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  • GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING PIANIST EMANUEL AX BEGINS LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ON LOCATION RESIDENCY PERFORMING MUSIC OF MOZART WITH ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
  • Oct. 24, 2006
  • Concert is First in Three-Week Series of Appearances by Ax Focusing on Repertoire of Mozart and Richard Strauss

    TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006 AT 8 PM

    Acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax launches his Los Angeles Philharmonic On Location residency when he appears with the famed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in an all-Mozart program on Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 8 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall, as part of the Philharmonic's Visiting Orchestra presentations. The program features the Così fan tutte Overture, Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453, Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503, and Symphony No. 35, "Haffner."

    Ax's On Location performances, which take place over a three-week period, find him in roles ranging from orchestral soloist to chamber music collaborator and in the music of Richard Strauss and Mozart as he examines how these composers approached non-vocal music with an operatic sensibility. Orpheus, recognized internationally as one of the world's great ensembles, was founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to perform orchestral repertoire without a conductor. The orchestra has collaborated with today's greatest artists, among them Ax, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Alicia de Larrocha, Martha Argerich, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, Mitsuko Uchida, Frederica von Stade, Anne Sofie von Otter, Dawn Upshaw, and Renee Fleming.

    KUSC radio host Alan Chapman discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event open to all ticket holders held in BP Hall one hour before the performance.

    On Location, in its fourth year as the Philharmonic's artist residency program, features some of the world's most distinguished artists participating in a special projects including orchestral appearances as well as Green Umbrella new music performances, chamber music concerts and other activities. In addition to Ax, On Location artists for the 2006/07 season are Joshua Bell, Thomas Adès, and Dawn Upshaw. According to Philharmonic President Deborah Borda, "Because our On Location residences have had such a tremendous impact on our orchestra, audiences, and visiting artists, we feature four - rather than two - distinguished performers this season. Through these residencies, they each have a focused opportunity to explore their unique talent and insert their personal stamp on our season's programming."

    Ax's On Location residency continues when he is soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as guest conductor Alan Gilbert leads three performances of Mozart's Overture to Don Giovanni and Piano Concerto No. 9 and Strauss' Serenade and Der Rosenkavalier Suite (Friday, October 27 at 11 a.m., Saturday, October 28 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m.) Celebrated cellist and frequent collaborator Yo-Yo Ma joins Ax for an all-Beethoven duo recital program on Friday, October 27 at 8 p.m. Next, associate conductor Alexander Mickelthwate conducts Ax and the Philharmonic in performances of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 and Strauss' Burleske and Ein Heldenleben (Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 12 at 2 p.m.) Finally, actor Patrick Stewart narrates a chamber music program featuring Ax and members of the Philharmonic that includes Strauss' Cello Sonata, Sextet from Capriccio, and Enoch Arden, as well as Mozart's Violin Sonata in C major, K. 296 and Piano Quartet in E-flat major, K. 493 (Tuesday, November 14 at 7 p.m.)

    The Grammy Award-winning ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA has been thrilling music lovers on four continents for 34 years. For the past 26 seasons, the centerpiece of each Orpheus season has been its celebrated concert series at New York's Carnegie Hall. Accompanying the critical acclaim for Orpheus' live appearances are numerous distinctions and awards, including a 2001 Grammy Award for "Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures," a 1998 Grammy nomination for its recording of Mozart piano concerti with Richard Goode, and the 1998 "Ensemble of the Year" award from Musical America. Orpheus has collaborated with many of the great artists of our time including Isaac Stern, Gidon Kremer, Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Alicia de Larrocha, Radu Lupu, Martha Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, Mitsuko Uchida, Tatiana Troyanos, Maureen Forrester, Frederica von Stade, Peter Schreier, Anne Sofie von Otter, Dawn Upshaw, and Renee Fleming. Reflecting their commitment to expanding the chamber orchestra repertoire, Orpheus has premiered works by Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Mario Davidovsky, Michael Gandolfi, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Fred Lerdahl, Gunther Schuller, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Susan Botti, David Rakowski, Bruce Adolphe, Peter Lieberson, Elizabeth Brown and Han Yong. Founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to perform orchestral repertoire without a conductor, Orpheus is a self-governing organization. Central to its distinctive personality is its unique practice of sharing and rotating leadership roles. For every work, the members of the orchestra select the concertmaster and the principal players for each section. These players constitute the core group, whose role is to form the initial concept of the piece and to shape the rehearsal process. In the final rehearsals, all members of the orchestra participate in refining the interpretation and execution, with members taking turns listening from the auditorium for balance, blend, articulation, dynamic range and clarity of expression. The Orpheus recording legacy consists of nearly 70 albums. Recent releases include a recording of English and America folk songs with countertenor Andreas Scholl (Decca); Creation, a collection of jazz-inspired music from 1920's Paris with saxophonist Branford Marsalis (SONY Classical); and a critically-acclaimed series of recordings of Mozart's greatest piano concerti with Richard Goode (Nonesuch).

    EMANUEL AX is renowned not only for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity, but also for the exceptional breadth of his performing activity. Each season his distinguished career includes appearances with major symphony orchestras worldwide, recitals in the most celebrated concert halls, a variety of chamber music collaborations, the commissioning and performance of new music, and additions to his acclaimed discography on Sony Classical. Ax captured public attention in 1974 when, at age 25, he won the First Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists and, four years later, took the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. He has been an exclusive Sony Classical recording artist since 1987. His releases over the last few years have included a Grammy-award winning album of Haydn piano sonatas, part of an ongoing Haydn cycle; the two Liszt concertos, paired with the Schoenberg concerto; three solo Brahms albums, and an album of tangos by Astor Piazzolla. In recent years, Ax has turned his attention toward the music of contemporary composers, performing works by such diverse figures as Sir Michael Tippett, Hans Werner Henze, Paul Hindemith, Ezra Laderman, Peter Lieberson, Joseph Schwantner, William Bolcom, André Previn, and Aaron Copland. In September 1997, he gave the world premiere of John Adams' piano concerto, Century Rolls, with the Cleveland Orchestra, followed in 1998 by the European premiere with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New York premiere at Carnegie Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra in April 2000, and its Los Angeles premiere in February 2001 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the composer's direction. In May 1999 he gave the premiere of another concerto written for him, Seeing for Piano and Orchestra by Christopher Rouse, with the New York Philharmonic. Devoted to chamber music literature, Emanuel Ax regularly collaborates with such artists as Young Uck Kim, Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Serkin, and the late Isaac Stern. He has made a series of acclaimed recordings with Ma, and as a duo they have won three Grammy awards for the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano. The Ax-Stern-Laredo-Ma Quartet toured extensively in recent seasons and recorded piano quartets of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák, Fauré, Mozart, and Schumann for Sony Classical.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006 AT 8 PM

    WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

    EMANUEL AX, piano

    MOZART Così fan tutte Overture

    MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453

    MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503

    MOZART Symphony No. 35, "Haffner"

    KUSC radio host Alan Chapman discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event open to all ticket holders held in BP Hall one hour before the performance.

    Tickets ($15 - $86) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, 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:

    Adam Crane, 213.972.3422; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; Photos: 213.972.3034