LOWELL, Mass., Dec. 4, 2023 — On Sunday, February 18, 3 p.m., The Lowell Chamber Orchestra will present the first Massachusetts performance of Julia Perry's "Symphony for Violas and Basses," from a new edition by LCO's music director Orlando Cela.
The new edition looks to celebrate Perry's centenary of her birth, and provide a clear template from which other ensembles can perform this work from one of America's most influential and underappreciated composers.
"This work is a fabulous example of Perry's modernist style," says LCO music director Orlando Cela. "One can hear Perry as a mature composer, masterfully handling complex rhythms and harmonies, and presenting a piece that moves from the majestic to the introspective, and then to an electrifying ending."
The concert will also include a world premiere by Martin Max Schreiner - his score being one of the winners of the 2023 LCO Call-for-Scores - and conclude with a rendition of Béla Bartók's "Music for String Instruments, Percussion, and Celesta."
