Season finale for ProMusica to pair conductor and soloist

The musicians of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra never have to wonder who’s in charge.

Throughout each orchestra season, most of the ensemble’s concerts are conducted by Music Director David Danzmayr.

From time to time, Danzmayr steps aside, allowing Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman to play his instrument — the violin — while simultaneously leading the orchestra.

This weekend, the pair will entertain audiences together at the Southern Theatre.

For ProMusica’s season finale, Danzmayr will conduct and Gluzman will serve as soloist in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Violin Concerto in D Major."

Danzmayr promises no confusion about which leader will be in command.

"When he’s leading ... he’s really leading, but when he comes as soloist, ... he’s very good onstage at not Who: ProMusica Chamber Orchestra with violinist Vadim Gluzman Where: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Contact: 614-464-0066; 1-800745-3000, www.ticketmaster. com Showtimes: 5:30 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $12 to $50

adding an extra leading role," Danzmayr said. "When we work onstage, I think there is not the issue of having two leaders at the same time trying to battle it out with each other."

He added: "No duel with baton against violin bow."

Gluzman, a Ukraine native now living in Chicago, said that he and Danzmayr, a native of Austria, share a musical language.

"We have a very similar goal as to why do we go onstage at all," Gluzman said. "We are made, in many ways, from the same kind of clay."

Beethoven’s concerto was chosen as a nod to the orchestra’s plan to perform the composer’s nine symphonies during the course of this season and next.

"He really has something to add to our Beethoven project in his own way," Danzmayr said of Gluzman.

The violinist describes the work as the "Mount Everest of concertos."

"It’s one of those perfect structures that is at the same time extraordinarily fragile and yet solid as a rock," Gluzman said. "Not one note could be added or taken away."

And, true to the spirit of the concert, the soloist’s parts will not overshadow those of the orchestra.

"Violin is one of the important voices but not the most important voice,” Gluzman said.

The concert will be bookended with pieces featuring the orchestra alone, opening with "Straussiana" by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who was born in Austria but later turned to creating movie scores, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938).

"He wrote also just regular works for orchestra that had no connection to film," Danzmayr said, including "Straussiana," which honors the music of Austrian composer Johann Strauss II.

"He writes different dances somewhat in the style of Strauss," Danzmayr said, "but it’s very much Korngold’s music."

The orchestra will conclude with Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 7."

"If I would have to choose a favorite Beethoven symphony, I think it would be the 7th," Danzmayr said. "It’s quite big and quite direct."

Yet the collaboration between Danzmayr and Gluzman on Beethoven’s concerto might prove to be the concert’s featured attraction.

"When you put both David and Vadim up there on the center stage, especially with playing arguably the greatest violin concerto in the repertoire," concertmaster Katherine McLin said, "it just sets the stage for what will be an incredibly memorable and magical evening."