Tuesday, September 12, 2017

BroadwayWorld.com: Celebrate Día de los Muertos with Los Angeles Master Chorale, 10/29 [Leo Brouwer: "Song of Celebration"]

Leo Brouwer is an Afro-Cuban composer
featured at AfriClassical.com


September 11, 2017

Choral music that explores the dual themes of "death" and "celebration" comprise a spirited program for the Los Angeles Master Chorale's first-ever Día de los Muertos concert on Sunday, October 29 at 7 PM in Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets start at $29 and are available online from lamasterchorale.org, by calling the Box Office at 213-972-7282, or in person from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office, Monday - Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM.

The concert adds a new musical celebration to Los Angeles' calendar of events centered around the Mexican Day of the Dead festivities that will take place October 31 through November 2. It also coincides with the Getty-led city-wide Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative. The esteemed guest conductor for the concert will be María Guinand, who conducts two of Venezuela's most prestigious choirs, the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela and the Cantoría Alberto Grau. Finding the title of Mexican composer Diana Syrse's La Muerte Sonriente (The Smiling Death) particularly compelling, Guinand has created a two-part program with the first half of the concert featuring works commemorating the dead, and the second half featuring works that celebrate life, echoing the ethos of Día de los Muertos that focuses on remembering and celebrating the lives of loved ones who have died.

In addition to Syrse, featured composers include Alberto Ginastera (Argentina, 1916-1983), Rodolfo Halffter (Spain/Mexico, 1900-1987), Calixto Álvarez (Cuba), Miguel Astor (Venezuela), Leo Brouwer (Cuba), Alberto Grau (Spain), Carlos Alberto Pinto Fonseca (Brazil, 1933-2006), and Guido López Gavilán (Cuba). The program also features a work by Norwegian-born, US-based composer Ola Gjeilo. The a cappella program will be performed by 62 Los Angeles Master Chorale singers with many of the works being Master Chorale premieres.

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Leo Brouwer
Cántico De Celebración (Song of Celebration)

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