Colburn Celebrity Recital Continues Nine-Day Showcase of Guitar’s Versatility

in Folk, Country-Rock, Classical, Jazz and Chamber Settings

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005, AT 8 PM

The richness of the guitar in all its striking purity comes to life when the Assad Brothers – the world’s preeminent guitar duo – appear at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Thursday, November 17, at 8 p.m. Named “the best two-guitar team in existence, maybe in history,” by The Washington Post, Sérgio and Odair Assad perform works by Sérgio himself, as well as pieces by Spanish composers Isaac Albéniz and Joaquín Rodrigo, Brazilians Jacob Pick Bittencourt and Egberto Gismonti, Argentinean Astor Piazzolla, Cuban Leo Brouwer, French composer Roland Dyens, and Clarice Assad, Sérgio’s daughter.

This program is the fourth in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association’s Art of the Guitar Festival. The Festival, showcasing the remarkable versatility of the guitar in folk, country-rock, classical, chamber and jazz settings. The Assad Brothers’ performance is also part of the L.A. Phil’s Colburn Celebrity Series, which continues with pianist Piotr Anderszewski on December 7; pianist Radu Lupu on January 31, 2006; violinist Joshua Bell on February 12, 2006; pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet on February 22, 2006; pianist Murray Perahia on March 15, 2006; and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes with tenor Ian Bostridge on May 3, 2006.

The artistry and unique ensemble playing of the SÉRGIO and ODAIR ASSAD have set new performance standards in the world of contemporary music for guitar duos. The brothers have recorded with such famed artists as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, clarinetist and six-time Grammy-winner Paquito D'Rivera and Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer. Their repertoire ranges from original pieces written by Sérgio Assad to transcriptions of great pieces written by Bach and Couperin, as well as adaptations of works by Gershwin. Their concerts are distinctive for their blend of musical styles, time periods and cultures. The Assads’ 2001 CD Sergio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla was awarded a Latin Grammy. Their 1998 CD with Yo-Yo Ma received a Grammy, and they have collaborated with him on a second CD that features many of the most revered Brazilian artists. The Assads began playing the guitar together at an early age and went on to study for seven years with classical guitarist and lutenist Monina Távora, a disciple of Andrés Segovia. Their international career began with a major prize at the 1979 Young Artists Competition in Bratislava. Now based in Brussels and in Chicago (where Sérgio teaches at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts), they continue to perform regularly in Europe, North America and Japan as well as in Brazil.

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:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005, at 8PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Colburn Celebrity Series

The Art of the Guitar

SÉRGIO ASSAD, guitar

ODAIR ASSAD, guitar



ALBÉNIZ Cordoba from “Cantos de España”

RODRIGO Tonadilla para dos guitarras

S. ASSAD Tahhiyya li Ossoulina

PIAZZOLLA Invierno Porteño from “Las cuatro estaciones porteñas”

BITTENCOURT Noites Cariocas

C. ASSAD Valsas do Rio

GISMONTI Agua e Vinho

GISMONTI Sete Aneis

DYENS Two movements from “Côte Nord”

BROUWER Danzas concertantes

Tickets ($15-$82) 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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