THREE-DAY FORECAST

MUSIC

Opposites attract

Brahms and Stravinsky may make strange bedfellows, but love is in the air in this pre-Valentine’s Day concert called, tongue-in-cheek, “Love and Marriage” by the Los Angeles Master Chorale led by Grant Gershon. Gershon will conduct Stravinsky’s “Les Noces” (The Wedding), a powerful distillation of Russian folk marriage rituals, and Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes,” a series of love songs cast as waltzes, depicting romantic ardor and heartbreak.

Los Angeles Master Chorale, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A., Saturday, 8 p.m. $20 to $58. (213) 972-7282.

POP MUSIC

Tripping through its tour

Expect something different from Morcheeba as it ends its U.S. tour. Inspired by the Brazilian Tropicalia movement’s willingness to combine genres into a head-spinning new invention, the English trio has introduced a host of fresh elements into its established trip-hop base. The new album, “Charango,” incorporates orchestrated pop, country and hip-hop, with help from the likes of Slick Rick and Kurt Wagner, from the Nashville indie-rock band Lambchop.

Morcheeba, with Rosie, the Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., Saturday, 9 p.m. $27.50. (213) 380-5005.

FESTIVALS

The year of the ram

It’s time to celebrate the Lunar New Year or, as it’s sometimes called, the Chinese New Year -- but more specifically, the Year of the Ram 4701. Chinatown will host a two-day celebration this weekend highlighted by the 104th annual Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday afternoon. In a newer tradition, Hollywood will stage its second annual Lunar Parade and Festival on Sunday. Both events will feature floats, cultural entertainment, music, arts and crafts, and other attractions.

Chinatown New Year Festival, 727 N. Hill St., L.A., Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Golden Dragon Parade, on Broadway and Hill Street, 2 p.m. Saturday. Free. (213) 680-0243.

Hollywood Lunar New Year Festival, Selma and Argyle avenues, Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Parade on Sunset Boulevard between Highland Avenue and Vine Street starts 1 p.m. Free. (310) 442-2712.

JAZZ

Coming to a screen near you!

Her life story sounds like the script of a Hollywood musical! Born in Chile, singer Claudia Acuna decides to move to the Big Apple to pursue her jazz career. But with no money and unable to speak English, she’s forced to work as a baby-sitter, dog walker and dishwasher while she performs in countless jam sessions and small clubs. Eventually, she gets a major-label recording contract and releases two critically acclaimed albums: “Wind From the South” in 2000 and “Rhythm of Life” last year. This weekend she’s performing at Founders Hall in Costa Mesa and at the Athenaeum in San Diego. Cue the music and roll the credits!

Claudia Acuna with Billy Childs, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $46 to $49. (714) 556-2787. Also Sunday at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. 7 p.m. $17 to $19. (858) 454-5872.

STAGE

Here’s to Nell

International City Theatre is dedicating all performances of its 30th anniversary production of the jazz, blues and dance drama “Raisin” to the late Nell Carter, who was to have starred in the show. Broadway theater veteran Carol Dennis will take over the role as Mama in the Tony- and Grammy Award-winning musical, based on Lorraine Hansberry’s classic “A Raisin in the Sun,” about a 1953 working-class black family clashing over how to use an insurance settlement to better their lives.

“Raisin,” Center Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Opens Friday. Runs Thursdays-

Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; ends March 9. $32-$40, except opening night, $50-$60. (562) 436-4610.

MOVIES

The Lucas legacy saluted

The American Cinematheque presents a salute to George Lucas’ digital domain of special effects and post-production, which has revolutionized movies in the 26 years since the initial installment of “Star Wars” was released. “A Tribute to Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound” features 10 programs focusing on topics ranging from the “Star Wars” series and the companies’ work with James Cameron (“The Abyss,” “Titanic”) to the Jurassic Park films and the future of visual and sound effects. Lucas, Cameron and such key figures as Dennis Muren, Gary Rydstrom and Chris Boyes will participate and screen clips demonstrating their work.

American Cinematheque presents “A Tribute to Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.” Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. $6 to $9. For a complete schedule, call (323) 466-FILM.

DANCE

Winning more hearts

A living Valentine, “Forever Tango” displays the infinite facets of dance courtship, Argentine style, enlisting 14 dancers, 11 musicians and one soulful vocalist. It’s no stranger to the Southland and also has won hearts on tour across America, becoming the longest-running tango show on Broadway during a run in 1997 and ’98. “It’s got the moves, the mood, the sound of tango in its blood,” a Times critic wrote in 1994, “plus the heart-stopping illusion that all the couples are pursuing the deepest fantasy of their lives on the dance floor.”

“Forever Tango,” Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Today and Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m. Sunday, 3 p.m. Feb. 11-13, 8 p.m. Feb. 14, 7 p.m. Feb. 15, 5 and 9 p.m. Feb. 16, 3 p.m. $29.50 to $49.50. (213) 365-3500.

ART

Exploring John Nava

Studio Channel Islands Art Center will hold an opening reception Sunday for its major exhibition, “John Nava: The Cathedral Tapestries From Proposal to Installation.” Some of the featured works include large test sample tapestries, original portraits and life-size paintings of saints, along with a plethora of information detailing Nava’s tapestry project for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

“John Nava: The Cathedral Tapestries From Proposal to Installation,” Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Cal State Channel Islands, Camarillo. Opening reception Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m. Viewing hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-3 p.m., and by appointment. Ends March 16. Free. (805) 383-1368.

ART

Freud celebrated

A traveling retrospective devoted to Lucian Freud, considered by many to be the greatest figurative painter alive, opens Sunday at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Freud is best known for his unflinching autobiographical portraits and nudes. This retrospective, organized by the Tate London, surveys 60 years of work. It will include 110 oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal, pen-and-ink drawings, etchings and a much-anticipated recent portrait of David Hockney.

“Lucian Freud,” Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 Grand Ave., L.A. Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; ends May 25. William Feaver, who organized “Lucian Freud,” will lecture on the exhibition at 3 p.m. Sunday. $5-$8; under 12, free. (213) 626-6222.