A playboy finds true love on a dude ranch, an unmasked lover evokes an unexpected transformation, unrequited adoration leads to tragic consequences, a future romance affects the entire galaxy, a wife is true to her humble miller … and amid it all, there’s a wedding.

The concert, fittingly titled "Tales of Love," will begin at 7:30 p.m., February 14, at the Harris Center/Three Stages on the Folsom Lake College Campus. Violinist Linda Wang will be the guest soloist.

The six tales are: George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy; Zhanhao He and Gang Chen’s The Butterfly Lowers violin concerto; Georges Bizet "Danse Boheme" from Carmen, John Williams’ "Across the Stars" from Star Wars, Felix Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" and Manuel de Falla’s "The Three-Cornered Hat."

The evening opens with the overture to Girl Crazy. The original 1930 stage production of this musical launched Ethel Merman’s career and made Ginger Rogers an overnight star. The instrumentation must have been spectacular: In the orchestra pit on opening night were such greats asBenny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey.

The story follows a playboy banished by his father to an Arizona dude ranch in the hope he’ll contemplate a more serious life. He eventually falls in love to a backdrop of such beloved tunes as "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm," "Land of the Gay Cabellero," "Nice Work if You Can Get It" and more. The score has inspired many film adaptations, the most famous being the lavish MickeyRooney-Judy Garland version in 1943.

Violinist Wang joins the orchestra for the second selection, The Butterfly Lovers violin concerto.

This is the first Chinese composition the Folsom Symphony has performed. Written for a western-style orchestra, the flowery, melodious piece is played using some Chinese techniques.

In the story, concealed identity, passionate love and heartbreak lead to the two lovers’ deaths, but they ultimately transform musically into butterflies, never to be separated again.

Wang made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 9 and has since played solo engagements with more than 65 orchestras worldwide. She also is familiar to many through her radio appearances. Previously a professor at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music, Wang is nowassociate professor of violin and chamber music at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.

As popular as the opera Carmen is today – perhaps the best-known opera in the world – it did not achieve success until after its composer died in 1875, at age 37, convinced the work – his last – was a failure. The symphony’s selection, "Danse Boheme" – the gypsy’s dance – opens the second act, quietly at first, then accelerating to an energetic climax, as befitting a gypsy. The gypsy, of course, is the fickle Carmen who trifles with Don Jose. The naive soldier eventually declares that if he can’t have Carmen, no one will. He stabs her and is arrested as she dies and the opera ends.

What could be more romantic than slow, emotional tones from violas and a harp, followed by an oboe solo? That opening sets the tone for romance in "a galaxy far, far away" in Williams’ "Across the Stars" from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. The music, producer George Lucas once said, perfectly captures the relationship between Anakin Skywalker – the future Darth Vader – and Padme Amidala. Williams, nominated for 49 academy awards and countless other honors, is the composer of many popular contemporary masterpieces.

The strains of Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March," from A Midsummer Night’s Dream evoke the best of love: The piece has been a favorite wedding recessional march almost since it premiered as incidental music to the play in Potsdam in 1842. The matrimonial association became fixed when Queen Victoria’s daughter chose the music for her wedding in 1858.

Manuel de Falla’s ballet, "The Three-Cornered Hat" (El sombrero de tres picos) tells the story of a miller’s wife who steadfastly resists the entreaties of an infatuated magistrate. The ballet was first performed in 1919 at the Alhambra Theater in London, wherePablo Picasso created the sets and costumes. Falla incorporates Andalusian folk music throughout the composition and at one point quotes the opening of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

Good seats are still available for this performance. You can buy tickets on the symphony’s website, folsomsymphony.org, by calling 916-608-6888 or by visiting the ticket office on the Folsom Lake College campus, 10 College Parkway, Folsom. What better way to celebrate your own romance?

Post information courtesy of the Folsom Symphony.