The music of Strauss and Shostakovich will fill Eisenhower Auditorium Tuesday evening when London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra makes Penn State the first stop on its United States tour.

World-renowned pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Russian-born conductor of this internationally acclaimed 95-member orchestra, catapulted to fame in 1962 when he won first prize in the Tchaikovsky International Competition. In 1986, Ashkenazy was the featured artist for Penn State's Artist Series.

Ashkenazy, who succeeded his close friend Andre Previn as music director for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra two years ago, is said to conduct with the same personal and thoughtful approach he brings to his piano performances.

"It's a very good directorship for the orchestra as a whole," Ian Maclay, managing director of the RPO, said during a recent overseas telephone interview.

Most conductors of major orchestras have commitments in many cities; Ashkenazy's include Berlin's Radio Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic. According to Maclay,"They're workaholics, a lot of them."

Although the RPO is relatively young, founded in 1946, it has garnered a noteworthy reputation in its short and turbulent history. Founded by distinguished musical figure Sir Thomas Beecham, the RPO is the only major orchestra in Britain to which Queen Elizabeth lent her sponsorship, conferring on it the title "Royal".

This sometimes financially troubled orchestra recorded the popular "Hooked on Classics" record series, and was also the first orchestra to establish its own record company.

"It's quite nice to have control over at least one aspect of your recording work," Maclay said. "We still record for all the major (classical) labels. . .but it's quite nice to have your own record company, which means we can do what we want at least some part of the year.

"The orchestra members themselves actually get some share of the royalties. It gives them a greater incentive to get involved in what's going on. It's their own company," Maclay said.

The RPO differs from most major orchestras in that the management is selected by the musicians. "The players run their own orchestra, they're actually shareholders in the company that manages their orchestra," Maclay said.

The Royal Philharmonic receives 15 percent of their income from corporate sponsors and support, Maclay noted, which is different than the way orchestras are funded in America.

"It is because you have a lot of sort of private giving, individual giving (in the U.S.) because there are tax incentives. Whereas in (Britain), there isn't a tax incentive for the individual, so there are very few donations to the orchestras."

In its sixth tour of the United States, the fourth since 1985, the orchestra is scheduled to play New York's Carnegie Hall, as well as other cities in the east, including Washington, D.C., then on to Texas, New Mexico and California.

Touring a large orchestra is not a financially viable operation, especially in America, Maclay explained. In the States, the orchestra has to pay all travel costs, hotel and room service expenses for 100 or more people; while in Europe and elsewhere, the sponsors of the tour take care of all expenses, Maclay said.

On this tour, the orchestra will be lucky to break even, Maclay said.

Maclay said that promoting the orchestra's albums is important in touring, but "The visibility and reputation of the orchestra in the international field," is also important.

The evening's program will include Johann Strauss' romantic, yet explosive score "Don Juan," Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9, which the composer called "A merry little piece," and Mahler's Symphony No. 4, which features mezzo-soprano Christine Cairns.

This music series event is presented by the Center for the Performing Arts, and is supported by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Tickets are available at the Eisenhower and Playhouse box offices. Tickets are $24, $22 and $20, or $20, $18 and $16 for students. Call 863-0255 or 865-1844.