At the Oct. 18 concert, Lu hopes that three apparently unconnected pieces of music will translate a rich wealth of musical heritage to the public. The Symphony No.5 in D minor by Shostakovich and The Three-Cornered Hat suites No.1 and No.2 by Falla are well-known to music lovers. Even though Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis from Vaughan Williams sounds fresher, its reliance on strings only will form a stark contrast with the two previous pieces.

After the first rehearsal, musicians said Lu gave a whole new interpretation to the classic works. He was like an architect, using simple adjectives to let his musicians know what the blueprint for the concert was.

Apart from preparing to conduct this weekend's concert, Lu is also hard at work in his new position as music coordinator for the NSO. He is drawing up the program for the orchestra's next season, paying equal attention to commercial trends and to lesser-heard works ready to be introduced to Taiwanese audiences.

One day before conducting "The Triumph of the Spirit," Lu will sit down with concert ticket holders to give a piano performance of the Shostakovich symphony and explain its structure.