Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Presents World Premiere Of LUCHA LIBRE!, A Musical Tribute To Mexican Masked Wrestling

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Jaime Martín presents Gil Shaham, "among the most inspired violinists of his generation" (The Guardian), on Dvořák's dazzling Violin Concerto in A minor, colored with the folk music of the composer's Czech roots, on Sunday, December 11, 2022, 8 pm, at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena.

The concert opens with the world premiere of Juan Pablo Contreras' Lucha Libre!, a LACO Sound Investment commission that pays tribute to Mexican masked wrestling, the unique cultural phenomenon watched by the composer while growing up in Guadalajara.

Subtitled Sinfonia Concertante for Chamber Orchestra, the piece, which LACO initially slated to premiere in March 2020 but was postponed due to the global pandemic, focuses on a "battle" among LACO's master musicians, whose instruments represent Contreras' favorites of the iconic Lucha Libre characters. Contreras, who served as LACO's 2019-20 Sound Investment composer and received a Latin Grammy Best Arrangement nomination for the title track of his debut orchestral album, Mariachitlán, is "one of the most prominent young composers of Latin America" (Milenio).

His music "masterfully portrays the Mexican identity" and is "colorfully orchestrated, emotionally intense and rhythmically vibrant" (El Informador). LACO also performs includes Kodály's Dances of Galánta, reflecting the music of the composer's childhood in Slovakia, and two distinctive works shaped by Romanian folk music: Ligeti's Concert Românesc and Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances for Winds.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: Shaham Plays Dvořák, Sunday, December 11, 2022, 8 pm, Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105. For tickets ($29 - $133) and information, please visit www.laco.org or call 213 622 7001 x1.