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Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra to Embark on European Tour
January 14, 2008
LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
TO EMBARK ON EUROPEAN TOUR
THE EIGHT-CITY TOUR
FEATURES MEZZO-SOPRANO VESSELINA KASAROVA
AND LACO COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE AND PIANIST URI CAINE
LAUSD STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE “VIRTUALLY” THROUGH LACO’S MEET THE MUSIC PROGRAM
LOS ANGELES (January 9, 2008) – In February 2008, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) and music director Jeffrey Kahane embark on the Orchestra’s first European Tour in over 30 years: an eight-city trek with performances in Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain and France. The Orchestra’s first tour to Europe with Kahane, it features mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova for five performances and LACO composer-in-residence and pianist Uri Caine for three performances. From February 28 through March 9, 2008, Kahane and the Orchestra perform by special invitation in Vienna, Austria; Paris, France; San Sebastián, Spain; the Italian cities of Ferrara and Treviso; and the German cities of Hanover, Hamburg and Los Angeles’ sister city, Berlin.
“Los Angeles has taken its rightful place among the artistic capitals of the world, and LACO is a wonderful representative of the best our city has to offer. We are all honored and thrilled to have been invited to perform in some of Europe’s most distinguished concert venues, and to be able to share the virtuosity of the Orchestra with international audiences,” says Kahane.
As part of the Orchestra’s Meet the Music program, LACO is creating opportunities for students from eight Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools to participate virtually in the European Tour. Students are first introduced to the Orchestra with a live kickoff performance at The Colburn School’s Zipper Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Afterwards, students are able to follow the tour activities via an online blog with photographs from the created by their peers-the children of LACO musicians who will travel with the Orchestra and document the tour. LACO hosts 900 LAUSD students in grades three through six at the two kickoff performances at 10:00 am and 11:30 am on February 22, 2008, during which the Orchestra performs selections from the repertoire for the upcoming tour. Students learn about the music to be performed on tour, as well as the history and geography of each of the tour cities through interactive lesson plans.
Repertoire for the tour includes the European premiere of a piece that LACO commissioned from Uri Caine, as well as works by Haydn, Mozart, Rossini, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. “Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ Symphony and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella are two of LACO’s signature pieces,” says Kahane. “There are only a handful of orchestras in the world that play these jewels of the early 20th century with the combination of panache, wit, and affection that our musicians do.”
Kasarova joins the Orchestra to perform arias from Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) and two of Rossini’s best-known operas, Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) in Treviso, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin and Paris. Known for her intense characterization of the roles she plays, her virtuosic vocal agility and her expressive, colorful voice, Kasarova began her musical career as a pianist, earning a performance degree in piano before switching her focus to singing. The Bulgarian mezzo-soprano studied vocal performance at the State Music Academy in Sofia with Ressa Koleva, who guided her away from the prevailing Verdi singing culture and steered her toward bel canto repertoire (an Italian style of singing that emphasizes technique over volume), including operas by Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti. Though she was already enjoying rising success in Europe, Kasarova gained international recognition in 1992 when she stepped in for the legendary Marilyn Horne at the Salzburg Festival on short notice.
As a testament to the Orchestra’s ASCAP Award-winning commitment to adventurous programming, LACO is joined by jazz pianist and LACO composer-in-residence Uri Caine for the European premiere of Caine’s Mosaics for Piano and Chamber Orchestra. The New York Times calls the acclaimed musician “...ferociously versatile…” saying, “He is a genuine polyglot, at home in jazz but fluent in many musical languages and capable of juxtaposing them in virtuoso collage.” As a jazz pianist and bandleader, Caine has recorded over 18 albums, most recently The Classical Variations (2007). As a composer, Caine has been commissioned by an international variety of performing arts organizations, including the Vienna Volksoper, the Beaux Arts Trio, Concerto Köln, the American Composers Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Caine became the LACO composer-in-residence in 2005, and his term concludes in 2009, coinciding with the Orchestra’s 40th anniversary season. Commissioned by LACO’s Sound Investment program during his first season in the post, Caine and the Orchestra performed the world premiere of his Concerto for Two Pianos and Chamber Orchestra in May 2006 in honor of Mozart’s 250th birthday. The Orchestra premiered Caine’s Mosaics as part of its Musaic at the Jazz Bakery festival in Culver City in May 2007.
