L.A. Chamber Series Planned at Royce Hall and Alex Theatre

Fifteen performances in UCLA’s Royce Hall and the Alex Theatre in Glendale make up the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2001-02 season, which begins Sept. 22 in Westwood.

That opening--at UCLA only, unlike the seven remaining programs in the season--will see music director Jeffrey Kahane on the podium with Chinese pianist Lang Lang as soloist in Chopin’s E-minor Concerto.

Other soloists during the season include pianist Kahane himself--playing all five Beethoven concertos in two evenings--violinist Pamela Frank, bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff and pianist Robert Levin. Guest conductors are Monica Huggett--also appearing as violin soloist--and composer John Adams.

Huggett leads the Oct. 20-21 pair of performances, with a program listing music by Muffat, Vivaldi and two Bachs. Adams conducts music by himself, Ives and Gershwin--with Kahane the piano soloist in “Rhapsody in Blue”--Nov. 17 at UCLA and Nov. 18 in Glendale.

Kahane plays Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 2, 3 and 4 at UCLA on Dec. 8, then the Concertos 1 and 5 at the Alex Theatre on Dec. 9. On Jan. 25 and 26, he presides over a Vivaldi-Mozart program on which Levin will play the Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491, and offer improvisations.

Frank, with Kahane conducting, will play Dvorak’s Romance and the Violin Concerto by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich in the March 9-10 pair. Quasthoff returns to the orchestra to sing music by Bach and Ravel on the April 20-21 program, when Kahane conducts music by Haydn and Ginastera.

The season ends May 11 in Royce Hall and May 12 in Glendale, when Kahane leads a new work by composer in residence Kenneth Frazelle, Haydn’s Horn Concerto No. 1, Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile for cello and strings and Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. The soloists, all from the orchestra, will be hornist Richard Todd, cellist Douglas Davis and violinist Margaret Batjer.

Information: (213) 622-7001, Ext. 215.