The BPO celebrates the beginning of their new season with tonight's Opening Night Gala with Itzhak Perlman. The new season is a showcase of sparkling variety and tuneful allure. The fun begins with two lavish masterworks from the Italian panorama: Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture is a zesty snapshot of the Renaissance followed by Respighi's Roman Festivals, a stunning tribute to the Age of Caesar. And for lyrical grace and virtuoso verve, guest soloist Itzhak Perlman will tune up his treasured Stradivarious to render Bruch's revered Violin Concerto in G minor, a work of poetic reverie and spectacular flair.

Absolut Russian is a fair logo for this program of Romantic masterworks. Under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, the concert begins with Prokofiev's heart-felt Overture on Hebrew Themes, cast on an Eastern European canvas with a luster of rich sonic hues. Russian-born Roman Mekinulov, principal cellist of the BPO, is the featured soloist in Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, a splendid homage to the witty French style of the 1700s. Leaping ahead to the late 19th century, the BPO will perform Tchaikovsky's great "Pathetique,” Symphony No.6, a work of surpassing beauty and tenderness.

Conducted by maestro JoAnn Falletta, the BPO offers a program of musical contrasts, beginning with Rossini's ever-playful and teasing Barber of Seville Overture. Concert master Michael Ludwig is featured in Corigliano's dashing Violin Concerto, based on his alluring film score for The Red Violin. Ever bright and light, Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 is replete with melodic and poetic jewels, with swaggering tempos and rhythms over a melodic mosaic, light and uplifting.

Great tunes and piquant harmonies are stage front and center on this zesty BPO concert directed by JoAnn Falletta. The curtain rises with two offerings by Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnányi. The first, Symphonic Minutes, is a charming set of punchy and poignant miniatures, followed by Dohnányi's Suite in F minor, a classical collage with variations, a scherzo and jovial rondo. After intermission, the Orchestra will be joined by Italian piano virtuoso Enrica Ciccarelli in a soulful performance of Grieg's resounding Piano Concerto in A minor, a work that paints a picture of Norwegian beauty.