PROGRAM UPDATE: LISZT’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 REPLACES THE ORIGINALLY-SCHEDULED MENDELSSOHN PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN THE PROGRAM

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2009, AT 8 PM

Slovakian conductor Juraj Valcuha makes his Hollywood Bowl debut as he leads the LA Phil in a program of Wagner, Liszt and Strauss, Thursday, August 27, at 8 p.m. Popular French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet returns to the Bowl that evening to perform Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, which replaces the originally scheduled Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1.

The program opens with the Overture from Richard Wagner’s third opera, Rienzi, followed by his future father-in-law Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by Thibaudet. The evening closes with two works by Richard Strauss – Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, the composer’s take on the German legend, and Rosenkavalier Suite.

Young conductor Juraj Valcuha has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Turin from November 2009 to 2013. Though this concert marks his LA Phil debut, he has already conducted in concert halls and opera houses all over Europe.

Hailed by the press as “one of the best pianists in the world,” Jean-Yves Thibaudet is sought after by today’s foremost orchestras, festivals, conductors and collaborative musicians. His artistry, virtuosity and charisma have brought him to the world’s most renowned stages numerous times, leaving audiences around the globe repeatedly captivated.

Slovakian conductor JURAJ VALCUHA studied composition, conducting and cymbalon at the Bratislava Conservatory. From the age of 19, he spent two years in St. Petersburg and studied conducting with Ilya Musin and, in 1998, moved to Paris where he studied conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur with Janos Fürst. Valcuha was Assistant Music Director of the Orchestre et Opéra National de Montpellier from 2003 to 2005. During this time he made his debut with the Orchestre National de France (with whom he recorded the Alaleona´s opera Mirra) and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France. Valcuha began the 2007/08 season with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, followed by the RAI Orchestra in Turin, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Munich Philharmonic, the DSO Berlin, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and the Oslo Philharmonic. He returned to Bologna with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale. He also made his U.S. debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In the 2008/09 season, Valcuha made his debut with the Gewandhaus Leipzig and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. He also led again the Orchestra Verdi in Milano, the RAI Orchestra Torino and the Philharmonia London as well as conducted a tribute to Toscanini (music by Wagner and Strauss) in Parma. Additionally, he recorded for ARTE a tribute to Pfitzner and Richard Strauss with the Saarländische Rundfunk and made his debut with the Bavarian State Opera Munich and the Deutsche Oper Berlin (both with Butterfly). Valcuha also led the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice in Venezia and in the first “Abu Dhabi Classics” season with an Opera Gala. In the 2009/10 season, Valcuha will open the season of the Munich Philharmonic, will have his debut with the Staatskapelle Dresden and will appear again with the Philharmonia and the RAI Orchestra Torino. At the Bavarian State Opera he will conduct a new production of Donizetti´s Elisir d´amore, followed by performances of Nozze di Figaro, as well as Turandot at the Stuttgart Opera. He will appear again with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra Washington.

The 2008/09 season found renowned pianist JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET on tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kammerorchester Basel. Additional performances in the 2008/09 season were with Munich Philharmonic, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, London Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Dresden Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony, and Orchestre National de Lyon in Europe. U.S. appearances were with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Colorado and Charleston. In April 2009, Thibaudet embarked on a nine-city tour with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, bringing Ravel’s two piano concerti and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 to the audiences of Geneva, Cologne, Aachen, Frankfurt, Berlin, Wiesbaden, São Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Additional spring tours were with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (May 2009) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (March 2009). A vivid recitalist, he also performed in Dublin, Ireland; Madrid, Spain; Vienna, Austria; Cologne, Germany; and at Lucerne Festival Piano. Summer 2009 finds Thibaudet at several festivals including Verbier, Tuscan Sun, Tanglewood, Saratoga, and Blossom. Additional performances this summer are with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel, Philadelphia Orchestra, Radio Sinfonieorchester, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Orchestra National de Lyon. Thibaudet is an exclusive recording artist for Decca, which has released over 40 of his albums, earning the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or, Choc de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, two Echo awards, and the Edison Prize. His latest Grammy-nominated recording, Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerti Nos. 2&5, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, released in early fall 2007, follows the album, Aria—Opera Without Words, which was released in February 2007, inspired by the artist’s love and admiration for the human voice as “the best vehicle for expression in music.” The disc features transcriptions of opera arias by Saint-Saëns, R. Strauss, Gluck, Korngold, Bellini, J. Strauss II, P. Grainger, and Puccini; some of the transcriptions are by Mikhashoff, Sgambati and Brassin, others – Thibaudet’s own. Thibaudet was the soloist on the Oscar and Golden Globe-award winning soundtrack of Universal Pictures’ Atonement and the Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice. In 2005, Decca released his recording of Strauss’s Burleske with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Among other recordings are Satie: The Complete Solo Piano Music, and the jazz albums Reflections on Duke: Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays the music of Duke Ellington and Conversations with Bill Evans, his tribute to two of jazz history’s greats. Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age 5 and made his first public appearance at age 7. At 12, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age 15, he won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and three years later, won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. In 2001, the Republic of France awarded Thibaudet the prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2002, he was awarded the Premio Pegasus from the Spoleto Festival in Italy, for his artistic achievements and his longstanding involvement with the festival. His most recent accolade is the 2007 Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique.

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:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, AT 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave.



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

JURAJ VALČUHA, conductor

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano



WAGNER Rienzi Overture

LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2

STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks

STRAUSS Rosenkavalier Suite

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