Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic are joined by piano soloists Robert Thies and Lina Targonsky

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010, AT 8 PM

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2009/10 Chamber Music Society series continues on Tuesday, February 16, with piano soloists Robert Thies and Lina Targonsky, and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, Schumann’s Piano Quartet and Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3.

Robert Thies performs Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 with Michele Bovyer, violin, and Barry Gold, cello. A pianist of “unerring, warm-toned refinement, revealing judicious glimmers of power,” (Los Angeles Times) Thies is renowned for his consummate musicianship and poetic temperament. He enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He is highly sought after as a collaborator, and he has shared the stage with many esteemed musicians. In Los Angeles, Thies has worked and recorded with many of the top studio musicians, and has also worked with film composers James Newton Howard, James Horner, Danny Elfman, Aaron Zigman, and Lalo Schifrin.

Lina Targonsky performs Schumann’s Piano Quartet with Mark Baranov, violin; Carrie Dennis, viola; and Barry Gold, cello. Called a “powerhouse chamber pianist with whom the Southland is blessed” (Los Angeles Times), Targonsky began her piano studies at the age of six at Moscow’s Special School for exceptionally gifted children and graduated from the famed Gnessin Music Academy in Moscow. After graduation she joined the faculty of Moscow’s internationally acclaimed Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she worked for 13 years. Targonsky has performed extensively in Russia and, since her emigration to the West in 1978, she and her husband, Philharmonic Assistant Concertmaster Mark Baranov, have appeared together frequently in chamber music recitals.

Los Angeles Philharmonic members Robert Vijay Gupta, violin; Ingrid Chun, violin; Leticia Oaks Strong, viola; and Gloria Lum, cello perform Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3.

Shostakovich completed his Symphony No. 1 during the summer of 1925 and died exactly 50 years and 14 more symphonies later. The Piano Trio was composed in the summer of 1944, just after his Symphony No. 8, in memory of one of his closest friends, Ivan Sollertinsky, who had died the February before. Begun on October 24, 1842, Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47, was completed within a month, during a time when the composer turned his attention toward compositions in chamber music. Beethoven didn’t venture a string quartet until he was nearly 30, but when he took the plunge he created six works within a couple of years, published as Op. 18 in 1801. In 1806 came the three superb string quartets of Op. 59. Commissioned by Count Andreas Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna, they have immortalized this discerning music patron by being universally identified with his name.

The LA Phil’s 2009/10 Chamber Music Society Series offers eight distinct programs throughout the season. Upcoming concerts feature renowned soloists Lars Vogt (Mar. 16) and Emanuel Ax (Mar. 30). Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform the final 2009/10 season Chamber Music Society concert on April 6.

For more information please visit www.LAPhil.com

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010, AT 8 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Chamber Music Society

MEMBERS OF THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 2
Michele Bovyer, violin
Barry Gold, cello
Robert Thies, piano

SCHUMANN Piano Quartet
Mark Baranov, violin
Carrie Dennis, viola
Barry Gold, cello
Lina Targonsky, piano

BEETHOVEN String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3
Robert Vijay Gupta, violin
Ingrid Chun, violin
Leticia Oaks Strong, viola
Gloria Lum, cello

Tickets ($26 - $51) 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. 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.