Tour Schedule and Program:
Program 1:
Thursday, February 28, 2008; Ferrara, Italy
Tuesday, March 4, 2008; Vienna, Austria
Sunday, March 9, 2008; San Sebastián, Spain
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Uri Caine, piano
Stravinsky, Pulcinella Suite
Caine, Mosaics for Piano and Chamber Orchestra
Haydn, Symphony No. 99 in E-flat major
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Classical”
Program 2:
Friday, February 29, 2008; Treviso, Italy
Sunday, March 2, 2008; Hanover, Germany
Monday, March 3, 2008; Hamburg, Germany
Thursday, March 6, 2008; Berlin, Germany
Saturday, March 8, 2008; Paris, France
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Vesselina Kasarova, mezzo-soprano
Haydn, Symphony No. 99 in E-flat major
Mozart, Overture from La clemenza di Tito
Mozart, “Parto, ma tu, ben mio” from La clemenza di Tito
Mozart, “Deh, per questo istante solo” from La clemenza di Tito
Rossini, Overture from L’italiana in Algeri
Rossini, “Amici, in ogni evento” from L’italiana in Algeri
Rossini, “Una voce poco fa” from Il barbiere di Siviglia
Stravinsky, Pulcinella Suite
Sponsorship for the tour is generously provided by Lufthansa German Airlines; patrons Grace Cohen, Larry & Christine Davanzo, Lois Evans & K. Eugene Shutler, Joyce & Mal Fienberg, A Friend of LACO, Warner & Carol Henry, Jerry & Terri Kohl, Sharon McNalley, Michael & Linda Rosen and Gregory J. Soukup & Mary Jo Carr. The Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation is a sponsor of the March 2 concert in Hanover. The Orchestra also acknowledges the support of Douglas Sietsema and Tanino Ristorante.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra recognizes Guggenheim Partners and Lufthansa German Airlines as official sponsors, and Pierre’s Fine Pianos and Fazioli as the organization’s official piano supplier and piano.
Born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, Vesselina Kasarova has gained international renown for her interpretation of Mozart operas, the bel canto fach and French opera. She has worked with such illustrious conductors as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Colin Davis, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Muti, and has performed concerts and recitals in the great music capitals of the world. She is a regular guest artist at the Salzburg Summer Festival, the Munich Opera Festival and the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, Italy. Her discography for BMG Classic includes Tancredi, Werther, I Capuleti e i Montecchi and La favorita, as well as CDs of arias from the Italian and French repertoire. She has also released a recording of Bulgarian songs, a lieder CD and a recording of music by Berlioz and Ravel.
Uri Caine was born in Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania studying music composition with George Rochberg and George Crumb. In the 2005-06 season, Caine became the composer-in-residence with LACO for a period of four years, highlighted by the world premiere of his Concerto for Two Pianos and Chamber Orchestra in LACO’s recent Mozart Festival. Caine has been commissioned to write works for the Vienna Volksoper, the Seattle Chamber Players, Relâche, the Beaux Arts Trio and the Basel Chamber Orchestra, and in 2004, Caine performed his Diabelli Variations with the Cleveland Orchestra. Caine is the recipient of grants from numerous organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts and has recorded 18 albums as the featured musician.
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 entered his 11th season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He continues his successful tenure as music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership, both ensembles received 2007 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. Kahane also serves as artistic director of the Green Music Festival in Sonoma County.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1968 as an artistic outlet for the film and record studios’ most gifted musicians. Since then, the 40-member Orchestra has acquired a reputation as one of the foremost ensembles of its kind in the world. Renowned pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane has led the group since 1997. Acclaimed for its virtuosic music-making, dynamic programming and signature personal style, the Orchestra performs repertoire ranging from Baroque masterpieces to newly commissioned works, and is recognized for championing young artists on the brink of major careers, as well as working with some of today’s leading artists.
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