GLENN BRANCA PERFORMS “HALLUCINATION CITY,” FOR 100 ELECTRIC GUITARS LIVE AT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

BRANCA’S SYMPHONY NO. 13 PART OF “MINIMALIST JUKEBOX” – A TWO-WEEK FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY THE LA PHILHARMONIC

What:              On Wednesday, March 29, Glen Branca will perform his Symphony No. 13 “Hallucination City,” for 100 electric guitars.  He originally wrote this piece for the year 2000 celebrations in Paris, hoping for an ensemble of 2,000 guitarists.  When that performance did not happen, he premiered the work on June 13, 2001 outside of the World Trade Center in New York City with 100 guitarists. 

Each guitar is strung with two pairs of three strings, tuned an octave apart. (The soprano guitar is tuned to B, the tenor guitar to E, and the alto guitar to G.) The unrecorded Guitars D'Amour, performed at Expo 94 in Seville, Spain, was Branca's first and last piece for guitars in standard tuning. Symphonies No. 8 and 10 featured an octave guitar tuned to E, but covering 3 octaves, with 2 pairs of strings per octave. The bass guitars are in standard tuning, except on the final problem, where all guitars use a microtonal variation of Branca's normal tuning.

Who:               Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, GLENN BRANCA studied performing arts at Emerson College in Boston, and after graduation formed two bands, Theoretical Girls and Static. The first Glenn Branca Ensemble featured four guitars, bass, and drums. Later versions of the ensemble added mallet guitar (a Branca invention), keyboards, and an additional drummer. The most recent Ensemble features 8 guitars, bass, and drums. Branca has recently been writing for symphony orchestras, but continues to work with his guitar ensemble. He has received commissions from the Twyla Tharp Company, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, the Elisa Monte Company, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, among many others.

When:             Wednesday, March 29, 2006

                        8:00pm

Where:            Walt Disney Concert Hall

                        111 S. Grand

Los Angeles, CA

(323) 850-2000

                        Tickets ONLY $10! Click Here to Purchase