Among the orchestras with world or U.S. premieres this October are Virginia’s Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota. On October 26 the Fairfax Symphony will perform the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Virtue, based on the medieval morality play Ordo Virtutem by Hildegard von Bingen. Music Director Christopher Zimmerman will lead the orchestra and soloist Tony Arnold, a soprano, at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax. On October 23, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, performed the world premiere of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels – The Suites, celebrating the tenth anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall; also on the program was Zappa’s violin concerto, with Leila Josefowicz as soloist. On October 26 the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Shawn Jaeger’s The Cold Pane, led by Scott Yoo. The work, featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw and commissioned by the SPCO, is a setting of five poems by Kentucky writer and activist Wendell Berry. The annual White Light Festival, held at New York’s Lincoln Center from October 24 to November 23, features several U.S. premieres, including, on October 28, Michael van der Aa’s Up-close for cello, string ensemble, and film. Van der Aa’s work will feature the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, musicians from the International Contemporary Ensemble, and cellist Kaori Yamagami. On November 13, Era la Notte, a staged theater work directed by Juliette Deschamps with soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci, will have its premiere; the piece includes music by Monteverdi, Strozzi, Marini, and Giramo. Also performing in the White Light Festival this year are the Cleveland Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and Leipzig Baroque Orchestra.
Posted October 25, 2013
