“When I was a little boy there was an article in the Brooklyn Daily written by my aunt about how I could choose phonograph records. I could tell what was on the phonograph records and express interest in them, which was very unusual at that time. Phonographs were just beginning to come in and I would say that was probably 1911 or something like that. I was born in 1908.” Yes, he was, and guess what? He's still alive, still kicking, and still writing music. In fact, in the last two years alone, Elliott Carter has composed 12 works and shows no sign of slowing down to a gallop. And his music doesn't get any easier; as his old colleague, Aaron Copland, would grumble when he came across a new Carter composition, “Ah, another hard Carter piece.” Carter hits the big 1-0-0 on December 11, and this week, Los Angeles Contemporary Artists presents a concert honoring modern music's eldest statesman that includes the Sonata for Cello and Piano, Penthode, Riconoscenza, A Mirror on Which to Dwell, and other Carter gems.

Mon., Dec. 1, 7 p.m., 2008

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