Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Segues from Mozart to Marimbas, Plus Guest Pianist Richard Goode

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), under the baton of Jeffrey Kahane, segues from Mozart to marimba in two performances that also spotlight the West Coast premiere of Brooklyn-based composer Timo Andres’ Word of Mouth, “an exhilarating chamber symphony suffused with optimism” (The New York Times), on Saturday, October 17, 8 pm, Alex Theatre, Glendale, and Sunday, October 18, 7 pm, UCLA’s Royce Hall. Also featured on the varied program are acclaimed pianist Richard Goode performing Mozart’s “Golden Period” Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major, K. 456, and LACO Principal Timpani/Percussion Wade Culbreath, who is showcased in French composer Emmanuel Séjourné’s Concerto for Marimba and Strings. The program concludes with Haydn’s joyous and beloved Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. I:88. Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, feature Andres and Culbreath in conversation with Kahane, with a short marimba demonstration by Culbreath.

Andres, a noted composer and piano virtuoso, is winner of the prestigious 2011 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer award. His works include a piano quintet for Jonathan Biss and the Elias String Quartet, commissioned and presented by Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and San Francisco Performances; a solo piano work for Kirill Gerstein, commissioned by the Gilmore Foundation; a new string quartet for the Library of Congress, premiered by the Attacca Quartet; and a new piece for yMusic. Upcoming commissions include a major work for Third Coast Percussion and an ensemble song cycle to be premiered by himself, Gabriel Kahane, Becca Stevens, Ted Hearne and Nathan Koci at the Ecstatic Music Festival, and presented by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series. Andres earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University.

Goode, noted for his “keen imagination, intelligence and sensitivity” (Washington Post), is considered one of today’s leading interpreters of Classical and Romantic music. In addition to performing in leading venues around the globe, he served as the co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival in Marlboro, Vermont from 1999 through 2013, described by New Yorker magazine as “the classical world’s most coveted retreat.” The Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major, K. 456, unusual in its richness, complexity and scope, is the first of three of Mozart’s “Golden Period” piano concertos being presented by LACO this season.

In addition to his principal position with LACO, Culbreath is principal percussion with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and timpanist with the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra. He has also played on some 400 soundtracks for the motion picture studios, including the Academy Award-winning scores for Aladdin, Pocahontas and Life of Pi. Séjourné’s Concerto for Marimba and Strings is a two-movement work “gorgeously composed (and) rhythmically reminiscent of classic, mid-20th century French films” (The Villager).

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world’s premier chamber orchestras as well as a pacesetter in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2015-16 season, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established as well as notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world’s foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 19th season as LACO’s music director.

Tickets, starting at $27, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase student rush tickets ($12), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert. Also available for college students is the $30 “Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass” – good for all seven of LACO’s Orchestral series concerts, Discover Bach’s Cantata “Sleepers Awake” and three Westside Connections concerts.