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Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon,
Presents World Premiere of Christopher Rouse's Requiem

Sunday, March 25, 2007, 7 p.m, at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Renowned Baritone Sanford Sylvan and Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Appear with Chorale

Work, Composed in Honor of 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Hector Berlioz, Was Commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria

Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Rouse’s gripping Requiem receives its eagerly awaited world premiere by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Music Director Grant Gershon, on Sunday, March 25, 2007, at 7 p.m., at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tremendously demanding, the 90-minute, 16-movement work — written for large orchestra, double chorus, children’s chorus and baritone soloist — is an emotionally raw musical journey chronicling Rouse’s very personal reaction to the reality of losing a loved one and was composed in honor of the Berlioz bicentenary. Sharing the stage with the Chorale are renowned American baritone Sanford Sylvan and the highly regarded Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. “Listen Up!”, a pre-concert talk at 6 p.m. in BP Hall, is hosted by KUSC’s Alan Chapman and features Gershon and Rouse.

Gershon states, “The Requiem by Christopher Rouse is the largest and most ambitious work to date by one of America’s most vital and important composers. It is a beautiful, intense and deeply moving artistic statement. When the Chorale was offered the opportunity to present the world premiere of this brilliant new work we jumped at the chance.”

Describing the piece, which was commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria and completed in Aspen, Colorado on July 12, 2002, Rouse says, “I composed my Requiem in honor of the Berlioz bicentenary. Berlioz is a composer whose music has always held an especially profound power over me, and his own mighty Requiem remains one of the most stupendous and imaginative of all such works, a unique example of the genre. I decided to reflect my love of his music by setting the Latin text with the same cuts, emendations and reshufflings that he chose for his own Requiem. Mine is a very large work in which the chorus fills the role of ‘ritual commentator’ while the solo bass baritone offers a more personalized experience of a life cycle observed through the deaths of loved ones. I have elected to attempt a remembrance of all who have died as well as those who have survived and grieved for them. It is my hope that my Requiem will, in the end, provide some sort of solace. This is an enormously challenging work to sing, and I am delighted that the wonderful Los Angeles Master Chorale will be doing the premiere. I know that the piece will hold no musical terrors for them!”

Christopher Rouse, elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters, is one of America's most prominent composers of orchestral music. He has created a body of work perhaps unequalled in its emotional intensity. The New York Times calls it "some of the most anguished, most memorable music around." The Baltimore Sun states, "When the music history of the late 20th century is written, I suspect the explosive and passionate music of Rouse will loom large." Born in Baltimore in 1949, Rouse developed an early interest in both classical and popular music. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and Cornell University, numbering among his principal teachers George Crumb and Karel Husa. Rouse maintained a steady interest in popular music: at the Eastman School of Music, where he was Professor of Composition until 2002, he taught a course in the history of rock for many years. Rouse is currently a member of the composition faculty at The Juilliard School.

Soli Deo Gloria, Inc. is dedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing the classical sacred music repertoire. To that end, Soli Deo Gloria has channeled the support of its donors in three unique directions: (1) sponsorship of sacred music concerts around the world, (2) sponsorship of recordings of sacred music, and (3) commissions for new sacred music from the world's leading composers. In each of these areas, Soli Deo Gloria has gained recognition as an extraordinary, behind-the-scenes advocate of sacred music, raising over $1 million in its first six years of operation.

States Soli Deo Gloria Artistic Director John Nelson, “The commissioning of Christopher Rouse through Soli Deo Gloria to compose a Requiem was piqued by three things: my friendship and collaboration with Chris when he was my composer in residence in Indianapolis, our mutual love of Berlioz and the 2003 bicentennial anniversary of the French composer's birth. What better way to celebrate Berlioz’ anniversary then to commission a work in his memory by the composer that most resembles him in our time? When I presented the idea to Chris he accepted on the spot. The work is also influenced by 9/11 as Chris was in the process of writing it when the tragedy struck. Originally planned for 2003, a series of unfortunate turns occurred following the completion of the work (very much in the tradition of Berlioz' works!) that caused its delay until 2007. Now scheduled for a world premiere with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, this largest of all Rouse works will not only honor one of the greatest American composers of our time, but will honor the message of all Requiems throughout history: life does not end with the last breath we exhale. Two of Christopher's favorite hymns from his childhood, in the final moments of the Requiem, attest to the fact that in the hour of death, our lives are in the hands of a loving God. We are all indebted to the magnificent support of Richard Nordlof in making this commission possible.”

Tickets to the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s concert range from $19 to $109. Student Rush seats are $10 and are available at the box office two hours before the performance. For tickets and information, please call (800) 787-5262 (outside California call 213-972-7282), log on to www.lamc.org or visit the box office at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Baritone SANFORD SYLVAN displays a remarkable range of vocal expression and communicative power. On the concert stage and in recordings, his radiantly pure, lyric tone, clarity of diction and profound understanding of both words and music speak directly and intimately to his audience. He is deeply committed to the art of the vocal recital and, in the realm of opera, is an acclaimed Mozartean. His portrayals of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte have been seen internationally, including on PBS’s "Great Performances." He has developed longstanding relationships with major composers who have written for him: John Adams' Nixon In China (Chou En-Lai), the title role of The Death of Klinghoffer and The Wound Dresser; and numerous works of John Harbison. He also portrayed the title role in the premiere of the film of John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer, which earned both Emmy and Grammy awards. In addition, Sylvan has performed with many of the leading orchestras of the world including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony. He has recorded for the Nonesuch, Decca, Harmonia Mundi, Musicmasters, Bridge, Koch, Virgin Classics, New World and CRI labels.

Considered one of the nation’s leading children’s choirs, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS, founded in 1986 and currently under the direction of Anne Tomlinson, has appeared over the past two decades in more than 300 performances with such renowned organizations as the LA Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, The Pasadena Symphony, and others. Few children’s choirs in the world are capable of covering the wide range of repertoire required to perform at this level or juggling such a demanding schedule. It requires tremendous musicianship, skill and dedication, which are honed through LACC’s comprehensive and rigorous music program.

The Grammy-nominated LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE, a resident company of the Music Center has been cited as a national leader for its innovative and dynamic programming. Los Angeles Times proclaims the Los Angeles Master Chorale “has become the most exciting chorus in the country under Grant Gershon.”

Event	“awaken” – the world premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Requiem Los Angeles Master Chorale Grant Gershon, conductor Sanford Sylvan, bass-baritone Los Angeles Children’s Chorus
Performance Date	Sunday, March 25, 2007, 7 p.m. (Listen Up! pre-concert talk, 6 p.m.)
Program	CHRISTOPHER ROUSE: Requiem (World Premiere)
Theater	Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ticket Prices	$19 - $109 Student Rush seats available at box office two hours before the performance.
Ticket Information	800-787-5262; outside California call 213-972-7282 www.lamc.org or at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office

Program, prices and artists subject to change.

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2-05-07