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  • VIOLINIST MIDORI CELEBRATES 20 YEARS AS SOLOIST
  • Nov. 15, 2002
  • RENOWNED ARTIST PARTICIPATES IN TWO-WEEK RESIDENCY WITH ORCHESTRA,
    PERFORMING AT THE DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, NOVEMBER 15, 16, 17 & 20, 21, 23

    Celebrating 20 years as a professional artist, violinist Midori joins the Philharmonic to mark this personal milestone. As part of the Philharmonic's On Location program, she performs as soloist in concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen. On November 15 & 16 at 8 p.m. and November 17 at 2:30 p.m., she plays Sibelius' Violin Concerto on an all-Scandinavian program with Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite and Nielsen's Symphony No. 5. Then on November 20, 21, and 23 at 8 p.m., she performs Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, which is paired with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," and the Los Angeles premiere of Christopher Rouse's Rapture.

    Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert event, takes place in the Pavilion's Grand Hall one hour before each performance. On November 15, 16, & 17, music expert Thomas Osborn will speak and on November 21, 22 & 23, music expert Tom Neenan is the guest speaker.

    As part of her commitment to teaching and mentoring young artists, Midori also hosts a lunch for Los Angeles County teachers and administrators. She will participate in projects with our Music Matters education program for children, including a benefit chamber music concert at Zipper Hall at the Colburn School with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and American Youth Symphony on November 18 at 8 p.m.

    In addition, Midori appears as soloist at a free neighborhood concert with Salonen and the orchestra at the Wilshire United Methodist Church on Friday, November 22. The program will include Barber's Violin Concerto and excerpts from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.

    The chamber music concert on Monday, November 18 at 8 p.m. at Zipper Hall showcases the world-class soloist in an intimate atmosphere with musicians from both the orchestra and the American Youth Symphony. The program features Mozart's Duo in B-flat for Violin and Viola, K424, Dvorák's Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 74, and String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 by Brahms. Funds from the concert benefit Music Matters. She will also spend a day visiting children at local schools.

    November 15, 16, & 17 - Grieg, Sibelius, & Nielsen

    Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg wrote the incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt in 1874 and 1875; it shares with his earlier works a melodic charm and perennial freshness. The famous section, "In the hall of the mountain king," displays the forceful side of Grieg's creative output.

    Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is known for his highly original symphonies. He composed the Violin Concerto in 1903 and revised it two years later, during an enormously productive and important period that also saw the writing of his Third Symphony. By the turn of the century, he had achieved international acclaim.

    Danish symphonist Carl Nielsen wrote his Fifth Symphony after World War I in 1921 and 1922. The composition, along with his Fourth Symphony, is noted for its reformulation of traditional symphonic structures and the increased use of orchestral groups in polyphonically built movements.

    November 20, 21, & 23 - Rouse, Barber, & Beethoven

    The world premiere of Christopher Rouse's Rapture took place at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall on May 5, 2000, with Music Director Mariss Jansons conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony. Completed at the composer's home in Pittsford, New York, in early 2000, the work was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and is dedicated to its Music Director. In commenting about the work, Mr. Rouse remarked, "…the title of this score is not 'The Rapture'; the piece is not connected to any specific religious source. Rather, I used the word 'rapture' to convey a sense of spiritual bliss, religious or otherwise…"

    Rapture is also an exercise in gradually increasing tempo: it begins slowly but throughout its 11-minute duration speeds up incrementally until the breakneck tempo of the final moments.

    Samuel Barber began composing his Violin Concerto, originally commissioned in 1939 by a Philadelphia soap tycoon, during a trip to Switzerland that year. The work, which had its premiere in early 1941 performed by Albert Spaulding, with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, is a three-movement work of profound nostalgia for European Romanticism. It ends with a more modern, "perpetual motion" finale with a tarantella rhythm.

    Beethoven's Third Symphony was the second symphonic work he composed after learning of his encroaching deafness in 1802. The piece, built around the theme of heroism, stretched the idea of the symphony in length and content; it premiered in Vienna in April of 1805. The four movement work begins with multiple themes developed over multiple sections in an extended first movement, followed by a Funeral March. The piece concludes with a life-affirming Scherzo and Finale, imbued with the spirit of freedom and liberty.

    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; eight 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.

    In the 2002/03 season, violinist MIDORI celebrates her 20th year of performing. Her schedule, balanced between recitals with Robert McDonald and appearances with the most prestigious symphonic ensembles, takes her to the great concert stages of Europe, North America, and the Far East. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Midori & Friends, the non-profit organization Midori founded to bring free music instruction programs throughout the school year to thousands of children who need them. This fall, Sony Classical releases her latest recording, French Violin Sonatas, featuring sonatas by Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc, and Camille Saint-Saëns, with pianist Robert McDonald. Midori's appearances this season include performances with the major symphony orchestras of Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. In 2001, she received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. Born in Osaka, Japan, she began studying the violin at a very early age; she currently resides in New York City.

    EDITORS - PLEASE NOTE:

    Friday, November 15, 8 PM

    Saturday, November 16, 8 PM

    Sunday, November 17, 2:30 PM


    DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

    MIDORI, violin

    Grieg:   Peer Gynt Suite No. 1

    Sibelius:   Violin Concerto

    Nielsen:   Symphony No. 5

    Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert event with music expert Thomas Osborn, takes place in the Pavilion's Grand Hall one hour before each performance.

    Wednesday, November 20, 8 PM

    Thursday, November 21, 8 PM

    Saturday, November 23, 8 PM


    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

    MIDORI, violin

    Rouse Rapture

    Barber Violin Concerto

    Beethoven Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"

    Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert event with music expert Tom Neenan, takes place in the Pavilion's Grand Hall one hour before each performance.

    Tickets ($14 - $82) for both concerts are on sale now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 213.365.3500. Tickets are also available on-line at www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available two hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323/850-2047; David Barber, 323/850-2023