Italian Conductor Makes Dallas Symphony Debut

Italian conductor Nicola Luisotti makes his Dallas debut with a tour de force program featuring heartrending music and a spectacular light show. The evening will begin with Tchaikovsky's Fantasia Francesca da Rimini, based upon the fifth canto from Dante's Inferno, in which lovers Francesca and Paolo are brought together only to be torn apart by a vicious storm.

The Dallas Symphony's own Gary Levinson will take center stage in Glazunov's popular Violin Concerto, a melodious work with an extended cadenza and virtuosic finale. Verdi's fiery Overture to La forza del destino gives way to the gem of the evening: Respighi's Pines of Rome, the composer's masterpiece, with a stunning accompanying light show.

The concert will take place from March 1 to March 4 and will include Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Glazunov: Violin Concerto, Verdi: Overture to La forza del destino, Respighi: Pines of Rome. Tickets range from $15 to $100. -- www.dallassymphony.com