Vizzutti will team with Maestro Gustav Meier and the Greater Bridgeport Symphony at the 8 p.m. concert at The Klein auditorium as part of the celebration honoring Meier's 35th anniversary at the helm of the nonprofit orchestra.
A highlight of the event will be the world premiere of Vizzutti's recently completed Concerto "Mexicana." In addition, the musician will be featured on Koff-Mndez' "La Virgen de la Macarena" and on his own arrangement of the theme from Rodrigo's most famous and popular work, "Concierto de Aranjuez." "I'll always be grateful to Gustav and the orchestra for giving me my start," Vizzutti, 54, said in a recent telephone interview from his home-studio.
"So it's always great to be in Bridgeport and performing with a symphony orchestra is my favorite" musical endeavor. "This must sound really warm and fuzzy, but as they say, 'the truth reads well,' " said the musician, laughing. The orchestra will be featured in Richard Strauss' tone poem "Don Juan," about the legendary seducer; and in two pieces exploring passionate Spanish Gypsies, Bizet's "Carmen" Suite and Ravel's "Alborada
" Also of special note will be the orchestral debut of Dr. Octavio Choy, of Fairfield, president of the GBS' board of trustees, who will conduct a short "surprise" piece; he won the honor last May at the orchestra's benefit auction. Saturday's concert will be Vizzutti's fourth with the GBS; his first was in 1974, when still a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.
Y. As a college senior, Vizzutti's considerable talents came to the attention of Meier, who was then an Eastman professor. So impressed was Meier that he invited the Missoula, Mont.
, native to Bridgeport for his orchestral debut. Vizzutti, who also is renowned as a jazz trumpeter, teacher and author, said he is looking forward with great anticipation to the debut of his Concerto "Mexicana," which he also will perform later this year with the Syracuse, N.Y.
, and Annapolis, Md., symphony orchestras. Completed last month, the piece is "high on the fun meter," inspired by "basic Mexican melodies, which have a charm and delight of their own," he said.
About 20 minutes in length, the piece is written in five movements, with two that are "fast and flashy, and three that are quite lyrical." Vizzutti is known for his lightning fast fingers and extraordinary range, playing significantly higher and lower notes than anyone else, Meier has explained. Although it's wonderful to dazzle audiences with technical dexterity, Vizzutti said "there's nothing like playing great nuances based on feeling.
" "As I've matured as a musician, I find it easier to balance" the two, he added. At Eastman, Vizzutti would receive a bachelor's degree in music, a master's in music, a Performer's Certificate and the highly coveted Artist's Diploma for exceptional talent. His classical and jazz career has taken Vizzutti to more than 30 countries (including Japan on more than 45 tours) and to all 50 states, from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to the Hollywood Bowl and the Newport Jazz Festival.
He has performed with such jazz legends as Doc Severinsen, Chuck Mangione, Chick Corea and Woody Herman. In 1986, the first Tonight Show Band CD, co-produced by Vizzutti and Jeff Tyzik, won a Grammy Award for Best Big Band. In the 1980s, while living in Los Angeles, Vizzutti performed on more than 100 film soundtracks, such as "Back to the Future" and "Star Trek," numerous television shows and commercials, and with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Prince and Neil Diamond.
He also frequently performs with his wife, Laura Vizzutti, a concert pianist. (The couple have three teenaged children, two sons and a daughter.) His "Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method" guide is used extensively throughout the world for trumpet study.
When not touring, he serves as artist-in-residence at the University of Washington. "I'm grateful for the whole package," said Vizzutti of his many talents and passions. "You can say that I'm fulfilled .
. . and sometimes I even feel guilty when I see how hard some people must work while I'm doing what I love.
" Gustav Meier's 35th anniversary season with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony continues Saturday at 8 p.m. at The Klein, 910 Fairfield Ave.
in Bridgeport. A pre-concert program, featuring the GBS Woodwind Quintet, will take place at 7 p.m.
in the inner lobby. The concert is sponsored in part by the Connecticut Commission on Culture Tourism, the Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation and WSHU Public Radio. Tickets are $20, $30, $38, $44 and $52; discounts are available for students under 21 years of age and groups of 10 or more.
For reservations, contact the GBS at 576-0263 or visit www.bridgeportsymphony.org The Klein box office will be open Saturday from 5 p.
m. to curtain. Free parking is available at the municipal lot across the street from The Klein's front entrance.
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