Florida Orchestra concerts feature noted violinist Zukerman

By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
In print: Thursday, April 10, 2008

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Three years ago, violinist Pinchas Zukerman was the conductor and soloist in an all-Beethoven program by the Florida Orchestra. Not surprisingly, the orchestra's strings sounded invigorated by the presence of the violin superstar on the podium. Now Zukerman returns in the same dual capacity, this time for Elgar's Serenade for Strings, the Schubert Fifth Symphony and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3. Concerts are at 8 p.m. Saturday at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater; and 8 p.m. Monday at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa. $21-$56, students $10. (813) 286-2403 or toll-free 1-800-662-7286; floridaorchestra.org.

Coming Friday in Floridian: Last month, Zukerman played the world's most valuable violin, a $3.9-million Guarneri, in a showcase performance in Moscow. The experience: Priceless.