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The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Presents Italian Inflections

September 04, 2007

MUSIC DIRECTOR JEFFREY KAHANE CONDUCTS RENOWNED MEZZO-SOPRANO JENNIFER LARMORE
IN AN ITALIAN-INSPIRED EVENING

SATURDAY, SEP. 29, AT 8 PM (THE ALEX THEATRE)
SUNDAY, SEP. 30, AT 7 PM (ROYCE HALL – UCLA)

For the opening concert of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2007-08 season, music director Jeffrey Kahane conducts one of opera’s most celebrated singers, Jennifer Larmore, in Italian Inflections on Saturday, September 29, at 8 pm at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and Sunday, September 30, at 7 pm at Royce Hall at UCLA. The evening begins with an overture and aria from Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) followed by arias from Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus). The program revisits Rossini with an aria from his Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and continues with Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’s Musica Dolorosa. Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 in D major concludes the evening.

The selections from Rossini’s oeuvre are taken from two of his early comic operas (opera buffa). The composer wrote L’italiana in Algeri in 1813 in the span of a few weeks, premiering the piece in Venice when he was just 21 years old. Three years later, he composed Il barbiere di Siviglia. Based on a French play, the opera on opening night met with angry reactions from audience members who were loyal to an earlier opera based on the same play. Soon after, however, Il barbiere di Siviglia became a hit and is now considered one of Rossini’s most famous compositions.

Acclaimed for her role as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia in her Metropolitan Opera debut, Larmore first rose to success in Europe, performing in distinguished theaters throughout the continent. Described by the Chicago Sun-Times as “one of opera’s most glorious bel canto voices,” Larmore is a recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, and in 2002 was knighted by the French government with the title Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des letters. As a contrast to Rossini’s comedic work, Larmore and the Chamber Orchestra also perform a selection from Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito. Written in the more dramatic opera seria style, La clemenza di Tito is Mozart’s final opera, composed in honor of the coronation of Leopold II in 1791, just months before Mozart’s death.

The second half of the program opens with Pēteris Vasks’s moving Musica Dolorosa. Vasks has discussed at length his reverence for the power of music to express spiritual concerns, finding that instrumental music provides a language that often transcends written or sung words. In the composer’s words, this evocative work for string orchestra attempts to explore the conflict of elemental forces in human existence. The evening concludes with the Symphony No. 3 in D major by Schubert.

Concert Preludes, scheduled one hour prior to the concerts, feature stories behind the music and are free for all ticket holders.

Tickets ($17 to $79) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at 213 622 7001 × 215, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for students, seniors 65 years of age and older, and groups of 12 or more.

Renowned as a pianist and conductor, Jeffrey Kahane is recognized by audiences around the world for his mastery of diverse repertoire from Bach to Gershwin. He has established a reputation as a truly versatile artist equally sought after as soloist, conductor and chamber musician. This year, Kahane enters his 11th season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and continues his successful tenure as music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership, both ensembles received 2007 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. He also continues as artistic director of the Green Music Festival in Sonoma County.

Jennifer Larmore is an outstanding American mezzo-soprano who has parlayed operatic success in Europe into international stardom. Known for excelling in the coloratura roles of the Baroque and bel canto, she may be heard on the major recording labels on over 70 CDs to date, which has earned her the distinction of being the most recorded mezzo-soprano of all time. Following her European debut in 1986, her vocal talents, energetic acting and natural beauty quickly established her as an emerging star, and the next years found her performing leading roles in the prestigious theaters of Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Brussels, Geneva, Amsterdam, Milan, Tokyo, Melbourne, Seoul, Buenos Aires and Salzburg. In 1994, Larmore returned to the United States in a triumphant Carnegie Hall appearance. This success was followed by the coveted Richard Tucker Award and her subsequent debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Since then, she has been a regular attraction at the Met, singing a wide range of roles in works ranging from Handel’s Julius Caesar to the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy. Larmore was the honored vocalist selected to close the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with the singing of the Olympic Hymn. In 2002, Dr. Larmore (conferred by Westminster College of Princeton) was knighted by the French government with the title Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres in recognition of her contribution to the world of French music.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 – 8:00 PM
The Alex Theatre Glendale, CA

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 – 7:00 PM
Royce Hall, UCLA Westwood, Los Angeles

CONDUCTOR JEFFREY KAHANE
SOLOIST JENNIFER LARMORE, mezzo-soprano

PROGRAM:
Rossini Overture and Aria from L’italiana in Algeri
Mozart Arias from La clemenza di Tito
Rossini Aria from Il barbiere di Siviglia
Vasks Musica Dolorosa
Schubert Symphony No. 3 in D major

TICKET PRICES: $17, $29, $48, $69, $79. (Subject to availability, discounts offered for students, seniors, and groups of 12 or more.)

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets available online at www.laco.org or by phone 213 622 7001 × 215 or by fax 213 955 2071. Tickets on sale at the theatre box office the night of the concert, if available.

Press Contact: Anna Bulbrook
Rogers & Cowan
310 854 8198
abulbrook@rogersandcowan.com

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