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  • Leonard Slatkin Conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Programs of Brahms and Tchaikovsky at the Hollywood Bowl
  • Aug. 4, 2009
  • All-Brahms Concert Features Internationally Renowned Violinist Vadim Repin

    PROGRAM UPDATE: Violinist Nikolaj Znaider Replaces Leonidas Kavakos in Evening of Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Tower

    TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009, AT 8 PM

    THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2009, AT 8 PM

    August 4 Media Sponsor: KUSC; August 6 Generously Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    Continuing the celebration of romantic violin repertoires, Leonard Slatkin conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in two separate concerts featuring Brahms and Tchaikovsky at the Hollywood Bowl. On Tuesday, August 4, at 8 p.m., an all-Brahms evening features virtuoso violinist Vadim Repin. On Thursday, August 6, at 8 p.m., violinist Nikolaj Znaider replaces Leonidas Kavakos, still recovering from a recent surgery, in a program of Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Tower. The originally scheduled program remains the same.

    The Tuesday concert begins with Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 1, and concludes with the composer’s Symphony No. 2. In between, acclaimed violinist Vadim Repin takes center stage performing Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Brahms’ model for writing his violin concerto was unquestionably Beethoven as he followed the composer’s precedent with a long, lyrical first movement in full classical sonata form and even chose Beethoven’s key, D major. The piece was originally written for Brahms’ lifelong friend, Joseph Joachim, with whom he worked closely in fashioning the solo part.

    The Thursday concert begins with Tower’s Made in America and concludes with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. Between those works, violinist Nikolaj Znaider performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Endlessly graceful in melody and passionate in expression, Tchaikovsky’s Concerto was inspired by Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, a vivid manifestation of similar traits (and a violin concerto in all but name). What Tchaikovsky found in the Symphonie espagnole was “freshness, piquant rhythms, [and] beautifully harmonized melodies,” from a composer who “studiously avoids all commonplace routine, seeks new forms without wishing to appear profound, and cares more for musical beauty than for mere respect for the old traditions.”

    Internationally renowned American conductor LEONARD SLATKIN began his appointment as the 12th Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with the 2008/09 season, and also serves as Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He completed his 12th and final season as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra in 2007/08. Slatkin continues as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Advisor to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. His performances throughout North America, Europe and the Far East have been distinguished by imaginative programming and highly praised interpretations of both the standard and contemporary symphonic repertoire. Additionally, he is well-known for his arts advocacy work on behalf of music education. Following a successful tenure as Music Director of the Saint Louis Symphony from 1979 until 1996, Slatkin was named Conductor Laureate. He has served as Festival Director of the Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Festival (1990-99), Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra (1997-2000), Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (2000-2004), and Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl (2004-2007). Slatkin has made regular appearances with virtually every major international orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and many others. Slatkin's more than 100 recordings have been recognized with seven Grammy awards and more than sixty other Grammy nominations. Throughout his career, Slatkin has demonstrated a continuing commitment to arts education and to reaching diverse audiences. He is the founder and director of the National Conducting Institute, an advanced career development program for rising conductors. Additionally, Slatkin founded the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and has also worked with student orchestras across the United States, including those at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. Slatkin has received many honors and awards, including the 2003 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government.

    With his fiery passion with impeccable technique, VADIM REPIN redefines the art of the violin. Born in Siberia in 1971, Repin began playing the violin at the age of 5; six months later he had his first stage performance. At age 11 he gave his recital debuts in Moscow and St. Petersburg and won the gold medal in all age categories in the Wienawski Competition. At 14, he made his debuts in Tokyo, Munich, Berlin and Helsinki. He made his Carnegie Hall debut a year later, and at 17, he won the coveted Queen Elisabeth Concours in Brussels. Repin has appeared with, among others, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, La Scala Milan, the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic orchestras, the Orchestre de Paris, the Royal Concertgebouw, the San Francisco Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. His chamber music partners have included Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Evgeny Kissin, Mischa Maisky and Mikhail Pletnev; a recording of the Tchaikovsky and Myaskovsky concerti with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Gergiev has recently been added to his prizewinning discography, followed by the Beethoven Violin Concerto in his Deutsche Grammophon debut

    Celebrated as one of the foremost violinists of today, NIKOLAJ ZNAIDER is regularly invited to work with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestra. He enjoys artistic collaborations with acclaimed conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Vladimir Jurowski, Christian Thielemann, and many others. A conductor as well as violinist, he was recently named principal guest conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Born in Denmark to Polish-Israeli parents, Znaider studied with the eminent Russian pedagogue Boris Kushnir, and, drawing on these varied influences, his playing has been heralded in the Strad magazine as “extraordinarily intelligent, soulful and impassioned, yet without a hint of indulgence.” A keen recitalist and chamber musician, Znaider has shared the stage with the foremost artists of today, such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Daniel Barenboim, Yuri Bashmet, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Lang Lang, and Pinchas Zukerman. His next recording on the Sony BMG Masterworks label will be the Elgar violin concerto with the Dresden Staatskapelle led by Sir Colin Davis. Nikolaj Znaider plays the 1741 “ex-Kreisler” Guarneri “del Gesu”, which is on extended loan to him by the Royal Danish Theatre through the generosity of the Velux Foundations and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

    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 is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. 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 42nd season. In January 2009, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fifth year in a row at the 20th 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, AUGUST 4, 2009, AT 8 PM

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor

    VADIM REPIN, violin



    BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No. 1

    BRAHMS Violin Concerto

    BRAHMS Symphony No. 2



    THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2009, AT 8 PM

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor

    NIKOLAJ ZNAIDER, violin



    TOWER Made in America

    TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto

    SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2



    August 4 Media Sponsor: KUSC

    August 6 Generously Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    Tickets ($1 - $96) 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 800.745.3000, 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 or group sales. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213.972.3422; Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org, 213.972.3408; For photos: 213.972.3034