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  • WDCH
  • AN EVENING OF FRENCH CHAMBER MUSIC FEATURING "ON-LOCATION" ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET PERFORMING RAVEL AND POULENC
  • Nov. 26, 2001
  • AHMANSON HALL AT THE SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER

    NOVEMBER 26, 2001 AT 8 PM

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society’s 2001/2002 season continues at the Skirball Cultural Center’s new Ahmanson Hall with a concert by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing works by Martinu, Ravel, Poulenc and Debussy on Monday, November 26 at 8:00 p.m. The concert features pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performing Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Sextet for Piano and Winds by Poulenc, with orchestra members. Ahmanson Hall is located off the 405 Freeway at the Mulholland/Skirball Center Drive exit, near the Getty Center. The address is 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., in West Los Angeles.

    Tickets ($25) are available at the Philharmonic’s Music Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, Tu Música, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 213/365-3500. Tickets are also available on-line at laphil.com or are available at Ahmanson Hall on the day of performance, two hours prior to the concert. For further information, please call 323/850-2000.

    Other events during Thibaudet’s residency, which begins on November 21, include concerts with the Philharmonic and Emmanuel Krivine (Nov. 23, 24, 25) and with Lawrence Foster conducting (Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and 2); a jazz program at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood on November 27 (7021 Hollywood Blvd., tickets $15); visits with elementary school students who will also observe the pianist in rehearsal; and a piano master class (open to the public) at the Colburn School following the matinee concert on November 30.

    One of the most prolific composers of the twentieth century, Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu lived in Paris from 1923-1940, causing his musical outlook to broaden, and wrote the Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola in the late 1940’s. Debussy had a great influence on his work: both men had a keen sensitivity to timbre. His work reflects the developing international cultural scene of Paris in the 1920s, including the Ballet Russes, Les Six and Stravinsky.

    Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano was composed in 1897, during a period viewed as a fresh start for the promising composer, who had left the Conservatory just two years earlier. Most of his work from this period, showing a mixture of boldness and uncertainty, remained unpublished. Francis Poulenc composed his Sextet for Piano and Winds from 1932-39. It remains one of his most popular works and was created in a period when his chamber compositions, earlier examples of which are short, witty, and garnished with spicy dissonance, became “fully mature.”

    Debussy’s String Quartet, written in 1893, is yet another instance of the French composer revolutionizing an established form. It stands as the earliest model for those quartet writers of the twentieth century (Webern, Bartók) for whom timbre has assumed a dominant role. The immediate critical reaction to the piece was mostly puzzlement.

    Chamber Music Society concerts are presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in association with The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation as a community service.

    French pianist JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, renowned for his elegant and sophisticated playing, appears with major orchestras and ensembles worldwide and is a prolific and highly-praised recording artist. The versatile musician’s diverse repertoire extends beyond the classical literature into the jazz genre. His 1997 CD featuring compositions of the late jazz great Bill Evans received Germany’s Echo Award for 1998. Born in 1961 in Lyons, Thibaudet began playing piano at age 5. He studied at the Conservatory in Lyons and at the Paris Conservatory, winning the premier Prix du Conservatoire at age 15. He went on to capture top prizes at International Competitions in Italy, Japan and the U.S., including the 1981 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. Thibaudet’s current two-week residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic includes concerto performances at two subscription programs (Gershwin Concerto in F, Nov. 23, 24 & 25; Grieg Concerto, Nov. 30, Dec. 1 & 2); a jazz concert on November 27 at The Knitting Factory (7021 Hollywood Blvd.; tickets $15); a visit with elementary school students who will also observe the pianist in rehearsal; and a piano master class (open to the public) at the Colburn School following the matinee concert on November 30.

    EDITORS - PLEASE NOTE:

    Chamber Music Concert

    Monday, November 26, 2001 at 8 p.m.

    Ahmanson Hall, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles

    MEMBERS OF THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano

    MARTINU:  Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola

    RAVEL:  Sonata for Violin and Piano

    POULENC:  Sextet for Piano and Winds

    DEBUSSY:  String Quartet

    Tickets ($25) are available at the Philharmonic’s Music Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, Tu Música, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 213/365-3500. Tickets are also available on-line at laphil.com or are available at Ahmanson Hall on the day of performance, two hours prior to the concert. For further information, please call 323/850-2000.

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  • Contact:

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