THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007, AT 8 PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2007, AT 11 AM
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2007, AT 2 PM
Concerts supported by the Andrew and Amy Gordon Music Fund, a generous gift to the LA Phil Endowment Campaign
Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a concert of Beethoven and Sibelius with Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, in her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut, on Thursday, April 19, at 8 p.m., Friday, April 20, at 11 a.m., and Saturday, April 21, at 2 p.m. The program features Beethoven's Violin Concerto, performed by Mullova, and Sibelius' Lemminkäinen Suite.
Mullova's extraordinary virtuosity and compelling musicianship first captured international attention when she won first prize at the 1980 Sibelius Competition in Helsinki, followed two years later with a Gold Medal win at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Sibelius' Lemminkäinen Suite (also called Four Legends), written in the early 1890s, was originally conceived as a mythological opera but later changed to an orchestral piece in four movements.
Michael Steinberg, musicologist and author, discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event in BP Hall open to all ticket holders, held one hour before each performance, except the Friday matinee, which takes place at 9:45 a.m. on stage.
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is currently in his 14th season as Music Director. He made his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1984, and he has conducted the orchestra every season since. His current tenure is the second-longest in Philharmonic history, and he recently extended his contract through the 2007/08 season. Alongside his activities as a conductor, Salonen has also won acclaim for his work as a composer. Among the many highlights of Salonen's activities with the Philharmonic have been world premieres of works by composers John Adams, Franco Donatoni, William Kraft, Witold Lutoslawski, Magnus Lindberg, Bernard Rands, Rodion Shchedrin, Steven Stucky, Tan Dun, and Augusta Read Thomas, as well as his own works. He has led critically acclaimed festivals of music by Ligeti, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Berlioz, and has served as Music Director of the Ojai Music Festival. He and the Philharmonic have toured extensively since 1992, including extended residencies at the Salzburg Festival and at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Salonen's latest orchestral work, Wing on Wing, received its world premiere in June 2004 as part of the Philharmonic's Building Music Festival. In March 2003 Salonen signed an exclusive four-year recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon; in February 2005, the label released Wing on Wing, a disc devoted to his recent works. Before signing with DG, Salonen recorded regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Sony Classical. A Sony disc of Salonen's compositions, including LA Variations, Five Images After Sappho, Giro, Gambit, and Mania, has garnered critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Salonen and the Philharmonic's discography also includes the debut recording of John Adams' Naive and Sentimental Music - a work that the orchestra premiered - for the Nonesuch label. Salonen was born in Helsinki in 1958, and after studies at the Sibelius Academy in Finland and with private teachers Franco Donatoni and Niccolò Castiglioni in Italy, he made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979. He is the recipient of many major awards including the Siena Prize from the Accademia Chigiana in 1993, the first conductor ever to receive the prize; the Royal Philharmonic Society's Opera Award in 1995; and their Conductor Award in 1997. In 1998 he was awarded the rank of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government; in 2003 he received an honorary doctorate from the Sibelius Academy in Finland.
VIKTORIA MULLOVA's enthusiasm for exploring the full potential of her instrument is demonstrated by her pursuit of a diverse repertoire. With a group of like-minded musicians she formed the Mullova Chamber Ensemble, which gave its inaugural tour in Italy in July 1994. The ensemble has made tours of Germany and the Netherlands, and has recorded a similarly well-received compact disc of the Bach violin concertos for Philips Classics. Mullova's recent engagements have included concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London under Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphonies, and Washington's National Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has also recently worked - for the first time as soloist and director - with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a Mozart project. In recital, she toured with a program of unaccompanied Bach throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy. Mullova records exclusively for Philips, and her debut release of the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius Concertos with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque. Her recital of works by Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Ravel with Bruno Canino was awarded the Edison Prize, and her disc of the Mendelssohn Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields received a Diapason d'Or. She was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for her recording of the Bach Partitas, and she won a 1995 Echo Klassic award, a Japanese Record Academy Award, and a Deutsche Schallplattenkritik prize for her release of the Brahms Concerto, recorded live in Tokyo with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. Her recording of the Bartok and Stravinsky concertos with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen was released in 1998. She also recorded a Vivaldi Concertos program with Il Giardino Armonico directed by Giovanni Antonini, which won the Diapason d'Or in 2005.
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:
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, AT 8 PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, AT 11 AM
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, AT 2 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor
VIKTORIA MULLOVA, violin
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
SIBELIUS Lemminkäinen Suite
Michael Steinberg, musicologist and author, discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event in BP Hall open to all ticket holders, held one hour before each performance, except the Friday matinee, which takes place at 9:45 a.m. on stage.
All three concerts are supported by the Andrew and Amy Gordon Music Fund, a generous gift to the LA Phil Endowment Campaign.
Tickets ($15 - $135) 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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Adam Crane, 213.972.3422, acrane@laphil.org; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310, rroe@laphil.org; Photos: 213.972.3034