-556-2787 or scfta.org
Long Beach Symphony
After a quirky opener, Enrique Arturo Diemecke and the Long Beach Symphony continue their season with a two-part meat-and-potatoes program. Longtime concertmaster Roger Wilkie steps into the spotlight to open the concert with Sibelius’ majestic Violin Concerto; Diemecke closes it with the pained strains of Tchaikovsky’s swan song, the Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique.” 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20-$85. Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center. 562-436-3636 or lbso.org
‘Falstaff’
As part of the well celebrated 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth, Los Angeles Opera revives “Falstaff,” the composer’s final operatic work and a comic masterpiece. The cast includes Italian baritone Roberto Frontali in the title role, Carmen Giannattasio as Alice Ford, Marco Caria as Ford and Juan Francesco Gatell as Fenton. James Conlon conducts the production, which is new to the company. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Also, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Nov. 16 and 21; 2 p.m. Nov. 24 and Dec. 1. (The company also presents a concert version at Segerstrom Concert Hall on Nov. 26.) Tickets are $21-$311. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 213-972-8001 or laopera.org
classical life 