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Pacific’s Ready for Millennium

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The homecoming of Metropolitan Opera soprano Deborah Voigt will be among highlights of Pacific Symphony’s 1999-2000 season, which opens and closes with major choral works at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

Voigt, who grew up in Anaheim Hills and attended Cal State Fullerton, will sing Strauss’ Four Last Songs and arias from three Verdi operas Jan. 7-8. She has not sung in Orange County since 1993, when she was Leonora in Verdi’s “Il trovatore” for Opera Pacific. In the meantime, she has conquered opera stages throughout the United State and Europe.

Music director Carl St.Clair will open the season Oct. 1-2 with Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” and close it May 24-25 with Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony.

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Composer-in-residence Richard Danielpour will write a new work, inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, to be played by the orchestra Jan. 7-8.

Two Danielpour works previously performed but new to the orchestra are slated for the season: “Toward the Splendid City” Feb. 9-10 and “First Light” May 24-25.

Guest artists will include the returning Jon Nakamatsu and Yakov Kasman, gold and silver 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition medalists, respectively; violinists Sarah Chang and Elmar Oliveira, and pianists Angela Cheng, Louis Lortie and Garrick Ohlsson.

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Guest conductors will include Fabio Mechetti, recently music director of the Syracuse Symphony and now music director of the Spokane Symphony; David Lockington, music director of the New Mexico Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony and the Long Island Philharmonic; and Dmitri Sitkovetsky, who will double as violin soloist.

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The 1999-2000 Season

* Oct. 1-2: Pacific Chorale; soloists to be announced: Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”).

* Oct. 20-21: Angela Cheng, piano: Leonard Bernstein’s “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs”; Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F and “An American in Paris”; Duke Ellington’s “The Three Black Kings.”

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* Nov. 17-18: Louis Lortie, piano: Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”; Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor; Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.

* Dec. 8-9: Fabio Mechetti, conductor; Elmar Oliveira, violin: Copland’s “El Salon Mexico”; Barber’s Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pathetique”).

* Dec. 19: Pacific Chorale; soloists to be announced: Handel’s “Messiah.”

* Jan. 7-8: Deborah Voigt, soprano: World premiere of a work by composer-in-residence Richard Danielpour; Strauss’ Four Last Songs; Arias from Verdi’s “Macbeth,” “Il trovatore” and “Ernani”; Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.”

* Feb. 9-10: Sarah Chang, violin: Brahms’ “Academic Festival” Overture; Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor; Saraste’s “Carmen” Fantasy; Danielpour’s “Toward the Splendid City”; Suite from Stravinsky’s “Firebird.”

* March 1-2: David Lockington, conductor; Garrick Ohlsson, piano: Ives’ “The Unanswered Question”; Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1; Holst’s “The Planets.”

* April 5-6: Dmitri Sitkovetsky, conductor-violin: Arvo Part’s “Fratres”; Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3; Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks” Concerto; Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

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* April 26-27: Jon Nakamatsu and Yakov Kasman, pianos: Debussy’s “Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune”; Lukas Foss’ Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.”

* May 24-25: Pacific Chorale; soloists to be announced: Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 2; Danielpour’s “First Light”; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”).

Carl St.Clair will conduct all concerts except as indicated. Series tickets (good for all concerts except Dec. 19) from $100 to $420 for 10 concerts; $50 to $240 for a five-concert series go on sale March 16. (714) 755-5799.

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