Concert is Part of Three-Week Series of Los Angeles Philharmonic On Location Residency Appearances by Ax and First Concert of Philharmonic's 2006/2007 Colburn Celebrity Recital series

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2006, AT 8 PM

Concert Supported by a Generous Grant from the Colburn Foundation

Two giants in the classical music world - acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma - perform a duo recital on Friday, October 27, 2006, 8 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Ax, continuing his Los Angeles Philharmonic On Location residency, and Ma present an all-Beethoven program that includes Twelve Variations on "See, the conqu'ring hero comes" from Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, WoO. 45, Six Variations on an Original Theme in F Major, Op. 34 (for solo piano), Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2, Seven Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, WoO. 46, and Sonata in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2. Ax and Ma have made a series of highly regarded recordings, and as a duo they have won three Grammy awards for the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano.

Ax's On Location performances, which take place over a three-week period, range from orchestral soloist to chamber music collaborator and focus on the repertoire of Richard Strauss and Mozart as he examines how these composers approached non-vocal music with an operatic sensibility. On Location, in its fourth year as the Philharmonic's artist residency program, features some of the world's most distinguished artists participating in a special project including orchestral appearances as well as Green Umbrella new music performances, chamber music concerts and other activities. In addition to Ax, On Location artists for the 2006/07 season are violinist Joshua Bell, composer Thomas Adès, and soprano Dawn Upshaw.

Ax's On Location residency continues when he performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as guest conductor Alan Gilbert leads three performances of Mozart's Overture to Don Giovanni and Piano Concerto No. 9 and Strauss' Serenade and Der Rosenkavalier Suite on Friday, October 27 at 11 a.m., Saturday, October 28 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m. Next, associate conductor Alexander Mickelthwate conducts Ax and the Philharmonic in performances of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 and Strauss' Burleske and Ein Heldenleben on Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 12 at 2 p.m. Finally, actor Patrick Stewart narrates a chamber music program featuring Ax and members of the Philharmonic that includes Strauss' Enoch Arden, Sextet from Capriccio, and Cello Sonata, as well as Mozart's Violin Sonata in C Major, K. 296 and Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 493 on Tuesday, November 14 at 7 p.m.

EMANUEL AX (piano) is renowned not only for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity, but also for the exceptional breadth of his performing activity. Each season his distinguished career includes appearances with major symphony orchestras worldwide, recitals in the most celebrated concert halls, a variety of chamber music collaborations, the commissioning and performance of new music, and additions to his acclaimed discography on Sony Classical. Ax captured public attention in 1974 when, at age 25, he won the First Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists and, four years later, took the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. He has been an exclusive Sony Classical recording artist since 1987. His releases over the last few years have included a Grammy-award winning album of Haydn piano sonatas, part of an ongoing Haydn cycle; the two Liszt concertos, paired with the Schoenberg concerto; three solo Brahms albums, and an album of tangos by Astor Piazzolla. In recent years, Ax has turned his attention toward the music of contemporary composers, performing works by such diverse figures as Sir Michael Tippett, Hans Werner Henze, Paul Hindemith, Ezra Laderman, Peter Lieberson, Joseph Schwantner, William Bolcom, André Previn, and Aaron Copland. In September 1997, he gave the world premiere of John Adams' piano concerto, Century Rolls, with the Cleveland Orchestra, followed in 1998 by the European premiere with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New York premiere at Carnegie Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra in April 2000, and its Los Angeles premiere in February 2001 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the composer's direction. In May 1999 he gave the premiere of another concerto written for him, Seeing for Piano and Orchestra by Christopher Rouse, with the New York Philharmonic. Devoted to chamber music literature, Emanuel Ax regularly collaborates with such artists as Young Uck Kim, Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Serkin, and the late Isaac Stern. The Ax-Stern-Laredo-Ma Quartet toured extensively in recent seasons and recorded piano quartets of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák, Fauré, Mozart, and Schumann for Sony Classical.

The many-faceted career of YO-YO MA (cello) is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Whether performing a new concerto, revisiting a familiar work from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside of the Western classical tradition, Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination. Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras throughout the world and his recital and chamber music activities. He draws inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators, creating programs with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Pamela Frank, Jeffrey Kahane, Kayhan Kalhor, Ton Koopman, Jaime Laredo, Bobby McFerrin, Edgar Meyer, Mark Morris, Mark O'Connor, the late Isaac Stern, Kathryn Stott, Wu Man, Wu Tong and David Zinman. Each of these collaborations is fueled by the artists' interactions, often extending the boundaries of a particular genre. One of Ma's goals is the exploration of music as a means of communication, and as a vehicle for the migrations of ideas, across a range of cultures throughout the world. To that end, he has taken time to immerse himself in subjects as diverse as native Chinese music with its distinctive instruments and the music of the Kalahari bush people in Africa. Taking this interest even further, Ma established the Silk Road Project to promote the study of the cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade route that stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Ma's discography of over 50 albums - which have won him 15 Grammy Awards - reflects his wide-ranging interests. In addition to the standard concerto repertoire, he has recorded many of the large body of works that he has commissioned or premiered. He has also made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them Hush with Bobby McFerrin, Appalachia Waltz and Grammy-winner Appalachian Journey with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer, and Piazzolla: Soul of the Tango. Ma plays two instruments, a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius.

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:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2006 AT 8 PM

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

Colburn Celebrity Series

YO-YO MA, cello and EMANUEL AX, piano

BEETHOVEN Twelve Variations on "See, the conqu'ring hero comes" from Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, WoO. 45

BEETHOVEN Six Variations on an Original Theme in F major, Op. 34

BEETHOVEN Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2

BEETHOVEN Seven Variations in E-flat Major on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, WoO. 46

BEETHOVEN Sonata in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2

Concert Supported by a Generous Grant from the Colburn Foundation

Tickets ($39 - $135) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, 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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