It’s a gift-giving season and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is in on the act this weekend offering a collection of musical jewels in their red velvet Orchestra Hall box. On the program: Gustav Mahler’s Blumine, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3 and Brahms’ Piano Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 25 orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts with pianist Jeremy Denk. What is so unique about this line up is, to continue with the metaphor, these works are loosened from their traditional settings giving us the opportunity to enjoy brilliance shining from every direction possible and gain fresh perspective.

It’s “Mahler Year,” commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of the composer’s death, and orchestras around the world are marking the occasion. Chicago loves their Mahler and the CSO always delivers. Blumine was originally the second movement to Mahler’s Symphony no. 1. After being removed it was “lost” right under everyone’s noses, tucked away at the Yale University Library where it (unbeknownst to anyone) was hidden right where it originally belonged: in a Symphony no. 1 manuscript. Since its discovery it has been performed primarily as a stand-alone concert work. Slowly blossoming, the graceful sounds sharpen into focus with a lyrical trumpet solo performed beautifully by Christopher Martin (whose sound is far more worth the price of a ticket than the other Chris Martin – of Coldplay fame). Another standout was oboist Eugene Izotov. The violins seemed to have a slight foible at the conclusion with unity of sound but it wasn’t enough to be disruptive.

A woman squealed as pianist Jeremy Denk appeared on stage. It was fun and refreshing to hear such a genuine reaction. Denk, after all, has devotees who love him not only for his outstanding talents but also his virtuoso way with words as displayed on his blog and through the program notes he writes for his solo engagements. His openness about everything from the nitty-gritty of a traveling performer’s life to his interpretations of scores (complete with audio examples) encourages his audiences to transcend the idea of passively being entertained to being actively engaged. His scholarship and innate understanding of emotional nuance translates into raw opinionated energy on stage, making him a very exciting performer. What I particularly enjoyed and respected about his interpretation of the Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 3 was he seems to have an unusually clear understanding of early Beethoven from the perspective of a keen understanding the composer himself. Beethoven’s compositions are often conveniently divided into clean little categories of “early,” “middle,” and “late” that (crudely put) progress steadily from “Classical” to “Romantic.” Thus interpretations of his music generally follow that same trajectory – early works performed nice and tidy, later works performed with passionate gusto. But Beethoven was so much more complex than that. He was always erratic, nervous and passionate. It’s not that he entered his “middle” and “late” periods and suddenly became that way due to hearing loss and other personal traumas. Denk put the Beethoven back into this early Beethoven piece. It was stunningly beautiful and elegant but also was infused with a rare sense of razor-sharp wit and a feeling of unpredictability that was so right. Bravo to him for freeing this music to be what it should. This is a musician thoroughly engaged with his craft and you are doing yourself a serious disservice if you sit at home Saturday night and miss the chance to witness it.

The program concluded with Schoenberg’s arrangement of Brahms’ Piano Quartet no. 1. The orchestra sounded tremendous playing with completely focused energy. Being a fan of chamber music, and thus the original version, I was a bit skeptical about how the piece would sound orchestrated. Schoenberg’s purpose was to highlight the nuances of the string parts he felt were inevitably drowned out by the piano. Like Georgia O’Keefe and her flowers, he magnified every note so the listener would be forced to confront each sound. I still found that I would much rather listen to the original version, but Schoenberg’s mission was accomplished with me nonetheless: I do feel like I understand the music in a new and different way that will enhance the way I listen to the piano quartet in the future – a rare gift courtesy of Michael Tilson Thomas and the CSO.

Visit the CSO website for more information and to purchase tickets.