In January came the bad news of Daniel Barenboim’s resignation, on medical grounds, from the post of Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, with its massive administrative and managerial responsibilities. The good news was that he would continue to conduct. His program with the Berlin Philharmonic is substantial. Wagner’s lush Wesendonck Lieder serves as the centerpiece, with the glamorous Elīna Garanča as soloist. To open and close, the maestro has chosen contrasting beauties from the French school: Fauré’s atmospheric suite Pelléas et Mélisande and César Franck’s imposing Symphony in D minor, once ubiquitous, now, more’s the pity, a rarity. —Matthew Gurewitsch