PORTLAND – One of the most famous works of classical music will open the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s 2008 lineup of concerts Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Merrill Auditorium.

Led by guest conductor Alasdair Neale, the concert will open with the exuberant “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” by American composer John Adams, followed by Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, “Prague.” Next on the program are two works by Strauss: “Serenade for Winds,” a melodic tribute to Mozart, and “Also sprach Zarathustra,” made famous as the theme to “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Neale is music director of the Marin Symphony of San Rafael, Calif., and also holds the positions of music director of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and principal Guest conductor of the New World Symphony and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. A concert conversation with Neale, free to ticketholders, will be held at 6:15 p.m. in the rehearsal hall.

The concert will be recorded for broadcast on MPBN’s “Maine Stage” on Feb. 20.

Tickets, $43, can be ordered online at www.porttix.com; by calling 842-0800; or by visiting the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

For more information about the PSO, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.