Aaron Jay Kernis uses the idea of medieval mysticism and visions of angels as inspirations for his composition “Musica Celestis,” and the end product is an ethereal piece of string music.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performs at Royce Hall on Sunday, and will showcase Kernis’ contemporary composition as well as timeless classics from Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn.
Halls, trained in the harpsichord and keyboard, will join the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in a career that has seen him play with the likes of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and, most recently, as the artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival — a position he took over from esteemed conductor Helmuth Rilling.
Educated at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Halls later returned to teach at the university for five years. Halls established himself in his earlier years as a keyboardist, travelling and performing with a host of ensembles around Europe.
In the 2008-2009 season, Halls made his eagerly anticipated North American debut, conducting the piece “Rinaldo” by Handel with the Central City Opera Colorado.
Kenneth Munday, principal bassoonist for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, said that the group is lucky to welcome Halls, claiming that Halls is one of the best musicians he has ever worked with.
“Halls is incredibly knowledgeable because of his background in early music. I once played a two-hour set with him, where he conducted a Verdi piece completely from memory,” Munday said. “He knows the music so well. Every concert with him has been great.”
The 40-strong chamber orchestra will perform the pieces “Ballet Music from Idomeneo” by Mozart, “Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major” by Haydn, “Musica Celestis” by Kernis and “Symphony No. 1 in C major” by Beethoven. Munday said that “Ballet Music from Idomeneo,” in particular, will be an exciting listen due to its unusual nature.
“‘Idomeneo‘ is not a very common piece. Performing Mozart is common, but this particular piece of ballet music isn’t,” Munday said.
Rachel Fine, executive director for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, said the chosen pieces will play to the orchestra’s strengths, showing the flexibility and quality of the chamber’s own musicians.
“We are great at performing Beethoven and Haydn, and the Kernis piece fits into our strengths,” Fine said. “These pieces will highlight just how good our own musicians are; The soloists are all members of the chamber as opposed to soloists we have invited to play with the orchestra, and they all play at a very high level.”
Munday, along with violinist Margaret Batjer, cellist Andrew Shulman and oboist Allan Vogel, will perform the solos in Haydn’s “Sinfonia concertante.”
Shulman said he promises an energetic rendition of pieces that have been performed consistently for centuries, believing that Halls will conduct the pieces in a fresh manner.
“We approach every piece as if it is a new piece of music, but we inform them with the best historical practices,” Shulman said. “We are known for our energy, whether playing new or classic pieces, and inject that passion into all our shows.”
The performance at Royce Hall is part of a larger series by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, in which they visit UCLA almost monthly — with subsequent shows scheduled for March, April, May and June, including a show on Bach’s birthday.
“Royce Hall is like our second home,” Shulman said. “And we always love playing there.”