Wu Man

With Pagliacci in the books at San Diego Opera, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra returns to the Jacobs Music Center for a concert off the beaten path this coming weekend.

The first rarity of the concert is a concerto for orchestra and pipa. The pipa is a Chinese stringed instrument that has a 2,000-year musical history. The piece of music this weekend is a new concerto for pipa and orchestra by Zhao Jiping.

Pipa master Wu Man will be soloing with the orchestra. Wu Man's instrument was broken on a recent flight, but she has a new one locked and loaded for this weekend.

The other novelty on the program is Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2. This symphony is nicknamed "Hymn of Praise." It is a choral symphony with solo parts for two sopranos and tenor. The San Diego Master Chorale will be joining the orchestra for this performance.

Mendelssohn uses texts from the Bible to create his own narration. In this regard it is a bit like an oratorio, only not as long.

The concerts are Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th at 8:00 pm, with a 2:00 pm performance on Sunday the 9th at Symphony Hall.

Going back to Pagliacci briefly, it should be mentioned that the SDSO did themselves proud with their playing. The intermezzo was a warm, delicious, slice of beauty each and every time they played it.