While touring America on a massive publicity blitz in 1928, lucky bastard Maurice Ravel got to check out the raging jazz clubs of Harlem, accompanied by none other than George fucking Gershwin. This epic night on the town unsurprisingly seared itself into the Frenchman’s musical soul, soon blossoming into the syncopated rhythms, wailing winds, and mad energy of the piano concerto he composed the following year. Fast forward to tonight (and Monday), when Israeli-born Inon Barnatan teams up with our Oregon Symphony to bring Ravel’s heart-thumping showstopper to life. Barnatan may only be in his early 30s, but he’s been performing with orchestras the world over for more than 20 years. Simply put, this red-hot piano god’s upcoming gig with Rip City’s biggest band offers a chance to catch a level of frenetic intricacy and raw, unplugged power impossible to find anywhere else. As a bonus, the Steinway rollout will be flanked by Shakespearean homage: The program kicks off with a trio of Macbeth dances from Giuseppe Verdi and concludes with a batch of Romeo and Juliet orchestral scenes from the always colorful Hector Berlioz. His star-crossed finale will likely have the Schnitzer crowd wetting its collective codpiece. The way I see it, gentle reader, you have three choices: get tickets, drink poison, or go stab yourself. ANGRY SYMPHONY GUY