Concert Launches the LA Phil 2012/13 Green Umbrella Series

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2012, AT 8 PM

Daníel Bjarnason’s Over Light Earth is an LA Phil Commission with Generous Support from

Lenore S. and Bernard Greenberg

This evening's concert is supported in part by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

WHAT:         LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams leads the LA Phil New Music Group in the first Green Umbrella series concert of the 2012/13 season, Tuesday, October 16, at 8 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The concert features the works of two of today’s hottest young composers, Nico Muhly and Daníel Bjarnason, both active in the Reykjavik, Iceland music scene and part of Bedroom Community, an Icelandic record label/collective formed in 2006.

The evening begins with Muhly’s arrangement of Two Motets by William Byrd. Following is the West Coast premiere of Muhly’s Seeing is Believing, a concerto for electric violin featuring British soloist Thomas Gould in his LA Phil debut. Next is Muhly’s arrangement of the traditional Icelandic Tvísöngur. The program continues with two Bjarnason pieces – the LA Phil-commissioned world premiere of Over Light Earth, and the U.S. premiere of Bow to String. Though the music was written in Reykjavík, Bjarnason found his inspiration for Over Light Earth after viewing paintings by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock at the Museum of Contemporary Art, just across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall. Bow to String, originally for over-dubbed cellos, is presented in a new ensemble arrangement with Icelandic cellist Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir.

Remaining concerts for the 2012/13 Green Umbrella series are: LA Phil Resident Conductor Lionel Bringuier leading the LA Phil New Music Group in a program celebrating the 100^th anniversary of composer Witold Lutosławski's birth (Dec. 4, 2012); Pablo Heras-Casado leading the New Music Group and a cast of soloists in the West Coast premiere of Peter Eötvös’ opera Angels in America, based on Tony Kushner’s play (Jan. 15, 2013); Gustavo Dudamel and John Adams splitting the conductor role in a program featuring an LA Phil-commissioned world premiere by Unsuk Chin (Feb. 26, 2013); and Alan Pierson leading the New Music Group in a program that explores Brooklyn’s experimental scene with a presentation of works by Brooklyn-based composers – Matt Marks, Samuel Adams and Tyondai Braxton (April 16, 2013).

Composer, conductor, and creative thinker – John Adams occupies a unique position in the world of American music. His works, both operatic and symphonic, stand out among contemporary classical compositions for their depth of expression, brilliance of sound, and the profoundly humanist nature of their themes. For more than 25 years, Adams’ music has played a decisive role in turning the tide of contemporary musical aesthetics away from academic modernism and toward a more expansive, expressive language, entirely characteristic of his New World surroundings. He is currently the Creative Chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, Processions (2010), with Time Out NY declaring that he “create(s) a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music’s undefinable brave new world.” Bjarnason’s versatility as an arranger and conductor has led to collaborations with a broad array of musicians outside the classical field, including Sigur Rós, Efterkland, múm and Ólöf Arnald among others.

Nico Muhly has composed a wide scope of work for ensembles, soloists and organizations. Additionally, he has lent his skills as performer, arranger and conductor to artists ranging from Antony and the Johnsons to Usher.

Thomas Gould was the soloist in the Decca Classics recording of Muhly’s Seeing is Believing. He also is a member of swing band Man Overboard and has collaborated on projects with artists as diverse as Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Rufus Wainwright, Brad Mehldau and Sam Amidon among others.

Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir was recently nominated for an Icelandic Music Award for “Musician of the Year 2011.” An advocate of new music, she has premiered dozens of works, most recently commissioned works for cello by Bjarnason, Nicolas Csicsko and Kendall Briggs. 

Complete Program:

William BYRD (arr. Muhly)          Two Motets

Nico MUHLY                              Seeing is Believing (electric violin concerto)

                                               (West Coast premiere)

Traditional (arr. Muhly)               Tvísöngur

Daníel BJARNASON                    Over Light Earth

(world premiere, LA Phil commission)

BJARNASON                               Bow to String

An Upbeat Live pre-concert event takes place in Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall one hour prior to the concert, and is free to all ticket holders. LA Phil Vice President of Artistic Planning Chad Smith hosts.

WHO:               LA PHIL NEW MUSIC GROUP

JOHN ADAMS, conductor

THOMAS GOULD, electric violin

                        SAEUNN THORSTEINSDOTTIR, cello

For full artist biographies, please visit: laphil.com/adamsgreenumbrella

WHEN:             Tuesday, October 16, 2012, at 8 PM

WHERE:           WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

HOW TO

PURCHASE:      

Subscriptions and single tickets for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2012/13 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are currently available. To purchase, please visit LAPhil.com, the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet. To order by phone with credit card, please call the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office at 323.850.2000, or Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.

###

10.11.12