The Shostakovich Cycle continues with the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 2, To October, and Symphony No. 3, The First of May, on January 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. and January 27 at 2:30 p.m. Part of the Philharmonic’s survey aimed at performing the composer’s complete symphonies and string quartets, the five-year cycle will culminate in 2005/2006, coinciding with Shostakovich’s centennial. The concert opens with Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, deriving from his famous opera Prince Igor, and continues in the Russian theme with Liadov’s Enchanted Lake.

Special Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in the Grand Hall and are free to all ticket holders. Throughout the Shostakovich Cycle performances, members of the Philharmonic will perform a string quartet by Shostakovich during Upbeat Live, coinciding with the symphonic survey. This week, String Quartet No. 2 will be performed prior to the January 25 concert; No. 3 will be performed on January 26 and 27. Alan Chapman will host.

Tickets ($12-$78) are available at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 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. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount; call 323/850-2050. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available 2 hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323/850-2000.

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, seven critically acclaimed international tours since 1992, and his extensive discography with the Orchestra 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 of London from 1985 to 1994 and as principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1995.

The award-winning LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE is celebrating its 37th year this season and its first under the baton of Maestro Grant Gershon. The acclaimed 120-voice Chorale was awarded the top national prize in the professional chorus category from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Chorus America, and received a Grammy nomination in January for the CD Lux Aeterna, released May 1998. As an independent and flexible ensemble, it is the largest choral organization of its kind in the United States. Founded in 1964 by the late Roger Wagner, the Chorale presented its first concert in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion that year, and it continues to present a yearly concert series. The Chorale has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras while touring the United States and the former Soviet Union, and often serves as a chorus for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

EDITORS - PLEASE NOTE:

Friday, January 25, 8 PM

Saturday, January 26, 8 PM

Sunday, January 27, 2:30 PM

SHOSTAKOVICH CYCLE


Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Los Angeles Philharmonic

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

Borodin: Polovtsian Dances

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2, To October

Liadov: Enchanted Lake

Shostakovich: Symphony No.3, The First of May

Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert discussion with Alan Chapman, takes place one hour prior to performances. Members of the Philharmonic will perform a string quartet by Shostakovich.

Single tickets ($12-$78) 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 www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available 2 hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323/850-2000.