On Sunday June 8 David Lang has premieres of two large scale works, in two different countries.
the national anthems for SATB chorus and string quartet, text in English by David Lang, 23′
At Disney Hall in Los Angeles, California, Grant Gershon conducts the Los Angeles Master Chorale with the Calder Quartet in the premiere of the national anthems, a co-commission with the Berlin Radio Chorus…
continue readingI wanted to tell a story. A particular story—in fact, the story of The Little Match Girl, by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The original is ostensibly for children, and it has that shocking combination of danger and morality that many famous children’s stories do. A poor young girl, whose father beats her, tries unsuccessfully to sell matches on the street, is ignored, and freezes to death. Through it all she somehow retains her Christian purity of spirit, but it is not a pretty story…
continue readingImagine that you’re a composer. Imagine getting this commission: ”Please write us a song that will allow family members to face the death of a loved one…” Well, composer David Lang had to do just that when a hospital in Garches, France, asked him to write music for their morgue, or ”Salle Des Departs.”
What do you do? What should death sound like?
Producer Jocelyn Gonzales brings us this piece about David Lang and his commission for the ”Salle Des Departs.”
August 1-2, conductor Louis Langrée with Sō Percussion and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, give the New York premiere of David Lang’s man made. In this percussion quartet concerto, Lang combines found percussion (sticks, pipes, metal trash) with orchestral instruments in a unique and incredibly compelling work commissioned by the Barbican Centre and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Watch a video about the concerto with Lang and So Percussion…
continue readingFor six consecutive nights — October 3-8, 2018 — 1,000 singers from across New York City come together on the High Line (NYC’s mile-long elevated linear park) for the world premiere of the mile-long opera — conceived by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and David Lang, with music by Lang, text by Anne Carson and Claudia Rankine, and staging by directors Elizabeth Diller and Lynsey Peisinger…
continue reading
David Lang, ‘again (after ecclesiastes)’
June 14, 2022 10:35 AM ET
Tom Huizenga
David Lang‘s again (after ecclesiastes) opens with sections of the Cappella Amsterdam choir, from high to low, interlacing on the phrase “People come and people go / The earth goes on and on.” The words are from Ecclesiastes, a curious book of The Old Testament that reads more like a philosophical argument than a rousing validation of belief…
continue readingLISTEN TO THE CONCERT STREAMED LIVE ON NPR!!!!!
On October 2-5, So Percussion with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, give the US premiere of David Lang’s concerto for percussion quartet and orchestra, man made on their season opening concert. Lang combines found percussion (sticks, pipes, metal trash) with orchestral instruments in a unique and incredibly compelling work commissioned by the Barbican Centre and the Los Angeles Philharmonic…
continue readingOn Saturday July 14 at 8pm at the World Financial Center Plaza, Lang’s hour-long, slowly-evolving work for strings, darker, is the starting point for a live re-imagination by Oneohtrix Point Never (Daniel Lopatin), who will real time loop and electronically process the live string sound of A Far Cry Orchestra back over and on to themselves.
Lopatin will also present his own work with selections from of his critically acclaimed albums (Returnal and Replica) specially arranged for A Far Cry Orchestra…
continue readingMusical America, now in its third century as the indispensable resource for the performing arts, announced the winners of the annual Musical America Awards, recognizing artistic excellence and achievement in the arts.
The announcement coincides with the publication of the 2013 Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts, which, in addition to its comprehensive industry listings, pays homage to each of these artists in its editorial pages.
The annual Musical America Awards, sponsored by Deutsche Grammophon will be presented in a special ceremony at Lincoln Center on Thursday, December 6…
continue readingAs part of the 2013/2014 Debs Chair composer-in-residence at Carnegie Hall, David Lang has curated an amazing series of concerts to focus on the art of storytelling in music. From April 22-29, Carnegie Hall presents: Collected Stories
Lang comments on the mini-festival:
Music and storytelling began their lives together—music to accompany heroic tales, music to worship by, music to suggest the emotions running deep below the surface of a text…
continue reading