Greater Bridgeport Symphony (GBS) continues its 80th season exploring New Horizons.  The spirited rhythms of South America head up this unique concert “Horizons of Fire,” at the Mertens Theater (in the Bernhardt Center at the University of Bridgeport) . New maestro, Brazilian-born/American citizen Eduardo Leandro, will conduct an evening of Villa-Lobos’ and Piazzolla’s music, capped by Bartok’s Divertimento for Strings. 

The concert opens with Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, a fusion of Brazilian folk and popular music with the structure of Bach, through which the Classical listener experiences the Brazilian landscape.  Then the music shifts south toward Tierra del Fuego with Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires; it’s a fiery concerto with roots in Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons, influenced by Piazzolla’s bicultural life in Argentina and Greenwich Village.  For both pieces, GBS presents the vibrant violin solos of Tong Chen, who will also serve as concertmaster for the evening.

In the second half, the concert remains grounded in the fusion of Classical and folk music, but its focus shifts 6,000 miles to Hungary and one of the great concerti of Béla Bartók.  The title description “Divertimento” is Italian for an entertaining and engaging composition.  A common Italian wish for those setting off on an adventure is, “Buon divertimento!” – have fun.