The frontman of his self-named band, rock artist and producer Ben Folds continues to work with some of the most eclectic names in music and entertainment (remember his Common People cover that featured William Shatner and Bill Clinton?), as well as pushing the envelope on alt-rock ever further. A self-confessed enigma, he prefers to stay out of the limelight except when touring, but can easily claim credit for some of music's most unlikely trends.

Three-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and New Orleans native Branford Marsalis has jazz running through his veins. The sons of a jazz singer and music professor, Marsalis and his brothers have risen to the upper echelons of modern jazz due to their virtuosic playing and technique. In an astounding four decade career, the living legend has performed and recorded with the likes of Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock.

Conducted by Czech maestro Jakub Hrusa, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra scale the epic heights of Mahler's sweeping Ninth Symphony. Whilst it was the last of the symphonies Mahler was able to create before his death in 1911, it is by no means the least and often presents a huge challenge to those who perform it thanks to its truly enormous scope.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra tackle Franz Schubert's grand Symphony No. 9 in C Major under the watchful eye of music director Riccardo Muti, in one of his final CSO performances. Created in a fit of zeal three years before his untimely death at the age of just 31, Schubert's Ninth is known as the "Great" symphony and it has, since the late 19th century, been hailed as just that. Marvellous and full of flourish (and the odd cheeky allusion to the gigantic influence of Beethoven) it is the composer's most fresh and perennial reminder of his wit, ability, and artistry.

In the final month of his tenure as Chicago Symphony Orchestra's music director, Riccardo Muti conducts CSO through Ludwig Van Beethoven's emotional Missa Solemnis in D Major Op. 123. One of the most thought-provoking mass settings which challenges its listeners, it is an intense contemplation of both belief and uncertainty, encompassing moments of euphoria and distress, sublime elegance and drama.