Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), led by celebrated Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, performs two concerts featuring internationally renowned soprano Karina Gauvin, called “breathtaking,†by The Times (London), on Saturday, October 15, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, October 16, 2011, 7:00pm, at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
Gauvin sings the Britten lullaby Now sleeps the crimson petal, with text by Alfred Lord Tennyson, as well as two other evocative Britten works, Les illuminations, based on the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, who influenced a broad range of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and Patti Smith. Gauvin first appeared with LACO in 2002 at the beginning of her career, which has since soared, making her one of classical music’s most sought-after singers.
Kahane opens the program with Dvořák’s Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, and also conducts Beethoven’s seminal Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica,†which he calls “one of two major watersheds in classical music.†LACO is one of the nation’s leading orchestras, acclaimed for its wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissioning initiatives.
The concert is part of the nationwide “Mutual Inspirations Festival,†presented by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in honor of the 170th birthday of composer Antonin Dvořák, and is also a tribute to Daniel Pearl World Music Days in support of tolerance and humanity.
Tickets ($24 – $105) are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.laco.org, or by calling LACO at 213-622-7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase rush tickets one hour before curtain; also available for students is the $25 “Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass†– good for all seven of LACO’s Orchestral Series concerts at either the Alex Theatre or UCLA and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.
LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO), proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra†by Public Radio International, has established itself among the world’s top musical ensembles. Since 1997, LACO has performed under the baton of acclaimed conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, hailed by critics as “visionary†and “a conductor of uncommon intellect, insight and musical integrity†with “undeniable charisma.†LACO was founded in 1968.
