Les Espaces acoustiques has been described as "awe-inspiring" by Alex Ross of The New Yorker. It is one of the most influential works in postwar European music, in which Grisey's analysis of sonic phenomena led the way to a new approach to harmony, incorporating the entire range of sound from consonance to noise. The L.A. premiere of Part 1 for 18 players is led by members of the Argento Chamber Ensemble, who thrilled audiences last season. No less monumental is Grisey's percussion sextet Tempus ex machina, here performed from the balcony of Zipper Hall by red fish blue fish, the world-renowned ensemble founded by Steven Schick.

This concert is supported, in part, by The French-American Fund for Contemporary Music, a program of FACE with support from Cultural Services of the French Embassy, CulturesFrance, SACEM and the Florence Gould Foundation; a grant from The James Irvine Foundation; the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation; the L.A. County Board of Supervisors through the L.A. County Arts Commission, and the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs.