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  • PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY MAKES ITS HOLLYWOOD BOWL DEBUT WITH LEONARD SLATKIN AND THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
  • Aug. 25, 2005
  • Program Features Dances Set to the Music of Bach

    THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, AT 8 PM

    Media sponsor: K-Mozart 105.1

    Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl Leonard Slatkin leads the Philharmonic and the debut of the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday, August 25, at 8 p.m. The all-Bach program features several works by the composer, all in orchestral transcriptions: the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, the "Little" Fugue in G minor, the C-minor Passacaglia, and more. The centerpiece of the program comes when the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Slatkin collaborate with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in two dances to Bach's music, Taylor's Musical Offering: a requiem and Promethean Fire.

    A modern dance legend, Paul Taylor first premiered the choreography for Musical Offering in 1986. This performance includes the original set and costume design by Gene Moore, with lighting by Jennifer Tipton and fourteen dancers led by Lisa Viola and Richard Chen See. Promethean Fire features the same leads with sixteen dancers caught between despair and hope. First danced in 2002, this choreographed work features costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.

    Combining the roles of internationally celebrated conductor, staunch advocate for music education, and champion of American music and musicians, LEONARD SLATKIN, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, was named this year to the newly created post of Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He is the first to hold this post, a position that rotates on a two-year basis. Throughout his career, Slatkin has been praised by critics and audiences around the world for his imaginative programming and interpretations of a vast range of repertoire. Among his distinctions are a White House celebration honoring the National Symphony Orchestra and Slatkin for advocacy of America's artistic heritage; a Grammy for Best Classical Recording; awards for programming; and the National Medal of the Arts, the nation's highest honor for a performing artist. Slatkin has made regular appearances over the last two decades with virtually all the major international orchestras and opera companies, including the New York and Berlin Philharmonics, the Cleveland Orchestra, and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as the Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna Staatsoper. He is conductor laureate of the Saint Louis Symphony, following his highly successful 17-year music directorship, and has just completed his tenure as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Slatkin's discography includes more than 100 recordings recognized with five Grammy Awards and more than 50 other Grammy nominations. Slatkin is also extremely active as a broadcaster on musical topics. During his career he has had his own radio program, his own television program, and has been a guest commentator on NPR's Performance Today.

    The PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY, established in 1954, has long been one of the world's most sought-after dance troupes, having performed Taylor's works in over 60 countries and more than 450 cities. It has represented the United States at arts festivals in more than 40 countries and has toured extensively under the aegis of the U.S. Department of State. In the summer of 2001 the Company toured in The People's Republic of China and performed in six cities, four of which had never seen American modern dance before. In the spring of 2003 the Company mounted an award-winning four-week, seven-city tour of the United Kingdom. While continuing to garner international acclaim, the Paul Taylor Dance Company performs more than half of each touring season in cities throughout the United States. In March 2004 the Taylor Foundation launched a 50-state tour to celebrate the Taylor Company's 50th Anniversary, during which Paul Taylor's works will be performed in every state in the country. Beginning with its first television appearance on "Dance in America" in 1978, the Company has appeared on PBS in nine different programs, including the 1991 Emmy Award-winning Speaking in Tongues and The Wrecker's Ball - including Company B, Funny Papers, and A Field of Grass - which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1997. In 1999 the PBS "American Masters" series aired Dancemaker, the Academy Award-nominated documentary about Paul Taylor and his Company.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2005, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue at the 16th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2005 at 8 PM

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor

    PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY

    BACH orch. Cailliet Fugue in G minor

    BACH orch. Webern and Beyer Musical Offering

    BACH orch. Ormandy Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    BACH trans. Stokowski Promethean Fire (Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; Prelude in E-flat minor, BWV 853; Chorale Prelude, BWV 680)

    BACH orch. Respighi Passacaglia in C minor

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    Tickets ($1 - $92) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records, and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details.
    For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane: 213.972.3422; photos: 213.972.3034