TODAYMUSICA symphonic poem to loss”My symphonies are...

TODAY

MUSIC

A symphonic poem to loss

“My symphonies are tombstones,” Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich said, referring to his musical memorializations of victims of Stalin’s purges. None is more overtly about death than his Symphony No. 14, a song-cycle of 11 poems about death by poets who themselves died young. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the work, with soprano Tatiana Pavlovskaya and baritone Matthias Goerne as soloists. Mozart’s “Masonic Funeral Music” and Haydn’s “Drumroll” Symphony complete the program. The Shostakovich symphony will be played as the sole selection on a Casual Fridays program.

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. today. $15 to $129. (323) 850-2000; www.LAPhil.com.

* Also 8 p.m. Saturday. Casual Fridays program, 8 p.m. Friday.

ART

Siqueiros’

home school

In the 1960s, Mexican muralist and political activist David Alfaro Siqueiros converted his house in Mexico City into a public art space, storing more than 10,000 photographs from the 1930s to the early ‘70s. The photos originally were meant for his own research on his socially conscious paintings but eventually were made available for other artists. “An Image Bank for Everyday Revolutionary Life” features a range of images, including political icons, cultural

performances and civil unrest, and recently were made viewable online at www.e-flux.com/projects/siqueiros. The REDCAT begins the traveling and multi-phase exhibition with a mix of artists inspired by Siqueiros’ extensive collection.

“An Image Bank for Everyday Revolutionary Life,” Gallery at REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A. Opens today. (213) 237-2800

* Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Ends April 2.

BOOKS

Politically speaking

In 2003, the San Francisco-based novelist and former Ralph Nader campaigner Stephen Elliott (“A Life of No Consequences,” “Happy Baby”) edited “Politically Inspired,” a collection of subtle but pointed short stories that drew from a vast permutation of political realities around the globe. Elliott’s new second anthology, “Stumbling and Raging: More Politically Inspired Short Fiction,” features Audrey Niffenegger, Jim Shepard and Dave Eggers, plus local writers such as Aimee Bender and literary prankster Neal Pollack. Many emotions are on display: confusion, sympathy, grief -- all levied with a most patriotic dose of sarcasm.

Chris Abani, Aimee Bender, Stephen Elliott and Neal Pollack read at Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. 7:30 p.m. today. (323) 660-1175.

FRIDAY

DANCE

Emotional tidal wave

Japan’s whimsical contemporary ensemble Pappa Tarahumara returns to Southern California with Hiroshi Koike’s full-evening dance drama “Ship in a View,” using a town by the sea in the 1960s to symbolize unfulfilled longings of escape from everyday realities. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the work for its “memorable emotional landscape of images, heightened by a cast of dancers that sing, singers that act and actors who move -- part of a new wave of multidisciplinary art where nothing can be taken for granted.”

Pappa Tarahumara in “Ship in a View,” Royce Hall, UCLA, Westwood. 8 p.m. Friday. $15 (UCLA students) to $42. (310) 825-2101 or www.uclalive.org.

* Also 8 p.m. Saturday.

MOVIES

Not what she figured

What’s a sister to do when she can’t find her “IBM”? That’s not a computer, it stands for “ideal black man” and in the

romantic comedy “Something New,” high-strung account manager Kenya McQueen (Sanaa Lathan) has nearly given up

looking. Her girlfriends advise her to loosen

up and go with the flow, but no one expects it to lead to landscape architect Brian (Simon Baker), whom she meets on a blind date -- and who is very, um, white. Sanaa Hamri directs.

“Something New,” rated PG-13 for sexual references, opens Friday in general release.

THEATER

‘Spirits’ of the border

Set in the environs of San Diego and Tijuana neighborhoods and inspired by interviews with residents, Allan Havis’ fantastical contemporary drama “Restless Spirits,” a world premiere play, is staged with music from around the world.

“Restless Spirits,” San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Opens 8 p.m. Friday. $34-$42. (619) 544-1000. www.sandiegorep.com.

* Runs 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Feb. 19.

SATURDAY

MUSEUMS

They’re all tuned up

The Petersen brings back its showcase of musicians’ cars and guitars from the 1950s to the present in “Encore! Cars & Guitars of Rock ‘n’ Roll II.” The exhibition explores the link between car culture and rock ‘n’ roll, particularly in Southern California -- birthplace of both the Fender guitar and of “American Graffiti”-style cruising. Cars include Elvis’ 1971 Pantera and David Lee Roth’s “Hot for Teacher” car, a 1932 Ford Phaeton used in the music video.

“Encore! Cars & Guitars of Rock ‘n’ Roll II,” Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens Saturday. $3 to $10; 4 and younger, free. (323) 930-2277. www.petersen.org* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; closed Mondays. Ends July 30.

SUNDAY

MUSEUMS

Many faces of Carnival

In Basel, Switzerland, masqueraders take to the streets making social and political commentary in themed costumes and props. In Oruro, Bolivia, diabladas, or devils, dance in the annual parade, honoring the deity of the underworld along with the Virgin Mary. These are just two of the pre-Lenten traditions documented in “Carnival in Europe and the Americas: Photographs by Robert Jerome,” an exhibition that looks at the quirky and distinctive Carnival traditions. This is the final installment in conjunction with the Fowler’s “¡Carnaval!” exhibition.

“Carnival in Europe and the Americas: Photographs by Robert Jerome,” Fowler Museum, UCLA, Sunset Boulevard and Westwood Plaza, Westwood. Opens Sunday. Free. (310) 825-4361.

* Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, except noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Ends April 16.

WEDNESDAY

JAZZ

Melting pot of music

A Czech singer performing Latin music seems as odd as serving borscht with a burrito, but Marta Topferova’s smoky, late-night alto effortlessly pairs Old Europe’s elegance with Latin jazz’s sensuality. Her latest album, “La Marea” (The Tide), is a collection of demure guitar-driven originals that Paco de Lucia could enjoy with his sangria. Achingly muted trumpets and a tasteful percussive clatter punctuate her vocal sashays, which can sound sultry, wounded or bemused.

Marta Topferova, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Wednesday . $25. (310) 440-4500

THEATER

‘Marriage,’

per Mamet

David Mamet directs “Boston Marriage,” his satire of class distinctions, repressed desire and social proprieties, a drawing-room comedy about two intimately involved, fashionable, upper-class single women -- the play’s title is a Victorian euphemism for such a relationship. Heading the cast in this Los Angeles premiere are Alicia Silverstone, Mary Steenburgen and Rebecca Pidgeon.

“Boston Marriage,” Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Opens 8 p.m. Wednesday. $35 to $69. (310) 208-

5454. www.geffenplayhouse.com.

* Runs 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends March 12.