There's sexting, and then there's sextetting, which might have been the 19th-century equivalent of today's activity — at least in the case of Johannes Brahms, who, they say, wrote his Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36, as a secret goodbye love letter to the woman of his infatuations, singer Agathe von Siebold. It's such a deeply romantic composition that Fraulein Agathe must have been one heck of a gal. But alas, she dumped poor Brahms, who worked out his grief by writing the sextet, dedicating it to her and then proclaiming, “Here I have freed myself from my last love.” How music tells a story is the subject of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's Westside Connections concerts, and this week, in Music and Story, award-winning novelist Jane Hamilton (The Book of Ruth) offers commentary on an intriguing program that features the sextet and Osvaldo Golijov's mysterious and richly layered Tenebrae, a work the composer describes as an evocation of “two contrasting realities”: the horror of war and the beauty of the Earth as a cosmic entity. Performers include LACO artists and guest soprano Stacey Tappan. Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Thurs., March 7, 7:30 p.m.; $50. (213) 622-7001, laco.org.

Thu., March 7, 7:30 p.m., 2013

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.