1:05pm | Experience astonishing chamber music in unexpected architectural sites of Long Beach when the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra presents Sounds & Spaces, a series of free ongoing chamber music concerts featuring the LBSO Chamber Players – members of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra – performing in architecturally intriguing locations that celebrate the beauty and character of Long Beach.
The next Sounds & Spaces concert is February 5 at the Belmont Heights United Methodist Church, 317 Termino Ave. in Long Beach. The 4 p.m. concert features the LBSO Chamber Players performing “The Quartet for the End of Time” (1941) by Olivier Messiaen, written for Violin, Cello, Clarinet and Piano.
This powerful spiritual work is based on a phrase from “Revelation,” and will be performed by principal LBSO musicians Roger Wilke (violin), Gary Bovyer (clarinet), Cécilia Tsan (cello), and Gloria Cheng (piano).
Speaking about the architecture and its relationship to the music will be noted architect, historian, and liturgical design consultant Timothy Kent Parker.
“We chose Belmont Heights United Methodist Church because we were specifically looking for an architecturally significant sacred space to perform a significant sacred work,” explains Gary Bovyer, LBSO Principal Clarinetist. “There are certain pieces in the repertoire so imbued with spirituality that they can be enhanced by being performed in a space designed for holiness. Messiaen’s Quartet is a perfect example of this, and what better match than the Church’s newly refurbished sanctuary.”
John Parkinson and his son, Donald B. Parkinson, designed the building at 3rd and Termino in a Mediterranean Revival style in 1923 and converted the gymnasium to a sanctuary in 1943.
The Sounds & Spaces events are provocative and intimate, with opportunities to interact with the musicians and the locations. Each event includes a spoken presentation about the venue and how the music relates to it. The concerts are informal, of modest length, with no intermission.
Concerts are Free and open to the public; however, reservations must be made to assure admission. Call (562) 436-3203 x244 or email to [email protected] to reserve seats.
The 2011-2012 inaugural season of Sounds & Spaces is funded by the generosity of the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association and Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra welcomes additional funding from corporations and individuals to sustain an inclusive atmosphere of connecting Long Beach’s illustrious Sounds with its distinctive Spaces.