It's still warm outside and will be for a few more weeks, but it's never too early to move inside for some premium entertainment -- especially when "inside" refers to Powell Symphony Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard; 314-534-1700 or www.stlsymphony.org), the venue for the Saint Louis Symphony's opening weekend of the 2014-15 season. Maestro David Robertson leads his (our) orchestra through the paces with a program of nicely varied offerings: Brahms' evergreen Piano Concerto No. 1; Nielsen's Symphony No. 4; and Ralph Vaughan Williams' exquisite The Lark Ascending. The juxtaposition of Vaughan Williams' pastoral Lark with Nielsen's often violent and jarring symphony (it was composed during World War I) is a particularly inspired pairing; the two pieces, with their wildly differing sonic approaches, will contrast with and complement each other as naturally and inevitably as do yin and yang. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (September 12 and 13). Tickets are $30 to $80.
Fri., Sept. 12, 8 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 13, 8 p.m., 2014
