LA Chamber Orchestra's 'Mostly Baroque' Program Adds Stravinsky, 3/23-24

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra adds a dash of Stravinsky to a "Mostly Baroque" program conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane on Saturday, March 23, 2013, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, March 24 2013, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall.

In addition to conducting, Kahane takes a turn at the piano leading Bach's sublime Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050, which also spotlights LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and Principal Flute David Shostac.

In addition, Kahane puts the wind section through its paces with Mozart's Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361, "Gran Partita," widely considered a one of the masterworks of the woodwind repertoire, and conducts selections from Suites I and II of Handel's resplendent Water Music.

Opening the program is Stravinsky's Concerto in E-flat major, "Dumbarton Oaks," a chamber concerto that the composer notes was greatly influenced by Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

"I played Bach very regularly during the composition of the concerto and I was greatly attracted to the Brandenburg Concertos," Stravinsky wrote. "Whether or not the first theme of my first movement is a conscious borrowing from the third of the Brandenburg set, however, I do not know. What I can say is that Bach would most certainly have been delighted to loan it to me; to borrow in this way was exactly the sort of thing he liked to do himself."

Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, provide insights into the music and artists.

In celebration of Lorraine, LACO's newly released all-Bach CD, ticket holders are invited to meet LACO musicians immediately following the concerts at free after-parties with appetizers and drinks in the lobby. The CD on the Yarlung label features live recordings of both LACO's 2003 performance of Bach's Mein Herze Schwimmt in Blut ("My Heart Swims in Blood") with iconic mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and LACO's 2011 performance of the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto. CDs will be available for sale in the lobby.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world's premier chamber orchestras as well as a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2012-13 season, the Orchestra's 44th, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established and notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world's foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 16th season as LACO's music director.

Tickets ($25 - $110) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, 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 college 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's Royce Hall, LACO's Discover Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 at Ambassador Auditorium and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits. Student rush tickets ($10), based on availability, may be purchased at the box office the day of the concert.

Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, JEFFREY KAHANE has established an international reputation as a truly versatile artist, recognized around the world for his mastery of diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. The 2012-13 season marks Kahane's 16th season as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's music director. He previously served as music director of the Colorado and Santa Rosa symphonies. He has garnered tremendous critical acclaim for his innovative programming and commitment to education and community involvement and received multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for his work in both Los Angeles and Denver. In addition to his projects with LACO, he has recently appeared at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Blossom, Music@Menlo and Oregon Bach festivals; performed concertos with the Toronto and Houston symphonies; guest conducted the San Francisco, National and Indianapolis symphonies; and play/conducted programs in Europe with the Camerata Salzburg and Hamburg Symphony.

MARGARET BATJER has served as concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 1998. Throughout her successful career as soloist, chamber musician, teacher and concertmaster, she has established herself as a versatile and respected artist worldwide. Batjer made her first solo appearance at the age of 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). She has since returned to the CSO and soloed with a succession of major orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra and the St. Louis, Seattle and Dallas symphony orchestras. Batjer has performed with such European ensembles as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Prague Chamber Orchestra and Berlin Symphony Orchestra. As an esteemed chamber musician, she appears regularly at the Marlboro Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Salzburg Festival, and Italy's Naples and Cremona festivals. In 2008, she developed LACO's acclaimed chamber music series, Westside Connections. Among her many noteworthy recordings, Batjer has twice recorded Bach's Concerto for Two Violins: for the Philips label with Salvatore Accardo and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and in 2003, paired as soloist with Hilary Hahn for Deutsche Grammophon with Jeffrey Kahane conducting the LA Chamber Orchestra. Batjer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Ivan Galamian and David Cerone. She joined the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music in 2005.

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