Short and Suite : Pacific Symphony to Serve Up Bite-Size Performances for 5 Summer Concerts

There are no symphonies on Pacific Symphony’s five-concert summer series at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, opening July 4.

There are two blockbuster virtuoso piano concertos--Liszt’s and Tchaikovsky’s Firsts.

There is a sweetly lyrical violin concerto by Mendelssohn.

There is one long symphonic work, which is really a collection of short works--Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.� You might call it a suite--although the composer didn’t--because a suite is a collection of short pieces. But as it is, there are five full-fledged suites programmed:

The Suite from Falla’s “Three-Cornered Hat,� the Suite from Stravinsky’s “Firebird,� the Suite from Tchaikovsky’s “The Sleeping Beauty,� Copland’s “Appalachian Spring� (all four taken from longer ballets), and Christopher Fazzi’s “Western Suite,� which probably is a concerto since it enlists guitar soloist Angel Romero.

In any case, there are two capriccios (someone must have been in a humorous mood): Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol� and Tchaikovsky’s “Capriccio Italien.�

And there are four overtures: Dvorak’s “Carnival,� Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival,� Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,� and Tchaikovsky’s “1812.�

The shortest work is Ravel’s “Bolero,� unless you want to count Sousa marches. The loudest, Tchaikovsky’s “1812,� calls for bells and cannons.

Gershwin’s wondrous “Rhapsody in Blue� also will make an appearance. You get fireworks on July 4 and again on Sept. 16.

But no symphonies.

All these are worthy works, but it’s hard to escape feeling that music is being served up in bite-size pieces for easy consumption.

“The music this summer is definitely lighter than last season’s summer concerts,� Louis G. Spisto, the orchestra’s executive director, admitted this week. “The programs were put together by the guest conductors and the music advisory team of the orchestra. They’re an alternative to what we offer during the season. We believe it’s a wonderful way to introduce people to classical music in an outdoor setting.�

Whatever the programming strategy, it seems to be working. As of Wednesday, subscriptions numbered 2,700, up 35% from last year, Spisto said. About 53%, he added, are renewals from last year, when the orchestra launched its first five-concert venture at the venue. Audiences last summer ranged from 5,500 to 9,200.

And light or not, Spisto argues, the series doesn’t lack focus. “All of our conductors are California conductors,� he said. “We thought it would be an interesting opportunity for the community to witness some of the best talent from the area.�

Guest conductors were few and far between during the 10-year tenure of the orchestra’s founding music director, Keith Clark, who vacated the post in May. But this summer, three of the four conductors will be new to the orchestra--Jorge Mester, music director of the Pasadena Symphony (conducting on July 4 and 22); Kate Tamarkin, associate conductor of the Dallas Symphony (Aug. 12) and Toshiyuki Shimada, music director of the Portland (Me.) Symphony (Sept. 16).

Tamarkin is a Laguna Beach native. Shimada studied music at Cal State Northridge.

Lucas Richman, who studied at USC, was appointed assistant conductor of the Pacific last September. He has been conducting pops concerts and will take his turn on the podium Sept. 2.

Audiences this year will notice a new stage housing at Irvine Meadows.

“When we did the Michael Jackson show (in November), we had to have a much larger scaffolding because of the amount of tonnage he hung from the roof,� said Matt Curto, director of operations at Irvine Meadows. “This new one is permanent. It’s huge.�

Curto declined to specify but said “the cost was tremendous. Well into six figures.�

Spisto said the new arrangement will “work better for us. We will be able to keep our shell there on a more permanent basis this summer . . . We will be able to save money because we will not have to incur labor costs that we had last year in the set-up and the tear-down at each concert.�

Spisto said that the budget for this year’s series is about $500,000.

Although some disgruntled listeners last year were unhappy about the Meadows’ amplification system, Spisto said that amplification again will be handled by Joseph McGee, an independent sound engineer who has been a consultant for the Hollywood Bowl.

“We were very pleased with the sound,� Spisto said. “Each concert was evaluated and refined, fine-tuned.�

Curto is enthusiastic about the orchestra’s second series. “We’re definitely looking forward to having them again,� he said. “Ticket sales are very strong. We’re anticipating 10,000 people for the Fourth. We’re very pleased to have them as part of our entire season package.�

Jorge Mester will conduct the Pacific Symphony in music by Copland, Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and others Tuesday, July 4, at 8:30 p.m. at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Pianist Patricia Jennings will be soloist, and there will be a fireworks display. Gates open at 6 p.m. for picnickers. Tickets: $10.50 to $39.50 for reserved seats, $8 for lawn seating. Information: (714) 973-1300.