MUSIC

Pianist Bella Davidovich and her son, violinist Dmitri Sitkovsetsky, will be the first Soviet emigre musicians returning to the Soviet Union to play at the invitation of Soviet officials, a press spokeswoman for Davidovich announced Monday. Davidovich and Sitkovsetky were invited by the state concert agency Gosconcert to play two concerts this month in memory of Davidovich’s husband, Julian Sitkovsetsky, who died of cancer in 1958 at age 32. Davidovich and Sitkovsetsky’s first concert will be Dec. 19 with the Moscow Philharmonic, playing concertos by Shostakovich and Prokofiev (Sitkovetsky) and Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” (Davidovich). Davidovich was to have played with the Pacific Symphony at the Orange County Performing Arts Center Dec. 14 and 15, but the orchestra has released her from her contract.