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  • PAAVO JÄRVI CONDUCTS LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC IN ALL-RACHMANINOFF PROGRAM FEATURING PIANIST ANDRÉ WATTS AT WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
  • Apr. 6, 2006
  • Originally Scheduled Pianist Helene Grimaud Cancels Appearances Due to Illness; Program Unchanged

    THURSDAY and FRIDAY, APRIL 6 & 7, 2006 AT 8 PM

    SUNDAY, APRIL 9 AT 2 PM

     
    April 6 Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, April 7 supported by James Irvine Foundation

    Grammy award-winning Paavo Järvi, one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation, makes his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut when he leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an all-Rachmaninoff program on Thursday and Friday, April 6 and 7 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 9, 2006 at 2 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

    The April 6 and April 9 concerts feature the great Russian composer's haunting Vocalise, the impassioned Symphony No. 2 and his triumphant Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Andre Watts, whose performances of Rachmaninoff works have been described as "…volcanic, a force of nature." The April 7 performance, hosted by Dr. Thomas Forrest Kelly, spotlights Symphony No. 2 for the third of four Philharmonic First Nights: An Introduction to Great Works productions during the 2005-/006 season. Each First Nights evening uses a different format, ranging from multimedia demonstration and theater to musical analysis, in the exploration of a featured piece. Kelly, who wrote the book First Nights on which the series is based, offers his engaging observations and analysis of Rachmaninoff's work.

    "Upbeat Live," a free pre-concert event open to all ticket holders, presents composer and pianist Paul Romero on April 6 at 7 p.m., and April 9 at 1 p.m., in BP Hall, and a Rachmaninoff performance and talk by Romero on Friday, April 7, at 6:45 p.m., onstage in the Concert Hall.

    Estonian-born conductor PAAVO JÄRVI was appointed music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in September 2001 and has recently extended his contract with the orchestra until 2008/09. Järvi holds the posts of Künstlerischer Leiter of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and artistic adviser to the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Previously he held the posts of principal guest conductor with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras. He is in great demand as a guest conductor and appearances include the Orchestre de Paris and Amsterdam Concertgebouw (with whom he conducted the world premiere of Aulis Sallinen's Symphony No. 8). Other performances have included Bayerische Rundfunk on tour to Italian festivals, the Philharmonia, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, plus the London, Munich, Czech, Israel, St Petersburg, BBC (including the Proms) and Berlin Philharmonics. He has also worked with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Turin, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (with whom he conducted Fidelio to mark the opening of the 2003 Festival), NHK, Boston, Vienna, London and Sydney Symphony orchestras. He made his debut in summer 2004 with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Festival and he is known for having championed many works by Estonian composers including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Lepo Sumera and Eduard Tubin. Järvi's work with youth orchestras is a priority for him. He conducted the European Union Youth Orchestra's 2004 tour of the Baltic States, regularly conducts the UBS Verbier Youth Orchestra both in the Verbier Festival and on tour, and has worked with the Russian American Youth Orchestra in Moscow, Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Ferrara and the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami. Järvi has recorded extensively for EMI/Virgin Classics, and he has released a number of CDs on Telarc with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He is recording a cycle of Beethoven symphonies for Pentatone with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. Järvi received a nomination as Gramophone's Artist of the Year 2004 award.

    ANDRÉ WATTS burst upon the music world at the age of 16, when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Only two weeks later, Bernstein asked him to substitute at the last minute for the ailing Glenn Gould in performances of Liszt's E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic, thus launching his career in storybook fashion. More than 40 years later, André Watts remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars. His performances each year with the world's great orchestras and conductors and his sold-out recitals and appearances at the most prestigious international festivals bring him to every corner of the globe. During the 2004/05 season, Watts returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis and Colorado as well as to Tanglewood and Saratoga, and performs recitals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, the New Jersey Performing Center and at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Watts has had a long and frequent association with television, having appeared on numerous programs produced by PBS, the BBC and the Arts and Entertainment Network, performing with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center among others. Watts' latest recording release features both Liszt piano concertos and MacDowell's Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Symphony, led by Andrew Litton, on the Telarc label. A much-honored artist who has played before royalty in Europe and heads of government in nations all over the world, André Watts was selected to receive the Avery Fisher Prize in 1988. At age 26, he was the youngest person ever to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Yale University. Previously an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland, it was announced in May 2004 that he will fill the newly created Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at Indiana University and began teaching there in September 2004.

    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, APRIL 6, 2006 AT 8 PM

    FRIDAY, APRIL 7 AT 8 PM

    SUNDAY, APRIL 9, AT 2 PM


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

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    PAAVO JÄRVI, conductor

    ANDRÉ WATTS, piano (except April 7)

    RACHMANINOFF Vocalise (except April 7)

    RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2 (except April 7)

    RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

    April 6 Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, April 7 supported by James Irvine Foundation

    Tickets ($37-$129) 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. 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:

    Adam Crane, 213.972.3422; Rachelle Roe, 213 972.7310; Photos: 213.972.3034