It’s an exciting time for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. After a year in which guest conductors came in for each concert last season, they are ready to introduce their new music director, Jaime Martín. He leads the orchestra in its first two concerts of the season on Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and on Sunday at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
LACO is starting big. The concert features the world premiere of Begin by composer Andrew Norman. The LA Philharmonic made a splash last season with the world premiere of Norman’s Sustain. There’s no reason to think this new work won’t be just as exciting.
That alone would make this concert well worth attending. But Martín is bringing long-held relationships to LACO this season. He has invited good friend and collaborator mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter to perform Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été. This is a song cycle of six songs set to the poems of Théophile Gautier. I’ve only heard a recording of von Otter performing these songs. To hear her sing them live would be a treat for any serious music lover.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony #7. This may be the most traditional aspect of the concert, but with Beethoven’s 250th birthday coming up, a lot of his work is going to be performed over the next 16 months.
This is a very strong way to launch their new season and welcome Jaime Martín to Los Angeles. We will have an interview with Martín later this week where he discusses his approach to making music in Los Angeles.
For tickets to Saturday’s performance in Glendale go here.
For tickets to Sunday’s performance at UCLA go here.
Photo of Jaime Martín by Ben Gibbs/Courtesy of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra