Program Includes Khachaturian’s Rarely Heard Piano Concerto As Well As Works By Glinka, Tchaikovsky And Kodály

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008, AT 8 PM

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Los Angeles Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Lionel Bringuier, one of the brightest of a new generation of musicians, makes his Hollywood Bowl debut leading celebrated pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the LA Phil in Khachaturian’s rarely heard Piano Concerto on Thursday, August 21, at 8 p.m. Also on the program are the rollicking overture to Glinka’s 1842 opera Ruslan and Ludmilla, Tchaikovsky’s lush Romeo and Juliet and Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, inspired by Gypsy bands in the composer’s hometown.

The concert opens with Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla Overture. This father of Russian music rooted his own music in European tradition with touches of other cultures and it is evident in the opera, which was written following a visit by an Italian opera company to St. Petersburg and the composer’s subsequent immersion in Rossini’s stage works. The overture exhibits an energy worthy of Rossini and a uniquely Russian combination of earthy exuberance and heroic feeling. The concert continues with Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, which served as a break-through piece in terms of public recognition and artistic development for the composer. The influence of the ashugh (folk music) tradition of Armenian bards is apparent in the rhythmic and metrical games, instrumental color and sheer virtuosity of the concerto. In his Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, Tchaikovsky reflects the feelings of the Shakespeare tragedy as well as his own tortured personal life in a tautly constructed masterpiece. The concert ends with Kodály’s beguiling Dances of Galánta, which are arrangements of music that the composer was exposed to as a child in the Hungarian town of Galánta.

Bringuier entered his first year as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's assistant conductor to Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen at the start of the 2007/08 concert season. He has conducted some of the top orchestras in the world, including the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Thibaudet, renowned for his elegant style, depth of color and brilliant technique, is sought after by orchestras, conductors, festivals and fellow musicians alike. Equally prolific in the performance and recording arenas, he continues to be hailed by the press as “one of the best pianists in the world.”

LIONEL BRINGUIER is one of the brightest of a new generation of conductors. With the start of the 2008/09 concert season, pianist, cellist and conductor Lionel Bringuier enters his third year as Chef associé of the Orchestre de Bretagne and his second as Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He will make his debut this season with the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, among others, and has received reinvitations to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Winner of the 49th Besançon Young Conductors Competition in 2005, Bringuier was awarded the unanimous decision of the Besançon jury, the “Prix du Public” as audience favourite, as well as the top vote of the musicians of the festival orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Since his triumph, he has conducted some of the top orchestras in the world including the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Born in Nice, France in 1986, he began his musical studies at the Academy of Nice at the age of 5 and gave his first cello recital before the Countess of Paris at the age of 9. At 13, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (C.N.S.M.) in the cello class of Philippe Muller and furthered his academic work in chamber music, choral singing and jazz studies. In 2000, he began his conducting studies at the C.N.S.M. in Paris under the tutelage of Zsolt Nagy. He has also participated in masterclasses with Peter Eötvös and Janos Fürst. In June 2004, he obtained from the C.N.S.M. de Paris his diploma in cello with "Mention Très Bien à l'unanimité" as well as a "Mention Très Bien à l'unanimité" in conducting. Other distinctions include the “Médaille d’or à l’unanimité avec les felicitations du jury á l’Académie Prince Rainier III de Monaco,” the “médaille d’or” from the Lord Mayor of Nice as well as first prize in a competition organized by the Janá?ek Philharmonic Orchestra in Ostrava. Bringuier is also a prizewinner of the Swiss Foundation Langart and the Cziffra Foundation.

Hailed by the press as “one of the best pianists in the world,” JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET is sought after by today’s foremost orchestras, festivals, conductors and collaborative musicians. His absolute artistry, virtuosity and charisma have brought him to the world’s most renowned stages numerous times, leaving audiences around the globe repeatedly captivated. Following appearances at major festivals throughout Europe and the U.S. as well as European tours with the New York Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebow Orchestra in summer 2008, the fall finds Thibaudet on tour with London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (with an appearance at Carnegie Hall), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kammerorchester Basel. Additional performances in the 2008/09 season are with Munich Philharmonic, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, London Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Dresden Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony and Orchestre National de Lyon in Europe. Appearances in the U.S. are with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Colorado and Charleston. In April 2009, Jean-Yves Thibaudet embarks on a nine-city tour with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, bringing Ravel’s two piano concerti and Lizt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 to the audiences of Geneva, Cologne, Aachen, Frankfurt, Berlin, Wiesbaden, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Additional tours are with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. A vivid recitalist, he also performs in Dublin, Ireland; Madrid, Spain; Vienna, Austria; and at Lucerne Festival Piano in November 2008. Thibaudet is an exclusive recording artist for Decca, which has released over 40 of his albums, earning the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or, Choc de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, two Echo awards, and the Edison Prize. His latest recording, Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerti Nos. 2&5, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, released in early fall 2007, follows the album, Aria – Opera Without Words, which was released in February 2007, inspired by the artist’s love and admiration for the human voice as “the best vehicle for expression in music.” The disc features transcriptions of opera arias by Saint-Saëns, R. Strauss, Gluck, Korngold, Bellini, J. Strauss II, P. Grainger, and Puccini; some of the transcriptions are by Mikhashoff, Sgambati and Brassin, others – Thibaudet’s own. Thibaudet was the soloist on the Oscar and Golden Globe-award winning soundtrack of Universal Pictures’ Atonement and the Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice. He was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age 5 and made his first public appearance at age 7. At 12, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age 15, Thibaudet won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and three years later, won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. In 2001, the Republic of France awarded Thibaudet the prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2002, he was awarded the Premio Pegasus from the Spoleto Festival in Italy, for his artistic achievements and his longstanding involvement with the festival. His most recent accolade is the 2007 Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique.

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 40th 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 2008, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fourth year in a row at the 19th 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 21, 2008, AT 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood



THIBAUDET PLAYS KHACHATURIAN



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

LIONEL BRINGUIER, conductor

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano



GLINKA Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture

KHACHATURIAN Piano Concerto

TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet

KODÁLY Dances of Galánta



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