The Colorado Symphony Orchestra announced another colorfully diverse season this week, straddling pop and classical with an assured gait only they could effect.
Art Garfunkel (pictured above). Beethoven’s immortal Fifth Symphony? Sure. An Abba tribute? Right here, buddy. From renowned classical soloists to Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers, CSO’s 2007-2008 season dangles an aural carrot for every ear.
Highlights include classical heavy hitters like Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, with an Oct. 26-27 performance of Beethoven’s Fifth as arguably the brightest spot. Art Garfunkel, Robert Goulet and orchestral takes on the Dave Matthews Band, Queen and the music of Bugs Bunny also reach out to the pop-culture set.
Single tickets are on sale today. (Various prices, )
Arturo Sandoval defines Latin jazz for many. The trumpet player is so skilled he makes his melodic feats seem inevitable. The Cuban-born artist will perform songs from his Telarc debut, “Rumba Palace,” when he plays CU-Boulder’s Macky Auditorium on Sept. 20. Tickets are on sale. ($12-$52, )
Phil Lesh & Friends return to Colorado for their annual summer rite, this year splitting shows between promoters Live Nation and AEG Live Rocky Mountains. The former booked the ex-Grateful Dead bassist for a Sept. 28 set at the Fillmore, while the latter will welcome Lesh to Red Rocks on Sept. 29. Will he be able to sell enough tickets for both dates? Does a hippie camp in the woods? Both shows are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($45-$55, Ticketmaster)
Live and Collective Soul were not taken all that seriously during their ’90s heyday, paralleling grunge with pretentious yet innocuous pop-rock anthems. Still, any band that goes multiplatinum obviously hit a nerve, which ought to make the acts’ Oct. 7 co-headlining show at the Fillmore a nostalgia-fest. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($42.75, Ticketmaster)
DeVotchKa, which plays tonight at Red Rocks (see Local Scene, page 8FF) will play its first headlining show at the Fillmore Auditorium on Oct. 27. Tickets for the “Halloween Bash” are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($23-$25, Ticketmaster)
Robert Earl Keen helped lay the groundwork for the alt-country movement, his Austin-Nashville roots and sprightly style embodying the genre’s scruffy aesthetic. Tickets for his Sept. 29 Ogden Theatre show are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($25, Ticketmaster)
