Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal flute Alexander Lipay is taking the spotlight when the orchestra puts a little Latin sizzle into its Masterworks series.
Lipay will solo on 20th-century French composer Jacques Ibert's Flute Concerto, a difficult and virtuosic cornerstone of the flute repertoire, in a program that traverses Latin America, with stops in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
The concert opens with Frenchman Debussy's "Suite bergamasque," best known for its signature third movement, “Clair de lune," before the attention turns to Lipay.
The flutist, now in his 20th year with the orchestra, is playing a work that straddles the neo-classical and avant-garde styles. It's a breathless, aerobic workout requiring at points extremely fast and precise fingerings and rapid sixteenth notes that conjure up tricky jazzy rhythms.
The first movement is considered difficult; the third is notoriously more difficult. And in between, we'll see Lipay test that endurance and virtuosity with delicate, soulful passages that will bring out that singular voice we have come to recognize and treasure all these years.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Alexander “Sasha” Lipay will perform Jacques Ibert's Flute Concerto as part of the orchestra's "Latin Classics" concert this weekend.
In her Tucson debut, Argentina-born conductor Fernanda Lastra, a champion of Latin American composers and of preserving and promoting Argentina's rich cultural history, will lead the orchestra in Argentinian Piazzolla's "Tres Movimientos Tanguisticos Porteños"; Brazilian Clarice Assad's "Sin Fronteras"; and Mexican Silvestre Revueltas' "Janitzio."
The orchestra will perform the concert at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E. Sunrise Drive. Tickets are $51.85–$94.65 through tucsonsymphony.org.
Jamie Barton returns to Tucson Desert Song Festival
Every five years.
That's about how long we have to wait to see the esteemed mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton on the roster for Tucson Desert Song Festival.
She was here in 2016, back again in 2021 and, like clockwork, returns again, five years later, for the 2026 festival.
This time, she joins pianist Kathleen Kelly for a recital on Thursday, March 5, presented by Arizona Opera; details of Barton's program were not available.
Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is performing a recital with Arizona Opera on Thursday, March 5, as part of the 2026 Tucson Desert Song Festival.
The last time we saw Barton on a Tucson stage in May 2021, she joined composer Jake Heggie for the world premiere of "What I Miss the Most," a song cycle commissioned by the Tucson festival.
Thursday's concert begins at 7 p.m. at Holsclaw Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road on the University of Arizona campus. Tickets are $50 through azopera.org.
The top stories from the Arizona Daily Star’s Caliente section for this week.
