Behzad Ranjbaran Seven Passages for Orchestra from Persian Trilogy Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Stravinsky Petrushka (1947 version) TIANYI LU CONDUCTOR ZEE ZEE PIANO We spin yarns from the heroic to the tragic, as dragons, sorceresses, a White Demon and a grotesque puppet take their turn as protagonist in this concert. Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran’s Persian Trilogy is inspired by the stories of the Persian epic poem the Shahnameh and the Seven Passages for Orchestra reflect seven epic trials of the poem’s hero, Rostam. Pianist Zhang Zuo will be our guide through the expansive moods and dazzling technical requirements of Rachmaninoff’s spectacular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and we end the evening in St. Petersburg to follow the tale of Petrushka, the unhappy marionette in love with a ballerina.