Portland Symphony Features Beethoven 'Emperor'

On Tuesday, January 30, the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) welcomes guest conductor Lawrence Loh to the podium. Tuesday's program includes Barber's lyrical Essay No. 2 and the triumphant Symphony No. 5 by Prokofiev, and the acclaimed young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein will be featured soloist in Beethoven's magnificent "Emperor" Piano Concerto.

This performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30 in Merrill Auditorium. A Concert Conversation with Maestro Loh, providing insight into the compelling program, will take place at 6:15 p.m. in the Rehearsal Hall.

Currently Assistant Conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Orchestra, Lawrence Loh is described by his former colleague, Dallas Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andrew Litton, as "a brilliantly talented conductor with sparkling wit and delightful podium presence." Maestro Loh has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Fort Worth, Sioux City and Spokane, along with Binghamton Philharmonics and Yale Philharmonia, among others. He has also led performances at France's Vichy Opera House and Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as at the American music festivals of Bravo! Vail Valley, Breckenridge, Hot Springs and Las Vegas.

PSO's guest soloist for the "Emperor" Concerto is widely lauded young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein. Gerstein was First Prize winner at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv and was chosen to receive a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award. The Kansas City Star said that he "possesses outstanding technique and strong intellect, but most of all, he has. an original approach to the classics." Mr. Gerstein was chosen by Carnegie Hall to participate in the Rising Star project of the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) in 2005-2006. Through this project, he performed recitals in the major concert halls of Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Cologne, Athens, Stockholm and Birmingham, UK as well as at Carnegie Hall.

This concert is sponsored by Verrill Dana.

Tickets for PSO performances can be purchased through PortTix, 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office at 20 Myrtle St., Portland, Maine, between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tickets for the Tuesday Classical concerts are $16-$57, with discounts available for students, seniors, and groups. -- www.portlandsymphony.com