Acclaimed Pianist Andreas Haefliger Joins in His Walt Disney Concert Hall Debut

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2008, AT 8 PM

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 - 20, 2008, AT 2 PM

The January 19 Concert is Generously Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

KCET is the Media Sponsor for the January 20 Concert

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an all-Beethoven program featuring virtuoso pianist Andreas Haefliger on Friday, January 18, at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, January 19 and 20, at 2 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Haefliger, considered one of the leading pianists of his generation, performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” in all three concerts in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut. Also included in the three performances is Beethoven’s King Stephen Overture, and the Saturday and Sunday concerts additionally feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. The Friday performance is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Casual Fridays series.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Raymond Knapp, author and musicology professor at UCLA, hosts.

Casual Fridays series concerts, which encourage audience and orchestra members to attend attired in comfortable clothes, are shorter programs without intermission and feature free pre-concert and post-concert activities for all ticket-holders to enjoy. The pre-concert options which occur one hour before the performance include an Upbeat Live event in BP Hall or a cocktail pre-party in the Walt Disney Concert Hall gardens. Casual Fridays post-concert activities include a TalkBack discussion with musicians held on stage after the performance or a chance to enjoy a beverage and listen to music provided by KCRW’s Jason Bentley, while mingling with members of the orchestra in the Concert Hall Café.

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the 10th conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, began his 16th season as Music Director in October. This past spring he announced that he will end his tenure at the conclusion of the 2008/09 season to devote himself more fully to composing. Salonen, who was born in Helsinki in 1958, studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. He made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1984. He was recently appointed Principal Conductor of London's Philharmonia. Among the many highlights of Salonen's career with the Los Angeles Philharmonic have been world premieres of works by composers John Adams, Franco Donatoni, Anders Hillborg, William Kraft, Magnus Lindberg, Witold Lutoslawski, Bernard Rands, Kaija Saariaho, 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, Berlioz, Beethoven and Sibelius, as well as the Tristan Project. He and the Philharmonic have toured extensively since 1992. In October of 2003, Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry. Salonen signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon in March 2003 and the following year, DG released a disc devoted to his recent orchestral works, featuring Foreign Bodies, Insomnia and Wing on Wing. In January 2006, Salonen and the Philharmonic recorded their first CD together for DG, the first live recording from Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Salonen and the Philharmonic also have four live concert recordings available for download on iTunes from DG Concerts.) Before signing with DG, Salonen recorded regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Sony Classical. He is the recipient of several 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, Salonen was awarded the rank of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. Musical America named him 2006 Musician of the Year.

A musical thinker whose interpretations spring from a rich cultural heritage, ANDREAS HAEFLIGER is a consummate artist and one of the leading pianists of his generation. This sensitive and probing recitalist and chamber musician has appeared in the great recital venues and festivals of the world, including London's Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, the Wiener Festwochen and the Salzburg Festival. His regular chamber performances include collaborations with baritone Matthias Goerne, the Takács Quartet and his wife, flutist Marina Piccinini. In recent seasons, the focus of his recital performances has been the "Perspectives on Beethoven" series, a personal exploration of the complete Beethoven piano works alongside related works by other masters. "Perspectives" performances in 2007/08 include recitals at the Lucerne Piano Festival, in Lisbon, Birmingham and Antwerp. Additional highlights of the season include appearances with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Christoph von Dohnányi at the Royal Festival Hall in London, as well as performances with Roberto Abbado and the Atlanta Symphony, Andreas Delfs and the Milwaukee Symphony, Hans Graf and the Dallas Symphony, Gilbert Varga and the Berlin Symphony, Thierry Fischer and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Born in Switzerland, Andreas Haefliger grew up in a musical household. After completing his studies at the Juilliard School, where he was twice awarded the Gina Bachauer Memorial Scholarship, he made his London recital debut at the Wigmore Hall in 1993, and his London Proms debut with the Philharmonia in 1994. A growing discography includes works by Schumann, Schubert, Mozart and Sofia Gubaidulina for Sony; Schubert lieder with Matthias Goerne and the "Trout" Quintet and Dvo?ák Piano Quintet with the Takács Quartet for London/Decca. The "Perspectives" series is recorded and released on the Avie label; recent discs include the second installment of the series, as well as a recital disc of Prokofiev, Wagner and Franck, with Marina Piccinini.

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, JANUARY 18, 2008, at 8 PM (Casual Fridays: King Stephen Overture and the Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor")

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2008, at 2 PM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2008, at 2 PM

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



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

ANDREAS HAEFLIGER, piano



BEETHOVEN King Stephen Overture

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”



The January 19 concert is generously sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

KCET is the media sponsor for the January 20 concert.



Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Raymond Knapp, author and musicology professor at UCLA, hosts.

Casual Fridays series programs offer pre- and post-concert events that are free to all ticket-holders. They include Upbeat Live or a cocktail pre-party in the Walt Disney Concert Hall gardens. Post-concert events include an onstage TalkBack discussion with musicians or a post-concert reception with the musicians in the Concert Hall Café.

Tickets ($40 - $142) 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. 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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