Cheng Replaces Mitsuko Uchida, Who Cancels Appearances Due To Illness
Thursday, May 22, 8 PM; Saturday, May 24, 8 PM; and Sunday, May 25, 2:30 PM
Pianist Gloria Cheng will replace Mitsuko Uchida as soloist in the Philharmonic's final performances of the 2002/2003 season, as well as at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, on Thursday, May 22, 8 PM; Saturday, May 24, 8 PM; and Sunday, May 25, 2:30 PM. Uchida has cancelled her appearances due to illness. The revised program now consists of Bartók's Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12; Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques; Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales; and Haydn's Symphony No. 45, "Farewell."
GLORIA CHENG has appeared as a soloist and chamber artist at major festivals worldwide. As a guest artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its New Music Group, Cheng has worked closely with John Adams, Elliott Carter, György Ligeti, Witold Lutoslawski, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed Olivier Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques with the L.A. Phil under the direction of Zubin Mehta, and was recently engaged by the New York Philharmonic for performances of Stravinsky's Petrushka conducted by Lorin Maazel. This past season she also performed Lou Harrison's Piano Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony under Anne Manson.
A 1989 audition in Paris for Pierre Boulez led to her first of many appearances at California's Ojai Festival. In 2000, she was the Festival's featured solo recitalist, performing works by Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, Jonathan Harvey and Messiaen. The composers who have written for her include John Adams, Boulez, David Raksin, Terry Riley, Chinary Ung, and most recently, Esa-Pekka Salonen, whose Dichotomie was premiered by Ms. Cheng in Los Angeles and New York in December 2000. Ms. Cheng's solo recordings include music by Messiaen on Koch, and works of Adams and Riley on Telarc. Her latest Telarc release, Piano Dance: A 20th-Century Portrait, was selected by BBC Music Magazine as Instrumental Pick in the month of its release.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
Thursday, May 22, 8 PM
Saturday, May 24, 8 PM
Sunday, May 25, 2:30 PM
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
PIERRE BOULEZ, conductor
GLORIA CHENG, piano
BARTÓK Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12
MESSIAEN Oiseaux exotiques
RAVEL Valses nobles et sentimentales
HAYDN Symphony No. 45, "Farewell"
Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Grand Hall and are free to all ticket holders. KUSC classical music radio host Alan Chapman leads the sessions this week, which feature a conversation with Philharmonic musicians and former Managing Director Ernest Fleischmann, in a special farewell to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Tickets ($14 - $82) 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 online at www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available two hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323.850.2000.
# # #