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Concrete Frequency

Under the guidance of Festival Director David Robertson, Concrete Frequency is a multi-disciplinary series of events designed to examine and celebrate the elements that define a city, and how they are affected by, and reflected in, music. Anchored by three stimulating orchestral programs, this unique exploration will be enhanced by a film festival, a view of urban and pop culture through dance and music, and thought-provoking symposia.

About Concrete Frequency
David Robertson talks about the festival. *Requires QuickTime

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CALENDAR

CONCRETE FREQUENCY I

From Copland's film score for The City (a 1939 perspective on four kinds of cities, screened with live accompaniment), to Varèse's overwhelming Amériques ("Rite of Spring on steroids"), the festival's first program examines how our view of the city has changed, from dangerous and in decline to vibrant and full of opportunity.

About Concrete Frequency I
David Robertson talks about the first program. *Requires QuickTime

Watch Video
 

Friday January 4

(Casual Friday) 8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Robertson, conductor
COPLAND The City (with film)
VARÈSE Amériques

After the concert: 9PM - midnight
Immediately following the Philharmonic's performance, this late-night event will fill the alternate spaces of the Hall with music, film, and dance inspired by the sights, sounds, and soul of Los Angeles. Free for all those in attendance.

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Saturday January 5

8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Robertson, conductor
COPLAND The City (with film)
ZAPPA Dupree's Paradise
CRUMB A Haunted Landscape
VARÈSE Amériques

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Sunday January 6

2pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Robertson, conductor
COPLAND The City (with film)
ZAPPA Dupree's Paradise
CRUMB A Haunted Landscape
VARÈSE Amériques

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SONGS OF THE CITY

From the bright lights to the dark alleys, music has allowed city dwellers an outlet for their joy, urgency, depression, and heartache. Whether it's a lighthearted pop song or an elegy of isolation, come inside to hear the walls of the city sing.

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Tuesday January 8

8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Marc Bianchi (Her Space Holiday; xoxo, panda)
Biirdie
Franklin Bruno
Zooey Deschanel
John Doe
Inara George (The Bird And The Bee)
Stevie Jackson (Belle And Sebastian)
Sondre Lerche
Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio)
Money Mark
Bob Mould
Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave)
Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear)

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CONCRETE FREQUENCY II

Robertson's second program uses a vast range of visionary works to consider silence - and its absence - in an over-stimulated environment, and to contemplate the loneliness of an individual within a densely populated urban setting.

About Concrete Frequency II
David Robertson talks about the second program. *Requires QuickTime

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Thursday January 10

8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
David Robertson, conductor
Alison Balsom, trumpet
BERIO Sequenza X
IVES Central Park in the Dark
FELDMAN Turfan Fragments
BENJAMIN Palimpsest I and II
ZIMMERMANN "Nobody knows de trouble I see" for trumpet and orchestra

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Friday January 11

8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
David Robertson, conductor
Alison Balsom, trumpet
BERIO Sequenza X
IVES Central Park in the Dark
FELDMAN Turfan Fragments
BENJAMIN Palimpsest I and II
ZIMMERMANN "Nobody knows de trouble I see" for trumpet and orchestra

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CONCRETE FREQUENCY III

"The phrase 'In the future' can preface things we dream about that have yet to exist and also can refer to a time when things we now know disappear." (David Robertson) The Phil's final program confronts the irreconcilable ideas of modernity and nostalgia. A newly commissioned work blending music and video that views L.A. in different time frames is performed for the first time.

About Concrete Frequency III
David Robertson talks about the third program. *Requires QuickTime

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Saturday January 12

8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
David Robertson, conductor
BOULEZ "...explosante-fixe..."
GORDON/MORRISON Dystopia (music/video collaboration; world premiere)

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Sunday January 13

2pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
David Robertson, conductor
BOULEZ "...explosante-fixe..."
GORDON/MORRISON Dystopia (music/video collaboration; world premiere)

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MAN-MACHINE IN THE DIGITAL CITY

Tokyo's Cornelius delivers electronic psychedelia while dissecting layers of technology, urban culture, and pop music. Going beyond techno, British duo Plaid produces digitalized abstract musical art, from ominous crackles to beat-heavy melodies. Don't miss this rare, live performance, featuring cut-up sonic assemblages and wildly experimental visuals.

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Thursday January 17

9pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Cornelius
Plaid

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SYMPOSIUM

Frank Gehry and David Robertson will be special guest panelists during afternoon symposium sessions which will explore various elements of our built environment.

Saturday January 5

2pm - 4pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall

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FILM SCREENINGS

Film screenings and discussions at ArcLight Hollywood. For details and tickets visit ArcLightCinemas.com.

Monday January 7

8pm

ArcLight Hollywood
METROPOLIS
Q&A to follow with Daily Variety contributor Jon Burlingame and special guest Dr. Cornelius Schnauber, renowned professor and author of the biography Fritz Lang in Hollywood.

Monday January 14

8pm

ArcLight Hollywood
TAXI DRIVER
Q&A to follow with moderator Jon Burlingame and Emmy-nominated TV producer and award-winning author of A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life of Bernard Herrmann, Steven C. Smith.

Tuesday January 15

8pm

ArcLight Hollywood
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
Q&A to follow with moderator Jon Burlingame and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and A Clockwork Orange DVD commentator Nick Redman.

ARTWORK
Artwork will be on display throughout the Walt Disney Concert Hall lobby from January 4 - 17. Courtesy of Los Angeles artists: Shepard Fairey, Anthony Ausgang, The Hive Gallery (thehivegallery.com), and Overtones Gallery (overtonesgallery.com)