The New York Philharmonic returns for its annual free parks concerts this week, with tonight’s appearance in Prospect Park featuring Ludovic Morlot conducting a Berlioz overture, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (with Stefan Jackiw), and Tchiakovsky’s 6th Symphony. Which wouldn’t be strange, except for the fact that there will be fireworks immediately following the "Pathetique’s" decidedly morose ending. Hey, it’s still a party, right?
Later this week, Brooklyn’s own Philharmonic will be performing two outdoor shows: a Friday concert at Brooklyn Bridge Park featuring Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" (with violinist Lara St. John) and Astor Piazzola’s tango-tinged "Four Seasons of Buenos Aires," and an all-American concert at Celebrate Brooklyn on Saturday, featuring the NY premiere of Mark O’Connor’s "For The Heroes," a double concerto for violin and cello, with O’Connor being joined by the exciting young cellist Maya Beiser. Both are free.