January 10, Saturday 8:00 pm
First Pres Santa Monica

Tristan Murail
  Bells of Farewell and a Smile for piano (1992)
Pierre Boulez
  Derive II for piano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and vibraphone (1985)
Tristan Murail
  Ethers for flute, violin, viola, cello, double bass, trombone and maracas (1978)
Olivier Messiaen
  Death of Number for soprano, tenor, violin and piano (1928)
  Piece for the Tomb of Paul Dukas for piano (1935)
  The Blackbird for flute and piano (1951)
  The Golden Oriole from Catalogue of the Birds (1956-58)
George Benjamin
  Viola Viola for two violas (1980)
Toru Takemitsu
  Rain Spell for flute, clarinet, harp and vibraphone (1983)

Gloria Cheng, piano
Pamela Vliek Martchev, flute 
Victoria Miskolczy and Robert Brophy, violas
Elissa Johnson, soprano
Timothy Gonzales, tenor
Joel Pargman, violin
Steven Vanhauwaert, piano
Stuart Clark, clarinet
Steven Trapani, trombone
Timothy Loo, cello
Michael Valerio, double bass
Maria Casale, harp
Kenneth McGrath, Mark Alan Hilt, and Anderson Alda, percussion
Elizabeth Wright, conductor

Three of the most interesting composers on today’s concert stages owe deep gratitude to their teacher Olivier Messiaen. Pierre Boulez (b.1925), Tristan Murail (b.1947) and George Benjamin (b.1960) represent three generations of Europeans profoundly touched by the master’s conception of time and color. This sparkling evening of Birds Bells & Spells, intertwines fond memories and sudden flashes of imagination with Messiaen’s lesser known works – and the distilled essence of each student’s particular genius. Then the sound of rain from Messiaen’s ardent admirer, Toru Takemitsu, sends a spellbound audience into the night.