As you know from previous postings, violinist Leila Josefowicz just completed four performances of Oliver Knussen’s Violin Concerto. Josefowicz and conductor Susanna Mälkki have curated A Tribute to Oliver Knussen taking place on Tuesday, December 10th at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
This concert, part of the LA Phil’s Green Umbrella program, finds the LA Phil New Music Group performing. That group was formed in 1981.
Mälkki and Josefowicz were both friends of Knussen (who died in 2018). In our interview with Josefowicz she talked about how important this concert is for her and how therapeutic it is as well.
The program the two have come up with combines work by Knussen and those by other composers:
Colin Matthews’ Hidden Variables opens the program. That is followed by Knussen’s Reflection. Helen Grime’s A Cold Spring follows. A piano quartet by Huw Watkins then precedes two Knussen compositions: Ophelia Dances Book 1 and Two Organa. The concert is scheduled to close with Jonathan Harvey’s Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco.
These composers were selected because they were Knussen’s friends, colleagues and/or students.
Josefowicz will be performing. Also appearing in this concert is pianist John Novacek.
If you recently attended the LA Philharmonic performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and enjoyed it, this is a good follow-up concert. Knussen’s work is equally challenging and equally satisfying on both an emotional and intellectual level.
For tickets go here.
Photo of Leila Josefowicz with Oliver Knussen by Rikimaru Hotta (Courtesy of LeilaJosefowicz.com)