SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008, AT 7:30 PM

Minimalist pioneer Terry Riley performs on the magnificent pipe organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday, May 25, at 7:30pm. The concert features the world premiere of Universal Bridge, a new work commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The program also includes A Persian Surgery Dervish in the Nursery, Salome Dances for Peace (arranged for pipe organ), and Song from the Old Country, all composed by Riley.

Universal Bridge is a work especially created for the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ. Riley performs from the organ loft above the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage in a performance reminiscent of his legendary electronic organ concerts of the 1960s and 70s. Dramatic lighting enhances his hypnotic, trance-inducing flights at the keyboard.

Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic In C in 1964. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns. Its impact changed the course of 20th-century music and its influence is heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, and rock groups such as The Who, The Soft Machine, Tangerine Dream, Curved Air and many more. Riley’s multi-layered, polymetric, brightly orchestrated Eastern flavored improvisations and compositions set the stage for prevailing interest in this new musical movement.

Veronika Krausas, composer and Professor at Thornton School of Music at USC, hosts Upbeat Live, a pre-concert event free to all ticket holders, in BP Hall one hour prior to the performance. This concert concludes the 2007/08 Organ Recital Series at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

TERRY RILEY is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the Minimalist movement. His landmark composition In C established Minimalism as a vital force in contemporary music and his work continues to be a major influence today. His career, spanning five decades, far from being confined to the Minimalist category, has always crossed boundaries and been marked by its effortless transformations and morphing from one strata of thought to another. Highly developed elements of Indian music, jazz, and African and Middle Eastern music can be heard in intricate melding in much of his work. A gifted pianist, singer, and improviser, he has performed worldwide since 1955. He is a senior disciple of the late, legendary North Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath, and appeared in numerous concerts as the Master's accompanist both on tabla and vocal. He has received numerous awards including a John Simon Guggenheim, a Gerbode Foundation grant, and two NEA grants. He has written for chamber, orchestral, jazz, rock, and world music ensembles. Most notable is his 25-year association with the Kronos Quartet. For Kronos he has produced 15 major works, including 13 string quartets and The Sands, a concerto for string quartet and orchestra. Terry's list of collaborators also includes La Monte Young, Chet Baker, John Cale, Don Cherry, Krishna Bhatt, Stefano Scodanibbio, artist Bruce Conner, and poet Michael McClure. The London Times listed Terry as one of the "1000 makers of the 20th century."

The WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL ORGAN was inaugurated at the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in fall of 2004. Designed by Frank Gehry and Manuel Rosales of Rosales Organ Builders, the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ contains pipes ranging in size from a pencil to a telephone pole, and is voiced with a wide dynamic range from pianississimo to a breathtaking fortissimo. The specially curved wood façade pipes were made by Glatter-Götz Orgelbau of solid, vertical grain Douglas fir and comprise the Violone and Bassoon basses. Behind the facade are three levels of pipes, including metal pipes made of tin and lead alloys and wood pipes made of Norwegian pine.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music — Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008, AT 7:30 pm

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



Organ Recital Series



TERRY RILEY



RILEY A Persian Surgery Dervish in the Nursery

RILEY Salome Dances for Peace (Arranged for Pipe Organ)

     Peace Dance

     The Ecstacy

     At the Summit

RILEY Song from the Old Country

RILEY Universal Bridge (world premiere)

Veronika Krausas, composer and Professor at Thornton School of Music at USC, hosts Upbeat Live, a pre-concert event free to all ticket holders, in BP Hall one hour prior to the performance.

Tickets ($22-$47) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For information, please call 323.850.2000.

# # #