On April 8 and 9, at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will present its final concert of the season under the baton of music director Steven Gunzenhauser. The LSO, now in its 53rd season, has programmed works that even the most tone-deaf classical music neophyte would enjoy. The musical selections will definitely rouse the eardrums, get the heart pumping, and generally make for a fun night out.

Fun? The symphony? Well, yes, for the energetic Gunzenhauser is no slouch when it comes to programming. He puts his musical cards on the table and calls the audience’s bluff, challenging them at every turn. As a result, the LSO has made tremendous strides since he took over back in 1979. How else do you think he can invite brand-name artists to Lancaster to perform with an orchestra that just two decades ago could barely hold a tune, let alone accompany a major performing artist.

"We have been fortunate to attract quality performers for an orchestra of this stature. Since taking over, I have encouraged the orchestra to constantly improve … this orchestra can handle almost anything in the repertoire now and needs not shy away from large-scale symphonic works, " Gunzenhauser said during a telephone interview.

Yet it takes more than just an artistic vision to pull this off, it takes community support as well. And that is what has made the LSO so successful. "Since my tenure, we have made a concerted effort to reach out to the community and increase our audience base. We have added more concerts and brought in more subscribers. We are now enjoying vast community support," Gunzenhauser said.

The program kicks off with Antonín Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Op.92, a piece the Czech composer wrote and performed in Prague just before sailing across the big pond to the U.S. in 1892. The piece is a great opener, with life-like sound images portraying nature, a carnival scene, and the dramatic Othello.

Closing out the first half will be Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story." Bernstein, perhaps the most celebrated, and visible, of American composers, scored a huge success with his West Side Story, which had 973 performances on Broadway following its premiere on September 26, 1957.

The music is Americana at its best. Depicting the struggle between two rival gangs in New York City, and the fatal love of two innocents (can you say Romeo and Juliet?), the music captures the intensity, spirited, and driving pace that is New York City. No other composer, apart from George Gershwin, has been able to create such a precise musical postcard of that city.

Rhythmically, the Mambo depicts the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks (the rival gangs), while the Cha-Cha accompanies the dancing by Tony and Maria (the two innocents). And who can forget the beautiful and sublime hit song "Somewhere," which serves as the centerpiece and deeply moving spiritual glue that binds the work together.

The final, and only piece on the second half, is Johannes Brahms’ colossal Concerto for Violin and Cello in a minor, Op.102, a work for which Maestro Gunzenhauser has a special affinity. "Twenty years ago, when I auditioned to become music director, the Brahms was on the program. So it has an additional appeal for me."

The soloists in the Brahms are English violinist Pip Clarke and American cellist Wendy Warner. Each has forged a major career. In Warner’s case, it can only be said that she, at the ripe age of 27, is perhaps on her way to becoming one of the top cello players in the world, having already performed with major symphony orchestras under the direction of top-flight conductors. As for Clarke, she has been hailed as one of the most popular women in music, a distinction that has taken her throughout the USA, England, Canada, and China on concert tours.

The Double Concerto, as it is frequently referred to, is a monster of a piece. Written in 1887, it is a work of intense feeling and complexity. It demands tremendous strength and concentration on the part of the soloists and orchestra (no yawning here for the brass section). And, it is, unquestionably, the best double concerto in the classical music repertoire.

There is no doubt that this dynamic female duo can pull it off. Whether the orchestra is up to task, though, is another question. Yet for local music fans, it’s definitely worth a hearing. And even if the performance falls flat, particularly for those who unfairly compare live performances to stellar recordings, Gunzenhauser has a response: "I believe that music is a critical part of the fabric of life, and because of television and radio, live music is often neglected. However, it is important for us all to connect with live music, for it brings our community together. And it is my mission to do this in Lancaster."