‘A varied diet of music’

Young Chang

Just how do you measure a year? In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights

and cups of coffee? Perhaps. But local musical societies, companies and

venues mark their 525,600 minutes in seasons -- no, not “Seasons of

Love,” but performances.

The Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Society of Orange

County, the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Opera Pacific have

lined up their upcoming season shows and the forecast is clear: a bevy of

talented, and, in some cases, big-name, stars.

“Next year’s special because we have the Vienna Philharmonic and the

Berlin Philharmonic,” said Dean Corey, executive director of the

Philharmonic Society. “It’s extremely rare that those orchestras would be

in anyone’s season in the same year, with the exception of Carnegie Hall.

It probably won’t happen again -- the alignment of the planets.”

Highlights from their 2001-2002 Masterworks Series include a

production of Rameau’s “Platee,” directed by Mark Morris; composer Tan

Dun conducting a world premiere of concertos from the Academy Award

winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” as well as for the

national premiere of “The Gate: Orchestral Theatre IV,’ the national

premiere of Hal Hartley’s “SOON,” William Christie’s “Les Arts

Florissants,” and, of course, the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic

orchestras.

Subscriptions to the Society’s Masterworks Series are on sale now.

Also scheduled to perform are Russian pianist Irina Schnittke playing

her late husband Alfred Schnittke’s concerto, and Italian pianist Marino

Formenti performing pieces by composers Morton Feldman, Helmut Lachenmann

and Jean Barraque.

The Pacific Symphony Orchestra recently announced five concerts --

broken up into two series -- dedicated to Beethoven for their 2001-2002

season. The series includes three chamber music concerts in cabaret style

at Founders Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Two other

chamber orchestra concerts will be given at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in

Irvine. Tickets for this series are now available.

“I think it’s our most ambitious season,” said John Forsyte, president

of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. “We try to bring a varied diet of

music so our subscribers feel like they’ve been on a journey through the

course of a season.”

The Orchestra also announced their lineup for the 2001-2002 Hal and

Jeanette Segerstrom Family Classics Season. The highlights include

commissioned world premieres -- including Richard Danielpour’s “American

Requiem,” a Dvorjak festival, classics and pieces from the 20th century.

Season tickets are now available

Opera Pacific’s 16th season announces five highlights: the Southern

California premiere of “Dead Man Walking,” “Don Giovanni,” “Barber of

Seville,” the company’s first self-produced Russian opera, “Eugene

Onegin,” and a Verdi celebration. Season subscriptions are available.

“We’ll be the first company to follow the hugely successful premiere

of ‘Dead Man Walking’ at San Francisco Opera, the most successful new

opera in that company’s history,” said John DeMain, Opera Pacific’s

artistic director and principal conductor. “We’re also offering a

wonderfully creative production of ‘Rigoletto’ and a traditional ‘Don

Giovanni’ -- with this lineup, we have created an ideally balanced season

for our subscribers.”

The Orange County Performing Arts Center has lined up acts for its

2001-2002 Jazz Club Season, 2001-2002 Concert Series, the 2001-2002

Cabaret Season and the 2002 Voices in Song Series.

Pianist Benny Green, guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Christian

McBride, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Maria Schneider Jazz

Orchestra are among those who will jazz it up in Founders Hall.

New subscriptions will be available June 4 at the Center’s box office.

The Concert Series will include St. Martin in the Fields Chamber

Ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra with Stephen Hough, the

Angeles String Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, the American String

Quartet and the Eroica Trio.

New subscriptions will go on sale June 30 through Ticketmaster.

The Center’s Cabaret Season will feature such shows as “Forbidden

Broadway” and entertainers including Jason Graae, Davis Gaines, Rita

Moreno, James Naughton and Douglas Sills.

New subscription information will be released June 10.

The Broadway series has not yet been announced, but three productions

booked for sure are “Kiss Me Kate,” “Blast” and “Swing,” according to

Center president Jerry Mandel.

“Next year will be an absolutely outstanding season in all the areas

-- cabaret, jazz, Broadway, classical and of course our dance series,

which we’re famous for,” Mandel said.

And finally, the Center proves ahead in the scheduling game with a

lineup for their 2002 Voices in Song Series. Featured performers will

include soprano Renee Fleming and bass-baritone Samuel Ramey.

FYI

WHAT: Opera Pacific

CALL: (714) 830-6302

WHAT: Philharmonic Society

CALL: (949) 553-2422

WHAT: Pacific Symphony Orchestra

CALL: (714) 755-5788

WHAT: The Orange County Performing Arts Center

CALL: (714) 556-2122