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  • Composer/Conductor John Williams Leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Music from the City of Angels at Walt Disney Concert Hall
  • Oct. 16, 2009
  • Program Celebrates Seven Decades of Unforgettable Film Music and Features Cellist Johannes Moser

    FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009, AT 8 PM
    SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009, AT 8 PM
    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2009, AT 2 PM

    Academy Award-winning composer and conductor John Williams leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Music from the City of Angels, a celebration of film music, one of Los Angeles’ great cultural legacies, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 18, at 2 p.m. With a program devoted entirely to scores from landmark films spanning seven decades, the evening pays tribute to the music that helped make these films such enduring artistic achievements. The program features music from such films as Sunset Blvd., Vertigo, Double Indemnity, Chinatown, E.T. The Extra- Terrestrial and Memoirs of a Geisha. Famed cellist Johannes Moser joins for the second half of the program.

    The first part of Music from the City of Angels pays homage to Williams’ predecessors from the Golden Age of film, including luminary Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Suite from The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex), Alex North (Spartacus) and Bernard Herrmann (Scène d’amour from Vertigo). Next, Williams presents “L.A. Triptych,” selections from classic scores for three films set in Los Angeles. “L.A. Triptych” includes excerpts from Franz Waxman’s Academy Award-winning score for Sunset Blvd., native Angeleno Jerry Goldsmith’s Chinatown and Miklós Rózsa’s Double Indemnity, arguably the quintessential noir film.

    In the second half of the program, Williams delves into his own vast repertoire of iconic film music, starting with a six-movement suite of music from Memoirs of a Geisha arranged for cello and orchestra. Renowned cellist Johannes Moser joins Williams and the Philharmonic to perform this work. The evening ends with “Adventures on Earth,” from E.T. The Extra -Terrestrial, the film that earned Williams his fourth Academy Award and remains one of the most beloved movies of all time.

    In a career spanning five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. He has composed the music and served as music director for more than 100 films, including all six Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, and Home Alone. His 35-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Munich and Saving Private Ryan. His contributions to television music include scores for more than 200 television films, as well as themes for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), NBC’s Meet the Press, and the PBS arts showcase Great Performances. He also composed themes for the 1984, 1988 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games, as well as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He has received five Academy Awards and 45 Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person. Additionally, Williams has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), 21Grammys, four Golden Globes, five Emmys, and numerous gold and platinum records. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order (the IOC’s highest honor) for his contributions to the Olympic movement, and the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in December of 2004. In 2009, Mr. Williams composed and arranged Air and Simple Gifts especially for the inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama.

    With a brilliant technique and charismatic flair, German-Canadian cellist 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.”

    Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions are free to ticket-holders, and occur one hour prior to the concerts in BP Hall, Friday, October 16, Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18. Jon Burlingame, film music writer for Variety and film-music history instructor at the Thornton School of music at USC, hosts.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable locations 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 concerts, children's programming and community concerts, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    fRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009, AT 8 PM

    SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009, AT 8 PM

    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2009, AT 2 PM


    WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

    111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    JOHN WILLIAMS, conductor

    JOHANNES MOSER, cello



    Music from the City of Angels

    KORNGOLD Suite from The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

    NORTH Forest Meeting and March from Spartacus

    HERRMANN Scène d’amour from Vertigo

    L.A. Triptych –

    WAXMAN Excerpts from Sunset Blvd.

    GOLDSMITH Chinatown

    RÓZSA Prelude and Finale from Double Indemnity

    WILLIAMS Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha

    Sayuri’s Theme

    Going to School

    The Chairman’s Waltz

    Brush on Silk

    Chiyo’s Prayer

    Becoming a Geisha
    WILLIAMS Adventures on Earth from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

    Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions are free to ticket-holders, and occur one hour prior to in BP Hall, Friday, October 16, Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18. Jon Burlingame, film music writer for Variety and film-music history instructor at the Thornton School of music at USC, hosts.

    Tickets ($42 - $160) 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. 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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  • Contact:

    Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213.972.3422; Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org, 213.972.3408; Photos: 213.972.3034