Classical music: A Bach specialist joins the CSO
tonight-Saturday. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein is one of the most heralded interpreters of Bach on the professional circuit, and her debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is overdue and most welcome. Dinnerstein enters large with two performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major. Bach wrote his six Brandenburg works in the early 18th century, and they have emerged as the star material of the Baroque era. The fifth concerto is the longest and perhaps the most popular. Also on the program this weekend is Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony No. 4. Mark Wigglesworth conducts, with Yumi Hwang-Williams on violin and Brook Ferguson on flute. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Center. $30-$94. 303-623-7876 or . Ray Mark Rinaldi
Art: More cows and cowboys, too
through jan. 25 . The National Western Stock Show puts everyone in the mood to look at livestock in its many forms. So, here are a few themed art exhibits to catch if you are in town for the big event. Artist Duke Beardsley, among the biggest names in the Western art business, will be “in residence” at the Four Seasons (1111 14th St.; ). Stop in for a rare chance to see him work in his pop-up studio in the lobby. The always- surprising Visions West Gallery (1715 Wazee St.; ) is showing work by Theodore Waddell, the abstract cattle painter who recently wrapped up a solo show at the Denver Art Museum. And speaking of DAM, check out its retrospective of Denver painter William Matthews, who keeps alive traditions of both the West and painting, with his vivid watercolors (100 W. 14th Ave., ). Ray Mark Rinaldi
Dance: Race plays role in Cleo Parker Robinson’s “Odds”
friday. Denver’s Cleo Parker Robison Dance has consistently confronted and explored issues of race in its provocative, contemporary work over the past four decades, so it’s no surprise that founder Robinson sees a direct connection with recent events in New York and Ferguson, Mo., and the plight of people of color in the 1960s and the Jim Crow South. Her latest show, “Against All Odds,” collects pieces including Rennie Harris’ NEA-commissioned “Free?” and Gary Abbott’s “Into the Light,” as well as her own “On the Edge … Reaching for Higher Ground,” to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Civil Rights Movement in general. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. Tickets are $12-$25 and available by calling 303-987-7845 or visiting . John Wenzel
Family Fun: Draft-horse show takes stock of big-equine lovers
through sunday. Draft horses were bred for field work like plowing. But since we’ve got machines which do that sort of thing these days, these big, sturdy animals spend less time in the fields and more in the sport and recreation arenas. The 11th annual Big Thunder Draft Horse Show is a world-class competition that lets breeds like Clydesdales, Belgians, Shires and Percherons strut their stuff without breaking their backs, educating horse-lovers along the way. This year’s show includes a Draft Horse University (noon on Jan. 17), stable walk-throughs an hour before each show, and competitions in the North American Six Horse Hitch Classic Series. 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 2 p.m. Jan. 17-18. Ranch-Way Feeds Indoor Arena at the Ranch in Loveland, 5280 Arena Circle. $6-$12. 970-619-4018 or . John Wenzel
