Tonight Francisco Varela (graduate-conducting) will become the first Penn State graduate conducting student to perform the piece The Soldier's Tale.

The Penn State School of Music will present Igor Stravinsky and Charles Ramuz's concert suite at 8 p.m. at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 146 S. Allen St.

Gerardo Edelstein, Penn State's director of orchestral studies, first met Varela in 2002 while giving a master's class in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now Varela is a student in his class.

Edelstein said Varela is a dedicated student who works very hard.

"I was impressed with his seriousness about music and conducting," Edelstein said.

Conducting The Soldier's Tale was Varela's idea, Edelstein said.

Tale is used every year as a lab piece for the graduate conducting students, but no one had ever performed it, Erik Jester (graduate-trombone) said. It is one of the most difficult pieces in chamber literature, and putting it all together is a challenge for any performer, he said.

"It's just one of those pieces that's a staple piece," Jester said.

Varela described The Soldier's Tale as a folk story with a message. The suite is based on a Russian fable and was written by Stravinsky in 1918. It depicts the story of a deserting soldier's encounter with the devil.

The biggest difference between this version and the original is the text, Varela said. He said he kept the story but had to adapt the original text.

"The moral of the story is pretty clear -- basically it's about not losing your identity and authenticity by means of your ambition," he said. "We tried to create an atmosphere that people could connect with the story. What's good about this version is you can just focus on the music or you can see the relationship with the text."

Varela recruited the ensemble of seven players from Penn State's Philharmonic Orchestra and his wife, Victoria Ottaviano, to be the stage manager. He said he ultimately prepared the performance in three weeks.

"It's a great experience to put together this hard piece in such a short amount of time," Varela said.

Edelstein said this piece presents a lot of challenges for the conductor because of the rhythmic difficulties. It is up to the conductor to keep the group together.

"Already, I think he has learned a lot just by learning the piece," Edelstein said.

Varela said he chose the work because, musically, it is extremely interesting for a conductor and the players to perform.

"To do it right is hard," he said.

Ottaviano said she tried to create a relaxed atmosphere for the audience to make it easier for people unfamiliar with classical music. The musicians will be wearing corduroy pants and turtlenecks, and the lights will be simple. In addition, the audience will also have a synopsis of the story in the program.