BACH BY BELTRAMI Will Be Presented at the Soraya in March

Two-time Academy Award nominee, composer Marco Beltrami-known for his musical scores for The Hurt Locker, A Quiet Place, and Wes Craven's four Scream films-defies his childhood music teacher's warning not to mess with Bach's Preludes.

With his latest project, Bach by Beltrami, at The Soraya on March 3, he deconstructs and reimagines Bach's most sacred works, with the help of firebrand violinist Sandy Cameron, Lucia Micarelli, cellist Eric Byers, and L.A.'s own Delirium Musicum Chamber Orchestra. Delirium Musicum is headed by Etienne Gara, The Soraya's Artist-in-Residence.,

Tickets for Bach by Beltrami start at $41 and are available at www.thesoraya.org and by calling 818-677-3000. The Soraya is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.

Bach by Beltrami is a collection of material consisting of reimagined and transformed versions of the legendary Bach Preludes.

"I can think of no better way for me as a composer to fight against the anti-intellectualism climate, than to pay homage to Bach, the master. His music contains the musical seeds of the human condition. He transcends pain and suffering and oppression by offering freedom of thought. Many people are unaware of Bach because he has been stuffed into a rigidly labeled box which one is supposed go open without proper training. The purpose of this project is to take Bach out of this box and reveal side to him that have remained obscured from public view. To clearly show his relevance and the variety of emotional content that he endured and transcribed, and which has resonated sympathetically with me. I have interpreted Bach's map with my own emotional compass."

Composer Beltrami continued, "I often ask myself why this project seems so vital to complete now. I'm inspired by the opportunity to remove the barriers caused by labels and listening habits. Popular trends in music do not dictate quality, and conversely traditional patterns should not dictate accessibility. When Bach composed The Well-Tempered Clavier some 300 years ago, the music was no longer fashionable. Counterpoint was replaced by the light stirring of the classical style. Bach knew the importance of his work and remained undeterred. Thank goodness, as it has influenced all of western music since, from Mozart to contemporary Jazz."

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