Three things to know ...

One of today's most prolific pianists, Marc-André Hamelin has recorded more than 70 albums spanning four centuries of music. Beethoven composed much of his "Emperor" Concerto for piano and orchestra in Vienna while war raged outside his doorstep. In his "Enigma" Variations, Edward Elgar offers tender musical portraits of friends and loved ones.

Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin — whose "demon speed" (Boston Symphony) and "near-superhuman technical prowess" (New York Times) have earned him seven JUNO Awards — returns to the NAC Orchestra for what will undoubtedly be a powerhouse performance of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto. Written while the composer's hearing loss grew worse and the Napoleonic Wars raged outside his door in Vienna, Beethoven's commanding work for solo piano and orchestra speaks to the strength of the human spirit in times of darkness and despair.

How does a composer depict their loved ones in music? Find out as you experience Edward Elgar's "Enigma" Variations — music of tenderness, humor, and devotion in which the composer weaves together 14 musical portraits of friends and family (and one scrappy English bulldog).

And Ukrainian composer Victoria Polevá's Third Symphony, "White Interment," draws upon themes of spirituality, nature, and isolation to create a haunting musical landscape evoking thick blankets of deep mid-winter snow.