Los Angeles Master Chorale to Perform Fauré's REQUIEM Led by Jenny Wong

The Los Angeles Master Chorale, led by Associate Conductor Jenny Wong, will perform Fauré's Requiem on March 28 & 29 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in a program that pairs the lush work with Frank Martin's exquisite Mass for Double Choir, a personal contemplation of God rooted in chant, and Roxanna Panufnik's Zen Love Song, a contemporary contemplation of loss based on Edo Komoriuta, a traditional Japanese lullaby.

Since its premiere at La Madeleine in Paris in 1888, the Fauré Requiem has been a regular feature on choral concert programs worldwide. Los Angeles Master Chorale's Artistic Director, Grant Gershon, says of its universal appeal, "Unlike the famous requiems of Mozart and Verdi, which take more of a mournful, fearful, fire-and-brimstone approach to death, Fauré's Requiem stands apart by expressing an intimate, comforting, and ultimately peaceful view of death and the deliverance it can offer."

Associate Conductor Jenny Wong will lead the 62-voice ensemble with chamber orchestra, along with Namhee Han at the organ and soloists Christina Barstow (soprano) and Steve Pence (baritone).

"Martin's Mass for Double Choir is a towering masterpiece of a cappella choral music, sincere in its spiritual devotion and timeless in its craftsmanship." says Wong. "For forty years, Martin never meant for it to be heard by the world, as he wrote, 'I considered it to be a matter between God and myself,' but thank goodness it was."

Kiku Day will join the ensemble playing the shakuhachi, one of the most important instruments of traditional Japanese music, for Zen Love Song, which was written for Day by composer Roxanna Panufnik. Day is also an ethnomusicologist who works at the intersections of performance of traditional shakuhachi music, contemporary music and improvisation, ethnomusicology, history, politics, meditation and writing.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale continues its 2019-20 season with GALA 2020, honoring Billy Childs and The Blue Ribbon on April 18; "Come Away to the Skies: A Celebration of Alice Parker" on May 17; and Rachmaninoff's epic All-Night Vigil on June 13 & 14.

This program is made possible with generous support from Joyce and Aubrey Chernick, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the E. Nakamichi Foundation.

DETAILS

WHO:

Los Angeles Master Chorale
Namhee Han, organist
Christina Bristow, soprano
Steve Pence, baritone
Kiku Day, shakuhachi
62 voices
chamber ensemble

PROGRAM:

Gabriel Fauré: Requiem
Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir
Roxanna Panufnik: Zen Love Song

WHEN & WHERE:

Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m.
Walt Disney Concert Hall

Sunday, March 30, 7:00 p.m.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

DIRECTIONS & PARKING:

Please visit https://lamasterchorale.org/directions for directions and parking information. Parking is available directly beneath Walt Disney Concert Hall. Enter on Second Street or Lower Grand Avenue. Regular parking costs $9 beginning at 4:30 p.m. for evening concerts.

TICKETS:

Tickets start at $29 and are available by phone, 213-972-7282, or online at lamasterchorale.org.