The Los Angeles Master Chorale, led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, opens the 2015-16 season, its 52nd, with “The Russian Evolution,” a program of sublime Russian choral works grand and intimate, including the West Coast premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s seminal “The Canticle of the Sun,” “a glorious sonic cloudburst” (New Zealand Herald) based on the nature-centric writings of St. Francis of Assisi and composed for chamber choir, percussion and virtuoso cello, featuring the LA Philharmonic’s celebrated principal cellist Robert deMaine, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., at Disney Hall.
Gershon contrasts Gubaidulina’s ethereal piece and unleashes the full power of the Chorale’s 120 voices with lush, harmonic a cappella music composed for large choirs, including selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom,” Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” and “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom,” Grechaninov’s “Cherubic Hymn” and “Passion Week,” as well as Andrei Ilyashenko’s “We Should Choose to Love Silence.”
PROGRAM:
TCHAIKOVSKY Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (selections)
GRECHANINOV Cherubic Hymn
GRECHANINOV Passion Week (selections)
RACHMANINOFF All-Night Vigil, a.k.a. Vespers (selections)
RACHMANINOFF Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (selections)
ANDREI ILYASHENKO We Should Choose to Love Silence
SOFIA GUBAIDULINA The Canticle of the Sun (West Coast premiere, with Robert deMaine, cello)
Culture Spot LA readers can win a pair of tickets to the Saturday matinee. Email editor@culturespotla.com with LAMC in the subject line.
Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave. at First Street in downtown LA. Tickets range from $29 to $129. For tickets and information, please call (213) 972-7282, or visit www.lamc.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person in advance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office (Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.) and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office on concert days starting two hours prior to the performance.
Video link for more about the concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWjh9k64Pw8&feature=youtu.be