German born Müller-Schott Makes Hollywood Bowl Debut; Bowl Hall of Fame Inductee Watts Returns
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2008, AT 8 PM
THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008 AT 8 PM
The July 31 Concert is generously sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
Media Sponsor for July 29 and July 31: Time Warner Cable
Former LA PHIL Associate Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya returns to dazzle Hollywood Bowl audiences with two subscription concerts on Tuesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 31, at 8 p.m. Performing Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 is cellist and rising international star Daniel Müller-Schott, in his LA PHIL and Hollywood Bowl debut in the Tuesday program. Tuesday audiences are also treated to Ginastera’s Four Dances from Estancia and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Pianist and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame inductee André Watts performs Grieg’s youthful Piano Concerto in the Thursday program, which also includes Beethoven’s emotional Symphony No. 7 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s rousing Capriccio espagnol.
Since his successful tenure as Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Miguel Harth-Bedoya has led orchestras worldwide and is Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony. According to the Dallas Morning News, “The transformation of the FWSO under [his direction] continues to amaze.”
German cellist Müller-Schott was exposed to music at an early age and is dedicated to helping other young people develop an understanding and appreciation of music. He helps to fulfill this goal through his work with the “Rhapsody in School” project, through which classical artists visit schools all over Germany to help cultivate an interest in music.
Watts has studied the piano since the age of 6 and entered his first competition at the age of 9. The much-honored artist continues to be one of the most in-demand pianists and performs on the most prestigious concert stages with highly acclaimed conductors and orchestras.
Recognized as one of the most exciting conductors on the international scene, MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA currently serves as Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony. Under his leadership, both the quality of the orchestra and its role in the community have grown significantly. The Fort Worth Symphony, conducted by Harth-Bedoya, made its Carnegie Hall debut in January 2008. Recently released recordings of the Fort Worth Symphony include an all-Tchaikovsky CD and the first-ever bilingual recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf featuring narrations in Spanish and English with Michael York. Sentimiento Latin, with Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flores (Decca) and Alma del Perú, a recording of Peruvian traditional music with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Lima (Filarmonika), are also available. An active guest conductor, Harth-Bedoya has appeared with premier orchestras across North America and Europe, including festival appearances in Adelaide, Aspen, Avanti (Helsinki), BBC Proms, Blossom, Hollywood Bowl (for which he received an Emmy), Interlochen, Oregon Bach, Ravinia and Tanglewood. Recent highlights include subscription debuts with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony in Australia. Equally at home in opera, Harth-Bedoya has appeared with the Minnesota Opera conducting Tosca and the Santa Fe Opera conducting Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar with Dawn Upshaw in the leading role, a production also presented at Lincoln Center in 2006. Harth-Bedoya returns to the Minnesota Opera to conduct Un ballo in Maschera and other productions during the next three years. Upcoming and recent debuts include The Barber of Seville with the Canadian Opera Company and a new production of La Boheme at the English National Opera in London, directed by Jonathan Miller. Winner of the 2002 Seaver/NEA Conductors Award, he has also served as Music Director of the Auckland Philharmonia, the Eugene Symphony, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lima.
In only a few years, DANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTT has succeeded in establishing himself on the world’s important concert stages. With his technical brilliance and authority, coupled with great intellectual and emotional esprit, he fascinates his audiences. He created a furor internationally by winning first prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. Since then he has appeared in concert all over the world with such renowned conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Yakov Kreizberg, Michail Jurowski, Kurt Masur and Sir André Previn among others. Furthermore, he plays with internationally famous orchestras across the globe. Recitals, solo evenings, trio concerts and major concert appearances are scheduled for 2008. Müller-Schott studied under Walter Nothas, Heinrich Schiff and Steven Isserlis. He benefited from the personal sponsorship and support of Anne-Sophie Mutter as the holder of a scholarship from her foundation. Recording for ORFEO, Deutsche Grammophon, Pentatone and EMI Classics, Müller-Schott plays the “Ex Shapiro” Matteo Goffriller cello, made in Venice in 1727.
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 45 years later, Watts remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars. A perennial favorite with orchestras throughout the U.S., Watts is also a regular guest at the major summer music festivals, and is a major recording artist. Watts has recorded both Liszt Piano Concertos and MacDowell's Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Symphony led by Andrew Litton for Telarc. This followed his critically acclaimed recording of Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 and Saint-Saëns' Concerto No. 2 with the Atlanta Symphony conducted by Yoel Levi for the same label. His discography of solo recordings includes The Chopin Recital (named CD of the month by Stereo Review) and The Schubert Recital, both on the Angel/EMI label. A much-honored artist who has played before royalty in Europe and heads of government in nations all over the world, 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 and he has since received numerous honors. In 1984 his alma mater, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, honored Watts with its Distinguished Alumni Award and in May 1997, Peabody again recognized his accomplishments by presenting him with an Honorary Doctorate degree. Previously Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland, Watts was appointed to the newly created Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at Indiana University in May 2004.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 40th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2008, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fourth year in a row at the 19th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2008, AT 8 PM
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA, conductor
DANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTT, cello
GINASTERA Four Dances from Estancia
SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008, AT 8 PM
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA, conductor
ANDRÉ WATTS, piano
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
GRIEG Piano Concerto
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol
The July 31 is generously sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. Media Sponsor for July 29 and July 31: Time Warner Cable
Tickets ($1 - $95) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday–Saturday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.), or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.
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Adam Crane, 213.972.3422, acrane@laphil.org; Lisa White, 213.972.3408, lwhite@laphil.org; Photos: 213.972.3034