The week's five best Twin Cities classical concerts

The Palestrina Choir was formed in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1890s, with a home base at St. Mary's pro-Cathedral. Part of a Midwest tour, the choir's St. Paul date is definitely a must-see for choir lovers. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Cathedral of St. Paul, free, cathedralsaintpaul.org)

With his hyper-intelligent playing, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is a rising star in the world of classical music. For his Minnesota Orchestra debut, Ólafsson plays his countryman Haukur Tómasson's Second Piano Concerto, a work written especially for him. The program also includes a rare solo outing for the bass clarinet, with the Minnesota Orchestra's Timothy Zavadil performing the U.S. premiere of Geoffrey Gordon's "Prometheus." Also featured are Beethoven's "Prometheus" Overture and Sibelius' "Tapiola," with Osmo Vänskä conducting. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat.; Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $12-$102, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini is a superb exponent of music of the classical period. He plays Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto for a concert program that also includes Haydn's 63rd Symphony. Also featured are works by Martinů and George Walker, the first African-American composer to win a Pulitzer. (11 a.m. & 8 p.m. Fri., 8 p.m. Sat.; Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $12-$50, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

The court of Frederick the Great in 18th-century Prussia was a hotbed of musical activity. The latest program from Lyra Baroque showcases the period's composers, with Canadian violinist Marc Destrubé leading works by Christoph Graupner, Carl Heinrich Graun and Telemann. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Rochester; 7:30 p.m. Sat., Sundin Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun., St. Edward's Episcopal Church, Wayzata; $5-$25, lyrabaroque.org)

Nobel laureate Bob Dylan is notorious for reinventing his music in live performance. So he probably wouldn't mind this effort to reshape some of his best songs into a 70-minute work for choir. After premiering in Pittsburgh last year, "The Times They Are A-Changin': The Words and Music of Bob Dylan" gets its first Midwest performance by Vocal­Essence at St. Paul's vintage-chic Palace Theatre. The program features arrangements of "All Along the Watchtower," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," and "It's Alright Ma." (8 p.m. Sat., Palace Theatre, St. Paul; $16.50-$40, 1-800-514-3849 or vocalessence.org)

TERRY BLAIN