Silent Night - a new arrangement of the traditional carol by David O - world premiere by the Los Angeles Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall December 11, 2010.
A Map of Los Angeles - music and text by David O - commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, world premiere performance May 2008 at Walt Disney Concert Hall under the direction of Grant Gershon, featuring Sergio “Checo” Alonso on folk harp. Repeat performance November 2009.
“David O’s much-anticipated “A Map of Los Angeles” in its world premiere performance was an immediate hit, with not the standard standing ovation, but one in which the audience leapt to its collective feet a fraction of a second after the last, fleeting “dta, dta, dta” in a mighty cheer, the excitement level bubbling over into intermission. The work is divided into six segments that flow without break: Introduction (Map I); Los Los Angeles Angeles (a pun on the two ways the city’s name is pronounced by the two dominant cultures living here, and double-punned with a reference to the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” which was accompanied by notes struck on the chime by a baseball bat toting Theresa Dimond – hey! a triple-pun!); Bus Interlude (Map II); The The Tar Tar Pits (another pun on the double cultural name overlay); Meditation (Map III); and El Cementerio Evergreen – with the chorus intoning the last names he found at Evergreen while walking down the rows of tombstones, alternating Anglo and Latino names in a rhythmic chant, that began with a Mexican Folk Harp solo played by Sergio “Checo” Alonso, accompanied by percussionists using real bones to provide the underlying tempo.” (Douglas Neslund, ClassicalVoice.org)
“David O took us on a snapshot tour of a handful of sites, making fun of their weird misuse of the English and Spanish languages, having his singers proclaim with angelic pomp the redundant new name of a local baseball team, Los Los Angeles Angels . . . of Anaheim! He did so with terrific verve, grooving Latin rhythms, canny use of crescendos, the rippling Mexican harp of Sergio "Checo" Alonso and -- most crucially -- good, simple melodic ideas. Yet in the finale, the composer tapped into a feeling of community. Over a gentle habanera rhythm, the chorus intoned names on Evergreen Cemetery tombstones; the effect was touching and lingering.” (Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times)
Two-part interview on KPCC’s “Off-Ramp” with Queena Kim, including rehearsal audio of “A Map of Los Angeles”:
Part 1 - May 3, 2008 (David O interview starts approx. 7 minutes into program)
Part 2 - May 10, 2008 (David O interview starts approx. 21 minutes into program)
Photo Essay inspired by “A Map of Los Angeles”
“This mostly irreverent, zany, scatting, Latin-grooving, and in the end, touching, jaunt through the city was a hit when unveiled here in May 2008 - and it sounded even more winning and fun upon a second hearing.” (Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times)
Elements - music by David O, text by Empedocles - commissioned by the Sacramento Master Singers, world premiere performance March 2007 under the direction of Ralph Hughes.
Listen to excerpt of “Prologue” from Elements - sung by the Sacramento Master Singers
Listen to excerpt of “Fire (Pur)” from Elements - sung by the Sacramento Master Singers
Dadme - music by David O, text by Pablo Neruda - commissioned by the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, world premiere performance October 2004 under the direction of Grant Gershon.