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  • ESA-PEKKA SALONEN LEADS PHILHARMONIC IN FIRST "BERLIOZ BICENTENNIAL" PERFORMANCES
  • Jan. 16, 2004
  • Mezzo-Soprano Anne Sofie von Otter Is Guest Soloist

    FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 AND 17, AT 8 PM;
    SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 AT 2 PM AT WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

    Supported by a grant from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation

    Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen returns in January to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three weeks of subscription concerts focusing on the music of Hector Berlioz, as part of the Philharmonic's Berlioz Bicentennial, honoring the composer's 200th birthday. This all-Berlioz program features the rare combination of a song cycle, a work for voice and orchestra, and an orchestral suite on the same program. Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter sings two mélodies, with Bengt Forsberg accompanying, and Les nuits d'été, and the Philharmonic performs orchestral excerpts from Roméo et Juliette. Concerts take place at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday & Saturday, January 16 and 17, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, January 19, at 2 p.m.


    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. David Gilbert hosts.

    In celebration of the 200th birthday of Hector Berlioz, the Los Angeles Philharmonic examines the life and work of this composer who personified revolutionary thinking and imagination. Berlioz lived during a time of great political and cultural revolution and, in this context, redefined the symphony orchestra through his orchestration, sense of form, and storytelling.

    The festival continues on January 22, 23, and 25, when violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama joins Salonen and the orchestra for her Philharmonic debut in Berlioz' Harold in Italy. The program also features the USC Thornton
    Chamber Choir in Tristia (except on January 23, a Casual Fridays program), and opens with Royal Hunt and Storm from the opera The Trojans. The Berlioz Bicentennial concludes on January 29, 30, 31, and February 1 with Salonen leading the orchestra in Symphonie fantastique with the ground-breaking company Complicite performing an innovative theatrical work inspired by the composer's life and work, co-commissioned by the Philharmonic and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Later in the season, Salonen leads Berlioz' Requiem with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and tenor Eric Cutler on June 3, 4, and 6, 2004.

    ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER is considered one of the finest singers of her generation and is sought after by many of the major conductors, orchestras, opera, and recording companies of the world. Born in Sweden, Otter began her studies in Stockholm and continued with Vera Rozsa at London's Guildhall. She commenced her professional career as a principal member of the Basel Opera before she launched an international career in which the operatic roles of Mozart and Strauss have formed a major part of her repertoire. Von Otter is perhaps best known for her interpretation of Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier - a role she recorded for EMI with Bernard Haitink and performed in many cities and countries across the world. In addition to operatic commitments, von Otter's busy schedule combines recitals around the world with concerts throughout Europe and America, recordings, and touring projects.

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, began his tenure as Music Director in October 1992. Salonen made his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1984, and he has conducted the orchestra every season since. Among the many highlights of Salonen's activities with the Philharmonic have been world premieres of new works by composers John Adams, Bernard Rands, Rodion Shchedrin, Steven Stucky and Salonen himself, well-received Ligeti, Schoenberg and Stravinsky Festivals, appearances at the Ojai Festival, numerous critically acclaimed international tours since 1992, and his extensive discography with the Orchestra for Sony Classical. Salonen was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1958. He made his conducting debut in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra in September 1983. He served as principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia of London from 1985 to 1994 and as a principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1995.


    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2004 AT 8 PM

    SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2004 AT 8 PM

    SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2004 AT 2 PM

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

    ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER, mezzo-soprano

    BENGT FORSBERG, piano

    - BERLIOZ BICENTENNIAL -

    BERLIOZ Les nuits d'été

    BERLIOZ Two mélodies

    BERLIOZ Orchestral excerpts from Roméo et Juliette

    Supported by a grant from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation

    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. David Gilbert hosts.

    Tickets ($15 - $120) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15), 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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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 213.972.3034; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310