Saturday and Sunday Performances Feature
Philharmonic Principal Cellist Peter Stumpf As Soloist

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MAY 11 AND 12, AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 13, AT 2 PM

Bramwell Tovey, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony, appears as guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12, at 8 p.m., as well as Sunday, May 13, at 2 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. He has conducted the Philharmonic before (at the Hollywood Bowl), but these performances mark Tovey's debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Philharmonic Principal Cellist Peter Stumpf is the soloist in the Saturday and Sunday programs, which include Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and Elgar's Enigma Variations. The Friday performance is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Casual Friday series and does not include the concerto.

The Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes reflects Britten's awareness of the struggles of those whose livelihood depends on the sea. Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 was inspired by the sound, style and personality of Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Elgar's Enigma Variations, influenced by his wife's comments about how certain friends would play a piece he was improvising, musically depicts 14 people and a dog in variations.

Composer Daniel Catán discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event in BP Hall open to all ticket holders, held one hour before each performance.

British conductor BRAMWELL TOVEY has been Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony since 2000, and recently extended his contract there through 2010. In addition to his music directorship with the Vancouver Symphony, Tovey works internationally with a prestigious list of orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Bournemouth Symphony. In the summer of 2006, Tovey came to the end of a successful term as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he'd held since September 2002. He completed successful tours with the orchestra around Europe, the U.S. and the Far East, and made a critically-acclaimed recording of Jean Cras' opera Polypheme. Tovey conducts a huge range of works across the musical spectrum. His strong commitment to new music was demonstrated during his time as Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada, where he founded a New Music Festival and was its Artistic Director for 10 years. During that time the Festival premiered more than 250 new works by a broad range of international and Canadian composers. In addition to conducting, Tovey has a wide range of interests, including composition - his most recent work, Requiem for a Charred Skull, was performed and recorded by the Hannaford Street Silver Band in Toronto. Tovey also is an accomplished jazz pianist and has enjoyed performing and recording in that idiom for years.

PETER STUMPF became Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the beginning of the 2002/2003 season after serving for 12 years as the Associate Principal Cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a dedicated chamber musician, a member of the Johannes Quartet and a frequent participant at the Malboro Music Festival, and has toured with Music from Malboro. Stumpf has collaborated with Wolfgang Sawallisch in performances in Philadelphia, Saratoga, Carnegie Hall and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As a member of Casals Hall Ensemble, he has toured Japan and in the U.S. with pianist Mitsuko Uchida in performances of the complete Mozart Piano Trios. He also has performed in concert with the Emerson String Quartet. Stumpf has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Phiharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic; at the Aspen Music Festival; and with the National Repertory Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony. He made his Philharmonic solo debut at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2004. Trained at the Curtis Institute and the New England Conservatory, Stumpf was awarded first prizes at the Washington International Competition, the Graham-Stahl Competition and the Aspen Concerto Competition. At the age of 16 he began his professional career, playing in the Hartford Symphony. He later served on the cello faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music.

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:

FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2007 AT 8 PM (CASUAL FRIDAY)

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

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

BRAMWELL TOVEY, conductor

BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

ELGAR Enigma Variations

SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2007 AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2007 AT 2 PM

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

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

BRAMWELL TOVEY, conductor

PETER STUMPF, cello

BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1

ELGAR Enigma Variations

"Upbeat Live," a free event open to all ticket holders, is held in BP Hall one hour before each performance featuring Composer Daniel Catán.

Tickets ($39-$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 10 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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