1. Gustavo Dudamel
November 29 and 30 and December 1 and 4 at Avery Fisher Hall
The vibrant Venezuelan just made a splash at Carnegie, but this is the real test: his New York Philharmonic debut, with an appropriately vivacious program ranging from Chávez to Prokofiev.
2. Valery Gergiev
December 1, 2, and 4 at Carnegie Hall
Perhaps Russia’s greatest advocate for the continued vigor of classical music (and the Mariinsky Theatre), Gergiev led the Kirov Opera in an epic Ring Cycle at the Met this summer. Here, he’ll open a “Perspectives” series of works he’s chosen, many by the Russian masters.