Saturday's program at the Arend Arts Center will be a truly international affair.

That evening, the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a piece, "Sensemaya," by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, who was inspired by a Cuban poet.

The next piece, Astor Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires," explores the nuances of the Argentine composer's hometown.

The final selection comes from closer to home -- Aaron Copland's "Rodeo" sets music to the American West.

Joining the orchestra for the performance will be Natasha Korsakova, a violinist of Russian and Greek descent who speaks five languages. Korsakova will be featured during "The Four Seasons."

Her touring schedule prevented her from having time for a phone conversation, but she did answer several questions about her performance in Bentonville.

Q. I understand you speak five different languages. Is classical music like a sixth language?

A. Indeed one can say so! The advantage of the music language is that basically everyone can understand it, even if the communication would be in a different way. But music is the language of the heart, inspired and inspiring, and this makes it possible for people around the world to feel it in a similar way.

Q. What makes music so universal?

A. Probably the fact that the rhythms and music are natural, genuine. On one side it's a very important part of the general education, on the other side it is already living in one's consciousness, I believe.

Q. Tell me about the violin you play.

A. It's a wonderful instrument built around 1770, by the Italian master Vincenzo Trusiano Panormo. I am fascinated by Panormo as a person, because he loved traveling around, and in his life lived in Italy, Ireland, France and England -- quite amazing all these travels in the 18th century! The model of this violin was inspired by Nicola Bergonzi, who often worked in a typically Cremonese style. I love the big sound which has power and noblesse at the same time.

Q. Tell me about the piece you are featured on, "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires." What makes it special?

A. Definitely some parallels to the famous "The Four Seasons" of Vivaldi, which I believe will stay popular and admired by the listeners forever. However, Piazzola is at the same time very different, as it shows the seasons of Buenos Aires and was written in the 20th century (between 1965 and 1969). The piece was originally written for quintet with bandoneon solo (of course Piazzolla played it himself!) and the version we are going to perform was arranged for solo-violin and orchestra by Russian violinist Leonid Desyatnikov. What I particularly like is that Desyatnikov added some quotations from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi, which always come completely unexpected. There's a quotation of Vivaldi's "Summer" in Piazzolla's "Winter." etc...

Also, usually it is performed in a different way: starting not with the Spring (a tradition of Vivaldi's "Seasons"), but with Autumn which in Argentina is considered as the first season of the year.

Q. What's next for you? Touring? Recording? Something else?

A. The concert in Arkansas will be the last one of my U.S. trip this year. I'll stay in London for a few days and then go back home to Switzerland, to prepare for the next two concerts in Switzerland with my partner, violinist Manrico Padovani. We are getting two wonderful Stradivari-violins on loan, so the program should be played already on the new violins, we're certainly quite excited. The concerts will be recorded as well. The following projects are chamber-music in Rome, Italy (Dvorak and Glinka) as well as some crossover concerts. I am also working on my first book (a crime novel) hoping to be able to finish it in June-July of this year and try to start the process of publishing. It will be written in German, but I very much hope one day to see it translated in English as well!

-- Kevin Kinder

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