Rejoice! A Classical Christmas, the second of four Los Angeles Master Chorale seasonal programs, heralds the holidays with four Christmas classics Sunday, December 11, 2011, 7:00pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Music Director Grant Gershon conducts Hugo Distler’s otherworldly The Christmas Story, a four-part a cappella treasure for chorus and soloists inspired by the carol Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, evoking snowy landscapes and the quiet calm of a traditional Bavarian Christmas; and Four Christmas Motets by Poulenc, composed in 1951 for four-part mixed chorus that were, with their joyful serenity, among the composer’s favorite choral pieces.
Two contemporary classics complete the program – Frank Ferko’s colorful 2002 composition, A Festival of Carols, based on five American Christmas texts from the 18th and 19th centuries, and Morten Lauridsen’s signature work, the extraordinary O Magnum Mysterium, commissioned for the Chorale by Founding LAMC Board Member Marshall Rutter in honor of his wife, Terry Knowles.
“This is a program that celebrates the simple timeless beauty of the human voice lifted in song,†says Gershon. “These are some of the a cappella jewels of the season.â€
For tickets ($19 – $134; group rates available) and information:, www.lamc.org or 213- 972-7282.
(Tickets cannot longer be purchased at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office except on concert days starting 2 hours prior to the performance.)
The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.
