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  • WDCH
  • VALERY GERGIEV RETURNS TO LEAD LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC IN ALL-RUSSIAN PROGRAM
  • Feb. 15, 2004
  • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, AT 8 PM and
    SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, AT 2 PM

    at Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev returns for the first time since 1997 to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program of music by Russian composers on February 14 and 15 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Dubinushka, Prokofiev's Seventh Symphony, and Mussorgsky's masterpiece, Pictures at an Exhibition.

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Conductor/music educator Christopher Russell hosts.

    Each of the three works on this program is closely tied with the historical context in which they were created, reflecting the tensions and struggles that characterized Russian history for at least its last century and a half. Modest Mussorgsky wrote Pictures at an Exhibition during a period when intellectual debate in Russia was dominated by tensions between Slavophiles, who wanted unique, Russian solutions to the country's social, intellectual, and political problems, and Westernizers, who, as their name might indicate, looked to Western Europe for answers. Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov produced Dubinushka in the midst of 1905's revolutionary fervor, when Russia was gripped by calls for reform and paralyzed by strikes and riots. Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Seventh Symphony, his final completed major work, during the cultural freeze of the Stalin years.

    Distinguished conductor VALERY GERGIEV spends much of the year with the Mariinsky Theater's Kirov Opera and Ballet. In 1996, after he had served the Mariinsky company for more than a decade, the Russian government gave the artistic director and conductor complete control over the orchestra, opera, and ballet. Almost unknown outside of Russia ten years ago, Gergiev is now considered one of the world's leading conductors, in demand in many of the world's best orchestras and opera companies. Gergiev has been an exclusive Philips recording artist for more than 10 years. In addition to his post with the Kirov, Gergiev also serves the Metropolitan Opera as guest conductor.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 8 PM

    Sunday, February 15, 2004 at 2 PM

    Los Angeles Philharmonic

    Valery Gergiev, conductor

    RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Dubinushka

    PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 7

    MUSSORGSKY (orch. RAVEL) Pictures at an Exhibition

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Conductor/music educator Christopher Russell hosts.

    Tickets ($15 - $120) 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.

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  • Contact:

    Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; for photos: Beth Norber, 213.972.3409