World and West Coast Premieres, Masterworks and More Highlight LACO's 2013-14 Season
By: BWW News Desk May. 02, 2013
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), considered one of the nation's premier orchestras as well as a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions, announces its 2013-14 season, its 45th, featuring a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established and notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world's foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 17th season as the Orchestra's music director. Kahane - hailed by critics as "visionary" and "a conductor of uncommon intellect, insight and musical integrity" with "undeniable charisma" - leads four of seven "Orchestral Series" concerts from the podium and keyboard with a wide range of established and rising guest artists, most of whom are making their LACO debuts.
The first two concerts of LACO's "Orchestral Series," usually presented at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Saturday evenings, temporarily shift location for the Saturday night programs to Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium while the historic Alex Theatre undergoes extensive $6 million backstage renovations, slated for completion in October 2013. All seven Sunday evening concerts continue to take place at UCLA's Royce Hall. Kahane also continues to lead the popular "Discover" concert at Ambassador Auditorium and appears as both as conductor and pianist on the "Baroque Conversations" series at Zipper Hall, both of which offer audiences an in-depth look at the music being presented as well as an opportunity to get to know LACO artists on a more personal level. LACO's "Westside Connections" series moves to the new 344-seat, state-of-the-art Ann and Jerry Moss Theater in the Herb Alpert Educational Village at New Roads School in Santa Monica, providing a intimate setting for the fascinating and often surprising programs.LACO presents seven programs in its core "Orchestral Series," each with back-to-back Saturday and Sunday night performances. This season, the first two Saturday night concerts take place at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium while the Orchestra's long-time home, the historic Alex Theatre, undergoes an extensive $6 million backstage renovation. In November, the Orchestra returns to the Alex Theatre in Glendale for the season's remaining five concerts. All Sunday night concerts are held at UCLA's Royce Hall. The series showcases LACO's remarkable artistry and trademark mix of orchestral masterpieces and daring new works from today's leading composers, as well as the much-admired collaborative style between LACO artists and Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, who conducts four of the seven "Orchestral Series" programs. Passionate, joyous and engaging, the series this season features range of exceptional guest artists.• Opening: Beethoven, Mozart, Lutos?awski & Kodály. The 2013-14 season launches with a dynamic program brimming with inventiveness conducted by Jeffrey Kahane and featuring 2012 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Benjamin Beilman, a 24-year-old "phenom" (PBS) with "handsome technique" (The New York Times), performing Mozart's deeply imaginative and charismatic Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, "Turkish," K. 219. Opening the program is Beethoven's Twelve Contredanses for Orchestra, Wo0 14, composed after he studied the art of writing public dance music with Haydn and far-reaching fragments of which appear in some of the composer's later great masterworks. The program concludes with two works rooted in the 20th Century, and Kodály's masterful and deeply personal Dances of Galánta, rich in folk melodies that reflect the composer's idyllic childhood in Galánta, and Lutos?awski's Chain 2, the title of which is based on a new type of musical form the preeminent Polish composer, born 100 years ago, created consisting of two structurally independent strands linked together like chains. Beilman is also the featured soloist on Chain 2. (Saturday, September 21, 8 pm, Ambassador Auditorium; Sunday, September 22, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall) • Britten, Haydn, Mozart & Bruce Adolphe. LACO, led by Kahane, presents the highly anticipated West Coast premiere of the orchestral version of Bruce Adolphe's Do You Dream in Color?, a powerful work set to a poem about living without sight written by Laurie Rubin, a "rich, but mellow mezzo-soprano" with "a very special voice" (The Greenwich Times) who was born blind and joins LACO for the premiere, marking her LACO debut. Another rising star, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, hailed as "fresh, alert and original" (Los Angeles Times) and "an appealingly direct soloist" (The Guardian), also takes center stage to perform Haydn's extremely demanding Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, believed lost until discovered in Prague in 1961. In addition, Kahane conducts Mozart's light-hearted Serenata