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  • WDCH
  • SALONEN CONDUCTS SHOSTAKOVICH'S "LENINGRAD"
  • Mar. 19, 2004
  • Program Continues the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Five-year Shostakovich Cycle

    FRIDAY, MARCH 19, AND SATURDAY, MARCH 20, AT 8 PM; SUNDAY, MARCH 21, AT 2 PM

    March 19 sponsored by Gallo of Sonoma; additional media support for March 21 provided by KCET

    Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 21, at 2 p.m. Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, known as "Leningrad," was written mostly in Nazi-besieged Leningrad between July and December 1941 and quickly became a worldwide symbol of anti-fascism.

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events for the March 19 and 20 programs take place at 6:45 p.m. prior to each concert; the Upbeat Live program for March 21 takes place at 12:45 p.m. Upbeat Live programs for these performances take place in the main auditorium of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 7.

    Shostakovich described the Seventh Symphony as charged with the sinister events surrounding the German invasion of Russia in 1941. The first movement demonstrates the evil force of war, while the second movement has a more lyrical side which contains recollections of happier times. The third movement is an emotional adagio that flows directly into the fourth and final movement capturing the impending triumph.

    In January 2001, the Philharmonic began its Shostakovich Cycle, a five-year project to perform the composer's complete symphonies and string quartets. The cycle aims to throw two very different aspects of Shostakovich into sharp relief - the public persona embodied in the symphonies and the private thoughts laid bare in the string quartets. The next performance in the Shostakovich Cycle will be Symphony No. 9 on Thursday, March 25, at 8 p.m., Friday, March 26, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m.

    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 and Stravinsky Festivals, appearances at the Ojai Festival, critically acclaimed international tours, and his extensive discography with the Philharmonic for Sony Classical. Salonen was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1958. He made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and he has been one of the world's most sought-after conductors since his debut in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra in September 1983. He served as principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994 and as principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1995.


    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    FRIDAY, MARCH 19 AT 8 PM-CASUAL FRIDAYS

    SATURDAY, MARCH 20 AT 8 PM

    SUNDAY, MARCH 21, AT 2 PM

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

    March 19 sponsored by Gallo of Sonoma; additional media support for March 21 provided by KCET

    SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.7 in C major, Op. 60, "Leningrad"

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events for the March 19 and 20 programs take place at 6:45 p.m. prior to each concert; the Upbeat Live program for March 21 takes place at 12:45 p.m. Upbeat Live programs for these performances take place in the main auditorium of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 7.

    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 all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; for photos: Beth Norber, 213.972.3409