Series Begins with Concert by Europa Galante, the Internationally Acclaimed Italian Baroque Music Ensemble, Led by Fabio Biondi

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10 AT 7:30 PM

The Baroque Variations series is supported by a generous grant from the Michael J. Connell Foundation.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association presents five Baroque Variations concerts during its 2004/2005 season, beginning with a performance by Europa Galante, the internationally acclaimed Italian baroque music ensemble, at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. Led by Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante presents a program of works by Telemann, Corelli, Vivaldi, Geminiani, W.F. Bach, and Vivaldi performed on period instruments.

The Baroque Variations series, which made its debut during the Philharmonic's 2003/2004 season, continues to offer the best presentations of Baroque music on both period and modern instruments, performed by some of the world's most admired ensembles and soloists in a four-concert series. This year, a non-subscription concert has also been added to allow a broader audience to hear this important repertoire.

Performing the second concert in the Baroque Variations series on November 16, 2004, is the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by Jeffrey Kahane with baritone soloist Thomas Quasthoff (part of his On Location residency). Violinist Christian Tetzlaff presents four of Bach's unaccompanied violin works on January 16, 2005, and, from Milan, Il Giardino Armonico led by Giovanni Antonini appears on April 13, 2005. Nicholas McGegan leads the famed Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with soprano Lisa Saffer on February 25, 2005, as the non-subscription performance.

EUROPA GALANTE was formed by Fabio Biondi in 1990 to draw the international public's attention to a new and definitive Italian presence in the interpretation of music from the baroque and classical eras on original instruments. The ensemble has performed in many of the world's major concert halls and theaters including La Scala in Milan, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Suntory Hall of Tokyo, the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House. Europa Galante has toured in Australia, Japan, Canada, Israel, the U.S., and South America, and often collaborates with the Ente Santa Cecilia in Rome to recover and restore eighteenth century Italian operas. In 1998, Europa Galante signed an exclusive contract with Virgin Classics which went on to release their recordings of Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and Luigi Boccherini's string quintets as well as arias from cantatas by J.S. Bach with the tenor Ian Bostridge.

Born in Palermo, FABIO BIONDI began his international career at the age of twelve, making his debut as a solo violinist. His increasing interest in the new approach to baroque music expanded his musical vision and change the direction of his career. When he was sixteen, he was invited by the Musikverein of Vienna to perform Bach's violin concertos. Since then, Fabio Biondi has performed with ensembles including Cappella Real, Musica Antiqua Wien, Seminario Musicale, La Chapelle Royale, and Les Musiciens du Louvre (ever since its foundation) all specializing in the performance of baroque music using original technique and instruments. He has collaborated as soloist and conductor with many orchestras, including Santa Cecilia in Rome, Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra, the European Baroque Orchestra, the Opera of Halle, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Norway, the Orchestre Nationale of Monpellier, and the Orchestra Ciudad de Granada, to name a few. Biondi also performs in duo with piano, harpsichord, or forte-piano in prestigious venues around the world such as Cité de la Musique in Paris, Hogi Hall in Tokyo, Auditorium Nacional in Madrid and Wigmore Hall in London.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 7:30 P.M.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

EUROPA GALANTE

FABIO BIONDI, director/violin

TELEMANN Burlesque de Quixotte TWV 55

VIVALDI Violin Concerto, Op. 3 No. 9 in D major

CORELLI Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 4

GEMINIANI Concerto Grosso, "La Follia"

W.F. BACH Sinfonia, "Die Dissonanzen" in F Major for strings

VIVALDI Concerto in D Major for 2 violins and 2 cellos

The Baroque Variations series is supported by a generous grant from the Michael J. Connell Foundation.

Tickets ($15 - $78) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15), will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

REMAINING CONCERTS IN THE BAROQUE VARIATIONS SERIES

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2004, 8 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

JEFFREY KAHANE, conductor

THOMAS QUASTHOFF, baritone

BACH Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1058

BACH "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" from St. Matthew Passion

BACH Cantata No. 82, Ich habe genug

MOZART "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" K. 584

MOZART "Non più andrai" (from The Marriage of Figaro)

RESPIGHI The Birds

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005, 7:30 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF, violin

BACH Two Sonatas and Two Partitas for solo violin

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2005, 8 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

NICHOLAS McGEGAN, conductor

LISA SAFFER, soprano

RAMEAU Orchestral Suite from Les Paladins

HANDEL Arias

HANDEL Suite in F major, Water Music

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2005, 8 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

IL GIARDINO ARMONICO

GIOVANNI ANTONINI, artistic director

Program to be announced

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Laura Stegman, 310.645.1755; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; photos: 213.972.3034