Notturna, K. 239, and opens the program with Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, the work that catapulted Britten into the international limelight. The concert is part of the noted city-wide "Britten 100/LA: A Celebration" curated by LA Opera. Bruce Adolphe has written music for many renowned musicians and ensembles, including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Sylvia McNair, the Brentano String Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. His opera Let Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson, with a libretto by Carolivia Herron, was premiered in 2009 by the Washington National Opera. Adolphe, a great admirer of Rubin's voice who initially approached her about a possible collaboration, explains the genesis of Do You Dream in Color? by saying, "I asked her to express in words what it feels like to live without sight so I could set it in music." Rubin wove her singular experiences into the poem, ranging from how she applies make up and makes jewelry to her joy at a little girl's request that she sign a program. Rubin recorded Adolphe's song with piano for Bridge Records. (Saturday, October 19, 8 pm, Ambassador Auditorium; Sunday, October 20, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall) • Henri Dutilleux, Mozart & Beethoven. Distinguished international conductor and acclaimed Mozart Interpreter Hans Graf, recently named Music Director Laureate of the Houston Symphony after serving as its music director for 12 years, makes his LACO debut conducting Italian piano sensation Alessio Bax, whose artistry "quivers with an almost hypnotic intensity" (Gramophone), in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491. Graf begins the program with Henri Dutilleux' Mystère de l'instant written for 24 strings, cymbals and percussion and premiered in 1989, and also conducts Beethoven's vivid Symphony No. 6 in F major, "Pastoral," considered among Beethoven's "most penetratingly beautiful music."Prior to his appointment in Houston, Graf, known for his wide ranging repertoire and creative programming, was Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic for eight seasons and held the same post with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine for six years. The distinguished Austrian conductor also led the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra from 1984 to 1994. Bax, praised for creating "a ravishing listening experience" with his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations and dazzling facility, received the 2009 Avery Fischer Career Grant as well as the 2013 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, of which Jeffrey Kahane is a previous recipient, and has appeared as soloist with the London and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, Dallas and Houston symphonies, NHK Symphony in Japan, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, among others. (Saturday, November 16, 8 pm, Alex Theatre; Sunday, November 17, 7pm, UCLA's Royce Hall).• Mozart, Haydn, Aaron Jay Kernis & Beethoven. Continuing a long-established relationship with the Oregon Bach Festival, LACO welcomes Festival Artistic Director-Designate Matthew Halls as guest conductor for a program spotlighting LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, Principal Cello Andrew Shulman, Principal Oboe Allan Vogel and Principal Bassoon Kenneth Munday. Halls, "a fresh and forceful talent" whose "music-making is strongly and clearly sculpted" (The Times, London), leads Mozart's Ballet Music from Idomeneo, K. 367, Haydn's Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major, the only sinfonia concertante (a concerto with more than one soloist) he wrote during his illustrious career, and Beethoven's playful Symphony No. 1 in C major, which was instantly hailed as a masterpiece. Providing a dramatic counterpoint to the program is Aaron Jay Kernis' solemn Musica Celestis, a string-orchestra transcription of an adagio movement from one of his string quartets that has been likened to Barber's famous Adagio. (Saturday, January 25, 8 pm, Alex Theatre; Sunday, January 26, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall)• Mendelssohn, Anna Clyne, Bach & Schubert. Highly regarded violinists and Curtis Institute of Music alumni Jennifer Koh (2002), who plays "with consummate skill and passion" (The New York Times), and Jaime Laredo (1959), who was Koh's principal teacher at Curtis and is acclaimed for his "great ability" (The Guardian), team up for two double-violin concertos led by Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Conductor James Feddeck: the expressive Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, BWV 1043, considered one of the seminal works of Bach, whose birthday falls on March 23, the same day as the Sunday night concert at Royce Hall, and the West Coast premiere of Anna Clyne's impressionistic Prince of Clouds, a LACO co-commission with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra and the Curtis Institute of Music, heralded as "captivating" and "exhilarating from beginning to end" (Washington Post). The repertoire also includes Mendelssohn's lesser-known "The Fair Melusina" Overture, with its distinctive aquatic theme, and Schubert's graceful Symphony No. 3 in D major. Feddeck, "a major talent" (Huffington Post) has conducted the orchestras of Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Memphis, Omaha, St. Louis, San Diego and Toledo, among others.London-born Anna Clyne composes acoustic and electro-acoustic music, combining resonant soundscapes with propelling textures that weave, morph and collide in dramatic explosions. Her work, described as "dazzlingly inventive" by Time Out New York, often includes collaborations with cutting edge choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers and musicians worldwide. Clyne's accolades include a Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, eight consecutive ASCAP Plus Awards and a Clutterbuck award from the University of Edinburgh. (Saturday, March 22, 8 pm, Alex Theatre; Sunday, March 23, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall)• Hannah Lash, Chopin, Haydn. The penultimate program in LACO's "Orchestral Series," conducted by Kahane, features the world premiere of a new piece by emerging composer Hannah Lash, whose work has been hailed as "striking" and "handsomely brooding" (The New York Times) and is presented as part of the Orchestra's unique "Sound Investment" commissioning program, initiated 13 years ago to engage LACO audiences in developing new works. Also on the program is the LACO debut of Natasha Paremski, proclaimed a "spectacular pianist" (American Record Guide), performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, and Kahane conducts Haydn's bouyant Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major."Sound Investment" gives members the rare opportunity to create a legacy in music and to observe first-hand the development of a new work from the composer's earliest ideas to the finished composition. Participants invest $150 or more for a membership, which includes intimate salons throughout the season featuring in-depth discussion with the composer about his or her creative process and previews of the final work. (Saturday, April 26, 8 pm, Alex Theatre; Sunday, April 27, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall)• Bach, Ligeti & Mozart. LACO's 45th season concludes with an awe-inspiring piano festival as Jeremy Denk, "a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs" (The New York Times), returns for a command performance, appearing in all three works on the program, including Ligeti's Piano Concerto, one of the most demanding piano pieces of the late 20th Century. He is also featured on a pair of works for two pianos that he performs with Kahane, who conducts from the keyboard - Bach's Concerto No. 2 in C major for Two Keyboards, BWV 1061, and Mozart's Concerto No. 10 in E-flat major for Two Pianos, K. 365, which Mozart wrote to play with his sister.Denk, who is artistic director of the 2014 Ojai Music Festival, has built a reputation as an unusual and compelling artist, with a broad and thought-provoking repertoire. He is also known for his witty and personal music writing, which has appeared in the New Yorker, the front page of the New York Times Book Review, Newsweek and on the website of NPR Music. The United States Library of Congress selected his engaging blog, "think denk," for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the Performing Arts Web Archive. (Saturday, May 17, 8 pm, Alex Theatre; Sunday, May 18, 7 pm, UCLA's Royce Hall)DISCOVER BEETHOVEN'S "EROICA" SYMPHONY
Kahane serves as musical "tour guide" for LACO's annual "Discover" program, which this season features a special one-night-only exploration of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, "Eroica." Kahane sheds new light on this musical touchstone that forever changed the nature of the symphony at Pasadena's illustrious Ambassador Auditorium. (Saturday, February 22, 8 pm, Ambassador Auditorium)BAROQUE CONVERSATIONS
LACO's enlightening five-concert "Baroque Conversations" series features Jeffrey Kahane, Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and Principal Oboe Allan Vogel, among other LACO artists. The popular series, now it its eighth year at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles, explores the genesis of orchestral repertoire from early Baroque schools through the pre-classical period. In signature LACO style, the artists share their insights into the music and invite questions from the audience, which gives them an in-depth look at the music being presented as well as an opportunity to get to know LACO artists on a more personal level. Each program begins with a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception. (Thursdays, December 5, 2013; February 6, March 27, April 17, May 1, 2014, 7 pm, Zipper Hall; programs to be announced)WESTSIDE CONNECTIONS
