Star-Ledger previews this weekend's opening concerts

The Star-Ledger previews the NJSO's opening weekend concerts; the 2014–15 season kicks off on Friday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, followed by concerts at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Saturday (8 pm) and Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown on Sunday (3 pm):

For this season's opening night gala, [Music Director Jacques Lacombe] celebrates his anniversary with the [NJSO] by returning to a piece from the first program for which he ever joined them: Orff's raucous "Carmina Burana."

It's a festive choice for anyone, starting with its first and most famous section "O Fortuna," which brings booming timpani and titanic voices to a chorus about the vagaries of fate. The work also draws in barroom scenes and a lusty courtship - which all come, however unlikely it seems, from medieval texts found at a monastery in the Bavarian Alps.

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The main event - a dramatic piece that calls for clamorous percussion and simple songs that listeners will be able to hum before they're even over - will be paired with two more unusual works.

Since a chorus will already be on hand, the orchestra will also perform Debussy's evocative "Nocturnes" in which singers take on the role of mythological sirens.

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The weekend's concerts will show a third aspect of what the orchestra does as well, with "McKonkey's Ferry" by George Antheil, a 20th-century artist from Trenton best known for his "Ballet Mechanique" for player pianos. A part of the ongoing New Jersey Roots Project, which honors composers with local ties, the piece is inspired by George Washington's 1776 crossing of the Delaware River. As such, it is also meant to commemorate New Jersey's 350th anniversary.

That's not all the orchestra has to applaud. Last year, Roe's first in his new leadership role, achieved record fundraising heights and brought the deficit to a historic low, he said. It's a reason to look back fondly on Lacombe's tenure and to think about that first performance he gave with the musicians, which has since been released on a live recording.

Read the full preview at nj.com.