FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009, AT 8 PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009, AT 8 PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2009, AT 2 PM

Acclaimed cellist Johannes Moser joins conductor Herbert Blomstedt and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall in three concerts of Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn, Friday, March 27, at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 28 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 29, at 2 p.m.

All three concerts open with one of George Frideric Handel’s most popular works, the festive and bright Music for the Royal Fireworks. The piece was originally commissioned by England’s King George II to accompany the victory celebration commemorating the end of the War of Austrian Succession in 1748. The program continues with Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1, which dates from his earliest years, when he was composing his first symphonies. A genuine masterpiece, the work vanished for almost exactly two centuries, only to be discovered years later in 1961 in the Radenin Castle collection, which had been deposited in the Czech National Library in Prague. Closing the program is Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish,” inspired by a visit to the ruined Holyrood Chapel in Edinburgh where Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. It took him over 13 years to complete the work.

Throughout his distinguished 55-year career, Herbert Blomstedt has conducted the most prestigious orchestras around the globe. In the 1998/99 season, he succeeded Kurt Masur as Music Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, a post that he held until the end of the 2004/05 season. Having since been appointed Honorary Conductor of this orchestra, he returns to Leipzig regularly. In 2006, three more orchestras awarded him the title of Honorary Conductor: the Danish and Swedish Radio Symphonies as well as the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, which he has been conducting since 1982.

With a brilliant technique and charismatic flair, German-born Johannes Moser has set himself apart as one of the most compelling cellists of his generation, whose impassioned playing is filled with personality and emotion. He has been hailed as “greatly gifted” by the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times described him as an “imaginative soloist . . . finding internal conversations, lyrical insights and even humor in the solo part.”

An opportunity to learn more about the program is free to all ticket holders at Upbeat Live, which takes place in BP Hall one hour prior to each concert. Christopher Russell, Director of Orchestral Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Coordinator of the Orchestral Program at Orange County High School of the Arts, hosts.

Born in the U.S. to Swedish parents, HERBERT BLOMSTEDT began his musical education at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and at the University of Uppsala. He later studied conducting at the Juilliard School in New York, contemporary music in Darmstadt, and renaissance and Baroque music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. In February 1954, Blomstedt made his debut as conductor with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. He has served as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and both the Swedish and Danish Radio Orchestras. From 1975 to 1985, he was chief conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle. As a guest conductor, Blomstedt has performed with orchestras such as the Berlin and Munich Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, and the NHK Symphony, for which he is currently Honorary Conductor. Blomstedt is Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, where he served as Music Director from 1985 to 1995. From 1996 to 1998, Blomstedt was Music Director of the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg. In the 1998/99 season, he succeeded Kurt Masur as Music Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, a post that he held until the end of the 2004/05 season. Several major orchestras have awarded him the title of Honorary Conductor: the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Danish and Swedish Radio Symphonies as well as the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. He has received several Honorary Doctorates and is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Music Academy. In the fall of 2003, he was awarded the “Grosses Bundesverdienstkreuz” by the German Federal President Johannes Rau. He celebrated his 80th birthday on July 11, 2007.

JOHANNES MOSER came to international attention in 2002 when he won the 12th Tchaikovsky Competition and was awarded the Special Prize for his interpretation of the Rococo Variations. Since then he has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, such as the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, and the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester Berlin. He works regularly with conductors of the highest level, including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Krzysztof Penderecki, Neeme Järvi, and Paavo Järvi. Moser’s North American schedule for 2008/09 includes a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt and debuts with the Toronto Symphony with Gunther Herbig, the St. Louis Symphony with Ed Gardner, the Cincinnati Symphony with Alan Gilbert, and the Seattle Symphony with Gerard Schwarz. He also returns to New York and Chicago for recital appearances at Lincoln Center and the University of Chicago. In the fall of 2009, Moser will make his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, as well as Bucharest, under the baton of Mariss Jansons.

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, MARCH 27, 2009, AT 8 PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009, AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2009, AT 2 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

HERBERT BLOMSTEDT, conductor

JOHANNES MOSER, cello



HANDEL Music for the Royal Fireworks

HAYDN Cello Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”



An opportunity to learn more about the program is free to all ticket holders at Upbeat Live which takes place in BP Hall one hour prior to each concert. Christopher Russell, Director of Orchestral Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Coordinator of the Orchestral Program at Orange County High School of the Arts, hosts.

Tickets ($42 - $147) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card by phone at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($17), 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 information, please call 323.850.2000.

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