Designed to illustrate the connections between music and other artistic disciplines, LACO's trademark "Westside Connections" series this season steps outside the proverbial music "box" for a thought-provoking exploration of connections between music and Los Angeles with such featured guests as Fairfax High School Alumnus Arnold Steinhardt, who was First Violin of the internationally acclaimed Guarneri Quartet for all 45 years of its existence. The inter-disciplinary three-concert chamber music series, designed to illustrate the myriad ways music is woven into society and our lives, is curated by Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, who selects chamber works to complement the presentations of the special guests. "Westside Connections" moves to the new state-of-the-art 344-seat Ann and Jerry Moss Theater in the Herb Alpert Educational Village at Santa Monica's New Roads School, providing a intimate setting for the fascinating and often surprising programs. (Thursdays, February 13, April 3, May 15, 7:30 pm, Ann and Jerry Moss Theater, Santa Monica; programs to be announced)LACO À LA CARTE
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra offers music lovers an opportunity to enjoy five intimate, elegant and entertaining "LACO à la carte" fundraising events, which illustrate that music truly knows no boundaries by pairing delectable international cuisine and exclusive salon musical performances by LACO musicians and guest artists in spectacular international residences. "LACO à la carte" is chaired by LACO board member Mahnaz Newman. (dates, location and programs to be announced)LACO'S COMMUNITY PROGRAMS REACH THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE
Nurturing future musicians and composers as well as inspiring a love of classical music are integral to LACO's mission. Through its "Meet the Music," "Community Partners," intensive "LACO-USC Thornton Strings Mentorship Program" and master classes with LACO Composer-in-Residence Andrew Norman, the Orchestra reaches thousands of young people annually.• Meet the Music. Each school year, LACO, through its acclaimed "Meet the Music" program, hosts 2,600 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students of varied cultural and musical backgrounds at a series of four live concerts of classical works led by Kahane and often an upcoming program's soloist at Zipper Hall. Offered in cooperation with the Los Angeles and Pasadena unified school districts, "Meet the Music" fosters listening skills, encourages involvement in music making and provides personal contact with musicians and composers. Prior to attending the concert, students learn about the music on the program in their classrooms through a dedicated volunteer corps of educators and graduate students specially trained by LACO, which underwrites production and, often, transportation costs. For many students, "Meet the Music" marks their first time seeing a live orchestral performance. Joining the Orchestra for at least one program is PROJECT Trio, now in its third year of a three-year residency and proclaimed by Downbeat Magazine as "packed with musicianship, joy and surprise!" (at Zipper Hall; dates and programs to be announced)• Community Partners. Through its "Community Partners" program, LACO continues to provide community service organizations that most need them with free tickets and transportation to LACO concerts. Organizations that have benefited from the program include the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Verdugo Young Musicians Association, Plaza de la Raza, LA's Best, CalArts Community Arts Partnership, Calabash Charter Academy, Hands 4 Hope, OPCC/Daybreak, Junior Chamber of Commerce Junior Division, Institute of Art, Music and Science, Long Beach Central Area Association and Harmony Project.• LACO-USC Thornton Strings Mentorship Program. The "LACO-USC Thornton Strings Mentorship Program," launched in 2010, enhances the preparedness of strings students for a professional career. Selected Thornton students participate in a mock audition that may lead to an opportunity to perform in the string section of the Orchestra for an upcoming LACO concert. Previous judges have included LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and LA Philharmonic Principal Cello Peter Stumpf, both members of the USC Thornton School faculty, and LACO PrincipAl Viola Roland Kato. The next mock audition is slated for fall 2013.• Master Classes. For the second consecutive year, LACO Composer-in- Residence and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Andrew Norman presents in-depth composition Master Classes for the AP music class at North Hollywood High School, providing vital mentoring to a new generation of musicians and composers. Additionally Norman visits several fourth-, fifth, and sixth-grade LAUSD and charter school classrooms to introduce the joy of music and music composition to younger students through an engaging interactive presentation.TICKETS/INFORMATION
For a free season flyer, further information about the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's 2013-14 season or to order tickets, call 213 622 7001, or visit www.laco.org.
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