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  • PIANIST MIKHAIL PLETNEV CLOSES 2002/2003 CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES AT DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION WITH EVENING OF RUSSIAN WORKS
  • Mar. 17, 2003
  • MONDAY, MARCH 17 AT 8 PM

    On Monday, March 17, 8 p.m., Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev closes the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2002/2003 Celebrity Recital Series, marking the last recital to take place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion before the series moves to Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky's Dumka (Russian Rustic Scene), Op. 59 and "Grand Sonata," Op. 37, as well as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, make up the all-Russian program.

    Although Tchaikovsky's symphonies and concertos are well-known and frequently performed, his solo piano works occupy a smaller place in the repertory. Tchaikovsky composed a number of notable works for the piano, including two sonatas and The Seasons. His Dumka represents one of the most personal pieces of music he created and is first on this recital program. It paints an idealized picture of rural Russia - colorfully dressed peasants somehow unaffected by poverty and hunger.

    The second work on the evening's program is another Tchaikovsky piece for solo piano - the "Grand Sonata" - a work he composed at the same time as his Violin Concerto. Although the composer was less fond of the Sonata than many of his other compositions, the work was first performed, with great success, by the famous Russian pianist Nikolai Rubinstein in October 1879.

    A couple of years earlier (1873), Mussorgsky - the final composer whose music is featured on this recital - was dealing with the loss of his friend, painter Victor Hartmann. After visiting a Memorial exhibition featuring architectural drawings, stage designs, and watercolors of the artist's work, Mussorgsky chose ten of Hartmann's works to subsequently cast as piano pieces, later titled Pictures at an Exhibition. This solo piano piece has since been orchestrated by several composers, the best known version by Ravel.

    MIKHAIL PLETNEV was born in Archangel, USSR, in 1957 and his parents, both musicians, moved to Kazan, where he took his first piano lessons. In 1974, he entered the Moscow Conservatory and studied under Soviet pianist and teacher Jakob Flier. In 1978, at age 21, Pletnev won the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow which resulted in early international recognition and invitations to perform worldwide. An exclusive recording artist with Virgin Classics, Pletnev has released works by Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, and more.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Monday, March 17, 8 PM


    Celebrity Recital

    DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, 135 N. Grand Ave in Los Angeles

    MIKHAIL PLETNEV, piano

    Tchaikovsky: Dumka (Russian Rustic Scene), Op. 59

    Tchaikovsky: Piano Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 37, "Grand Sonata"

    Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

    Tickets ($17-55) are on sale now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. Tickets are also available on-line at www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available 2 hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323.850.2047; Scalla Sheen, 323.850.2015