TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 & 15, AT 8 PM

August 13 sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts;
Media Sponsors: NEWS 980, K-MOZART 105.1 FM
August 15: United's Thursdays; Media Sponsor: K-MOZART 105.1 FM/p>

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Tuesday and Thursday, August 13 and 15 at the Hollywood Bowl, in their last concert before a three-week tour of European festivals. Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo-soprano) and Thomas Quasthoff (baritone) join the Los Angeles Philharmonic on August 13 for their Bowl debuts.

On August 13, the program opens with Strauss' tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, which was first heard at the Bowl in 1929. The program closes with Mahler's Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, featuring soloists Lilli Paasikivi and Thomas Quasthoff.

On August 15, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite begins the program and is followed by Sibelius' Symphony No. 7, Stravinsky's Agon and returns to Ravel with La valse. Backbeat Live pre-concert events take place at the Patio, one hour prior to the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday concerts; free to all ticket holders. The August 15 session features waltz lessons with Allison Bibicoff.

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, began his tenure as Music Director in October 1992. Salonen made his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1984, and he has conducted the orchestra every season since. Among the many highlights of Salonen's activities with the Philharmonic have been world premieres of new works by composers John Adams, Bernard Rands, Rodion Shchedrin, Steven Stucky, and Salonen himself, well-received Ligeti and Stravinsky Festivals, appearances at the Ojai Festival, seven critically acclaimed international tours since 1992, and his extensive discography with the Philharmonic for Sony Classical. Salonen was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1958. He made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and he has been one of the world's most sought-after conductors since his debut in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra in September 1983. He served as principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994 and as principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1995.

Mezzo-soprano LILLI PAASIKIVI made her operatic debut with the Norrland Opera in 1993 as Ottone in a production of The Coronation of Poppea and has since performed throughout Finland and Sweden for companies including the Tampere Opera and the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Since 1998, Paasikivi has been a soloist at the Finnish National Opera, where her numerous roles have included Rossweisse (Die Walküre), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). Most recently, Paasikivi made her Châtelet debut as The Pilgrim in Saariaho's opera L'amour de loin. Paasikivi has recorded the role of The Sister in Sibelius' Kullervo-Symphony for BIS with Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and Sibelius' Maiden in the Tower for EMI with Paavo Järvi. She makes her Bowl debut at this concert.

Bass-baritone THOMAS QUASTHOFF made his American debut at the Oregon Bach Festival and has since toured the world performing with such world-class orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Quasthoff made his Carnegie Hall debut with Britten's War Requiem in the 1999-2000 season with the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa. Quasthoff currently maintains an active teaching schedule in the vocal department of the Music Academy in Detmold, Germany, where he is a Professor for Life. He is making his Bowl debut with this performance.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Tuesday, August 13 at 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL (2301 N. Highland Avenue)

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

LILLI PAASIKIVI, mezzo-soprano

THOMAS QUASTHOFF, baritone

Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

Mahler: Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts;
Media Sponsors: NEWS 980, K-MOZART 105.1 FM

Thursday, August 15 at 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL (2301 N. Highland Avenue)

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

Ravel: Mother Goose Suite

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7

Stravinsky: Agon

Ravel: La valse

United's Thursdays; Media Sponsor: K-MOZART 105.1 FM

Backbeat Live pre-concert events take place at the Patio, one hour prior to the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday concerts; free to all ticket holders. The August 15 session features waltz lessons with Allison Bibicoff.

Tickets ($1 - $76) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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