The Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Join for Debussy’s Nocturnes in the Saturday and Sunday Concerts 

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 AND 13, 2010, AT 8 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2010, AT 2 PM 

February 12 Media Sponsor: Univision/TeleFutura
The February 13 Concert is Generously Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts 

Veteran Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program including Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish,” and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2, Friday and Saturday, February 12 and 13, at 8 p.m., as well as Sunday, February 14, at 2 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday programs also feature Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes with women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

All three concerts open with Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish,” written when the composer was living in Düsseldorf and enamored with the Rhineland. The fourth movement of the five-movement work commemorates the solemn splendor of a cathedral he’d visited in Cologne.

The second piece on the Saturday and Sunday program is Debussy’s Nocturnes. The three Nocturnes bear none of the Wagner influences evident in Debussy’s earlier works, and seem to have been inspired by the Nocturnes of painter James Whistler.

All three programs close with Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2, which is made up entirely of the third scene from the ballet. Commissioned by Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the ballet is considered by many to be Ravel’s greatest score. In fact Igor Stravinsky said of it, “not only Ravel’s best work, but also one of the most beautiful products of all French music.”

Rafael Frübeck de Burgos is currently Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Dresden Philharmonic. Each season he returns to North American as guest conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony and the Tanglewood Music Festival. He last led the LA Phil in November of 2008 in a program offering music by Beethoven, Mozart and Respighi.

The Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale is described by the Los Angeles Times as “the most exciting chorus in the country.” The 2009/10 season, its 46th, marks its seventh as the resident chorus of the landmark Walt Disney Concert Hall. Recognized as one of the city’s cultural treasures and one of the world’s premier choruses, the Chorale, a founding resident company of the Music Center, has played a leading role in the ongoing resurgence of interest in choral music. Under the inspired leadership and unique artistic sensibilities of Music Director Grant Gershon, who was appointed to the post in July 2001, the choir has expanded its audience base considerably and continues to earn superlative accolades. 

The Friday, February 12 performance is part of the LA Phil’s 2009/10 Casual Fridays series. The series encourages audiences and orchestra members to attend in comfortable attire. These shorter programs – without intermission – feature free post-concert activities for all ticket-holders to enjoy. These activities include a TalkBack discussion with musicians held on stage after the performance and a chance to mingle with members of the orchestra in the Concert Hall Café.

The concerts are preceded by Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions which are free to ticket-holders, and occur in BP Hall one hour prior to the performances. Eric Bromberger, violinist, Fulbright nominee and recipient of a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship at Yale University, hosts.

For full artist biographies, please visit:  http://www.laphil.com.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable locations anywhere to experience music – Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational concerts, children's programming and community concerts, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010, AT 8 PM (Casual Fridays)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010, AT 8 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2010, AT 2 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
RAFAEL FRÜHBECK DE BURGOS, conductor
WOMEN OF THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
GRANT GERSHON, music director

SCHUMANN           Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”
DEBUSSY                Nocturnes (except Friday)
RAVEL                     Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2

February 12 Media Sponsor: Univision/TeleFutura
The February 13 concert is generously sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

The concerts are preceded by Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions which are free to ticket-holders, and occur in BP Hall one hour prior to the performances. Eric Bromberger, violinist, Fulbright nominee and recipient of a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship at Yale University, hosts. 

Tickets ($42 - $160) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card by phone at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($17) will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Series, 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 information, please call 323.850.2000.