A FIRST-RATE LINEUP FOR LOVERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC.

Byline: David Mermelstein Correspondent

Even in a season as rich as this one, the next few days - and nights - offer something special for classical-music lovers: four consecutive days so completely packed with worthy and diverse concerts that even die-hards won't be able to attend every event.

The endurance contest begins tonight when American-born, London-based pianist Murray Perahia appears at UCLA's Royce Hall as part of UCLALive playing Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms. The following night, at the same venue, soprano Dawn Upshaw joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra under Richard Tognetti for an evening that runs the gamut from Bach to Hungarian folk songs.

Also on Friday night, American conductor James Conlon, long based in Europe, returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his first appearance at Disney Hall. The bill features orchestral excerpts from operas by Richard Strauss, but even more enticing is a performance of ``The Mermaid,'' composed by Alexander Zemlinsky, a near-contemporary of Mahler's vigorously championed by Conlon. The program is repeated at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Those preferring more intimate expression, though, will want to attend Friday night's Musicians From Malboro concert at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall in which promising young artists perform chamber music by Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg and young English composer Thomas Ades.

Bach looms large over the weekend, with venerable German conductor Helmuth Rilling leading the Los Angeles Master Chorale in a program of Bach cantatas at Disney Hall on Saturday night and at Royce Hall on Sunday night.

Sunday night is also when USC's Thornton Symphony appears at Disney Hall, performing Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, and a new work by Frederick Lesemann, ``Grand Hope Crossing,'' all led by music director Sergiu Commissiona.

But that's not all. The Los Angeles Opera also gets into the act Sunday night, presenting a recital at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion by silver- maned Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, singing works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Borodin and Verdi.

So who was it who said the only culture in Los Angeles comes from yogurt?

Tickets: Los Angeles Philharmonic, [phone] or laphil.com.

L.A. Master Chorale, [phone] or lamc.org.

UCLALive at Royce Hall, [phone] or uclalive.org.

The Los Angeles Opera, [phone] or losangelesopera.com.

Tickets for all the events are also available at Ticketmaster, [phone] or ticketmaster.com.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) PERAHIA

(2) HVOROSTOVSKY