The extraordinary violinist Rachel Barton Pine returns to tackle Paganini's devilishly difficult Violin Concerto No. 1, and guest conductor Daniel Boico leads a marvelous tour of Italy with Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite III, and Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony No. 4.

The Columbus Symphony presents the Italian Festival at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.) on Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27, at 8pm. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, andwww.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. The CAPA Ticket Center will also be open two hours prior to each performance.