MODERNITY NOW
Friday, February 19th, 2016 | 7:30 PM
Aratani Theatre - Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

FREE Admission. No Tickets Required.

Yuga Cohler, conductor
Kirsten Ashley Wiest, soprano

STRAVINSKY - Petrushka
LIGETI - The Mysteries of the Macabre
Esa-Pekka SALONEN - Foreign Bodies

No one is more representative of modernity in classical music than Esa-Pekka Salonen. As a former music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and one of the most accomplished living composers, he is an artistic entrepreneur unique to our times. The cool ethos he has cultivated by engaging with technology and popular culture are exactly what YMF is about, and his music is all the more vital for it. To perform his colossally difficult Foreign Bodies is a reflection of both the Debut Orchestra’s virtuosity and its forward-thinking artistic mission.

The middle piece in this program is no less shocking. Employing elements of spoken word and theater, The Mysteries of the Macabre is hilarious, offensive, and deeply fascinating all at the same time. Featuring YMF Concerto Competition Winner Kirsten Ashley Wiest, this performance will feature singer, conductor, and orchestra participating in ways unthinkable to those who view classical music as an artifact of the past.

From this perspective, the first half of the program is ancient. Initially written 100 years ago, Petrushka is one of the first examples of modern classical music, with Stravinsky’s characteristic rhythmic drive and harmonic complexity. Performing this work first allows us the opportunity to examine where we have been, where we are, and most importantly, where we are going. The time for modernity is now.


-Notes by Yuga Cohler, Music Director/Conductor

More information can be found here.