Philadelphia Orchestra spending summer at Mann & Kimmel

The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform four weeks of concerts in their summer outing at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, one less than last year. But a full weekend of Kimmel Center programs, celebrating "Absolutely Mozart," have been added as prelude to the Mann season.

The three Mozart concerts, with guest violinist Pamela Frank acting as the weekend's artistic director, will be from June 27-29. Conductor Peter Oundjian makes his debut with the orchestra.

The PNC Concert Series at the Mann begins on July 1 with an opening night, featuring beloved violinist Itzhak Perlman. He'll perform the Bruch First Violin Concerto, with Andrew Litton also leading Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony. JoAnn Falletta's very impressive podium work last season earned her two programs this year, on July 3 and 5. The first is an American program, with pianist Christopher O'Riley playing Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" and the "I Got Rhythm" Variations, and the second features cellist Han-Na Chang in the Saint-Saens First Concerto, Respighi's neglected "Botticelli Triptych" and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."

Carlos Kalmar conducts July 9 (the annual Tchaikovsky spectacular with the "War of 1812" and fireworks), July 10 (an evening of operatic arias with soprano Alessandra Marc and baritone Guido Paevatelu) and July 11 (Tzimon Barto soloing in the mighty Rachmaninoff Third Concerto).

"Bugs Bunny On Broadway," the hugely popular program with conductor George Daugherty and projected Warner Bros. classic cartoons, returns on July 16, followed by two concerts led by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos.

July 17 brings an all-Beethoven concert, with the "Eroica" Symphony and the Fourth Piano Concerto (Alon Goldstein is the pianist) and July 18 is a Latin spectacular, including Bizet's "Carmen" preludes, Ravel's "Bolero" and Lalo's "Symphonie espagnole" with violinist Elmar Oliveira.

The July 24 concert celebrates the centenary of the great songsmith Richard Rodgers, with classics sung by soprano Maureen O'Flynn and tenor Jerry Hadley and conducted by Broadway great Paul Gemignani. Emmanuel Krivine leads the July 23 and 25 programs, with the first French program and the season finale, featuring Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and Beethoven's "Triple" Concerto with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio.

Subscription tickets, beginning with four-concert packages starting at $52, are available through 215-893-1955. Individual tickets, $15-$75, will be available in mid-May at 215-893-1999 or at the Kimmel Center or Mann box offices.

The first "Absolutely Mozart" concert on June begins with the Symphony No. 1 (written at age 8), plus Frank both soloing in the Second Violin Concerto and collaborating with principal violist Roberto Diaz in the Sinfonia Concertante.

Frank also plays the Fifth Violin Concerto on Friday, June 28, with the Symphony No. 38 ("Prague"), and the final concert includes the Piano Concerto No. 9 with Anton Kuerti as soloist and wraps with the final Symphony No. 41, the "Jupiter."

Regular orchestra ticket prices will apply for these three concerts, which go on sale today.

A free, 4 p.m. concert on Saturday, June 29, with invited area string players, will feature a play-along to Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" in Commonwealth Plaza. *