editor: burk

When it comes to the best, how do you choose among Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, András Schiff and Joshua Bell? They’re all equally awesome, and each will be appearing on this week’s L.A. Philharmonic roster. Ax, who’s “On Location” for three weeks, is famed for the brilliance and ebullience of his pianistics; this week he performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 with the orchestra and — the big treat — an all-Beethoven duo recital with his jovial cello counterpart, Yo-Yo Ma. Then there’s the dazzling Mr. Schiff, whose delicate keyboard touch, technical wizardry and otherworldly tone raise goose bumps, performing a daunting all-Mozart program that includes three sonatas, two rondos, the Variations in G major (K. 455) and the D-minor Fantasie. The week concludes with violin fireworks, as the vibrant Joshua Bell undertakes the great Mendelssohn Octet with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society, and, the following night, the gorgeous Brahms D major, a.k.a. the Violin Concerto You Never Get Sick Of. At Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; various dates & prices (see listings). (323) 850-2000, www.laphil.com.

—Mary Beth Crain

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