DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, DECEMBER 3 AT 8 PM

On Tuesday, December 3 at 8 p.m., the 2002/2003 Celebrity Recitals series begins with a piano recital by world-renowned soloist Yefim Bronfman at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The acclaimed Russian pianist plays Beethoven's Piano Sonata, Op.10, No. 3, Dichotomie by Esa-Pekka Salonen, seven of Rachmaninoff's Preludes, Op. 23, and Piano Sonata No. 7 by Prokofiev. The evening is the first of four recitals this season, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 10, No. 3, was composed in 1797-98 and dedicated to the Countess von Browne. It was written during an expansive period in Vienna when Beethoven began to compose in a wide variety of genres - arias, piano concertos, woodwind music, and symphonies.

Written in 2000 for pianist Gloria Cheng, who performed the world premiere at Zipper Hall in December of that year, Esa-Pekka Salonen's two movement work for solo piano, Dichotomie, receives its first performance at the Pavilion with this recital. The two-movement work begins with "Mécanisme", which represents a machine that slowly becomes human and begins to feel, and ends with "Organisme", where the musical line grows and expands organically like a tree.

Rachmaninoff composed his Ten Preludes, Op. 23 in 1901 and 1903, a period during which he wrote his Second Piano Concerto. Like that concerto, the preludes are known for their harmonies and lyrical, passionate melodies.

Prokofiev composed his Seventh Piano Sonata from 1939-1942, during his years in Stalinist Russia. It was begun after he finished the film score, Alexander Nevsky, and his progress on the piece was slowed down by the war; he finished the work at the same time that he finished the piano score for his opera, War and Peace.

2002/2003 Celebrity Recitals continue with violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad, performing Gypsy songs and works by Piazzolla and Bartók on January 31, 2003, followed by a vocal recital by Finnish soprano Karita Mattila with pianist Martin Katz on March 2. The series concludes on March 17 with an all-Russian recital by pianist Mikhail Pletnev, featuring works by Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.

The 1991 winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize for outstanding achievement and excellence in music, YEFIM BRONFMAN was born in Tashkent, studied at Tel Aviv University in Israel and, in this country, at Juilliard, Marlboro, and The Curtis Institute. His debut at age 17 with Zubin Mehta and the Montreal Symphony launched Bronfman's international career. This season, he appears as soloist in both Brahms concertos with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Japan and at Carnegie Hall and makes appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He tours North America with violinist Gil Shaham and cellist Truls Mørk this fall. In previous seasons, Bronfman has appeared with such celebrated ensembles as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the NHK Symphony, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Vienna Philharmonic. He has given numerous solo recitals in the leading halls of North America, Europe, and the Far East, including acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall in 1989 and at Avery Fisher Hall in 1993. In December 1999, Bronfman joined James Levine and London's Philharmonia Orchestra in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles to premiere the Disney film, Fantasia 2000, on whose soundtrack he performs the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2. Since his first appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1977, Bronfman has collaborated frequently with the Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Hollywood Bowl, as well as on the Philharmonic's Grammy Award-winning recording of the three Bartók Piano Concertos, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Tuesday, December 3, 8 PM

Celebrity Recital

DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, 135 N. Grand Ave in Los Angeles

YEFIM BRONFMAN, piano

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 10, No. 3

Salonen: Dichotomie

Rachmaninoff: Seven Preludes from Op. 23

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7

Tickets ($17-55) are on sale now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. Tickets are also available on-line at www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available 2 hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323.850.2000.

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