Carnegie Hall outings are multiplying for the major Twin Cities orchestras, but that doesn't mean they're becoming routine: There remains something special about the hall that Isaac Stern, who saved it from the wrecking ball, called "our country's affirmation of the human spirit." In mid-May, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, sans conductor, heads back to Carnegie with music of Haydn, Stravinsky, Bartok and Maria Schneider, but this week you can preview the Haydn (Symphony No. 104) and Stravinsky (Concerto in D) without leaving Minnesota. George Enescu's wonderful Dixtuor fattens the program.

  • 7:30 p.m. Thu. at Temple Israel, 2324 Emerson Av. S., Mpls. 8 p.m. Fri. at Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 4th St. S., Mpls. $10-$25. 651-291-1144 or www.thespco.org