STRAVINSKY'S SYMPHONY OF PSALMS AND
MOZART'S MASS IN C MINOR

Miah Persson, Malena Ernma, Topi Lehtipuu and
Wayne Tigges are Soloists

Los Angeles Master Chorale with Grant Gershon also Perform

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 & 6, 2006, AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2006, AT 2 PM

Boston Company Asset Management is the Sponsor for October 6

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program of spiritual splendor highlighted by fellow Scandinavians: soprano Miah Persson, mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman and tenor Topi Lehtipuu, as well as bass-baritone Wayne Tigges, at Walt Disney Concert Hall on October 5 and 6, at 8:00 p.m., and October 8 at 2:00 p.m. Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, Music Director, perform as well.

Stravinsky composed the choral work of Symphony of Psalms in 1930 as a commission for the Boston Symphony. The Latin texts are taken from Psalms 38, 39, and 150 of the Vulgate version. Stylistically, Symphony of Psalms comes closest to the Baroque ideal of having the chorus and instrumental ensemble share thematic and contrapuntal materials equally. The instrumentation of the orchestra with its absence of violins, violas and clarinets, and the addition of two pianos to the wind section creates an aura of majestic sonority. Stravinsky in the sacramental Symphony of Psalms has given a classical combination of spirituality, myth and religious consciousness as a universal mirror in which to dwell.

Mozart began work on the Mass in C Minor in the summer of 1782, to fulfill a promise to Constanze that he would perform a Mass in her honor when he took her to Salzburg to meet his father, who had not given the marriage his blessing. The Mass was performed in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter on August 26, 1783 with Constanze herself singing one of the solo soprano parts. The next performance did not occur until April 3rd of 1901. In the Mass in C Minor, Mozart sets the portions of the Mass Ordinary in two distinct styles. The soloists are given music written in the virtuosic Italian opera style, while the choruses (and double choruses) are imbued with the style of the earlier Baroque Era. Mozart's Mass in C Minor is regarded as one of the three greatest settings of the Mass Ordinary (the other two being Bach's Mass in B Minor and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis).

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Robert Winter who is a UCLA performance practice professor, pianist, and media author is speaker.

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is currently in his 15th season as Music Director. He made his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1984, and he has conducted the orchestra every season since. His current tenure is the second-longest in Philharmonic history, and he recently extended his contract through the 2007/08 season. Alongside his activities as a conductor, Salonen has also won acclaim for his work as a composer. Among the many highlights of Salonen's activities with the Philharmonic have been world premieres of works by composers John Adams, Franco Donatoni, William Kraft, Witold Lutoslawski, Magnus Lindberg, Bernard Rands, Rodion Shchedrin, Steven Stucky, Tan Dun, and Augusta Read Thomas, as well as his own works. He has led critically acclaimed festivals of music by Ligeti, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Berlioz, and has served as Music Director of the Ojai Music Festival. He and the Philharmonic have toured extensively since 1992, including extended residencies at the Salzburg Festival and at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Salonen's latest orchestral work, Wing on Wing, received its world premiere in June 2004 as part of the Philharmonic's Building Music Festival. In March 2003 Salonen signed an exclusive four-year recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon; in February 2005, the label released Wing on Wing, a disc devoted to his recent works. Before signing with DG, Salonen recorded regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Sony Classical. A Sony disc of Salonen's compositions, including LA Variations, Five Images After Sappho, Giro, Gambit, and Mania, has garnered critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Salonen and the Philharmonic's discography also include the debut recording of John Adams' Naive and Sentimental Music - a work that the orchestra premiered - for the Nonesuch label. Salonen was born in Helsinki in 1958, and after studies at the Sibelius Academy in Finland and with private teachers Franco Donatoni and Niccolò Castiglioni in Italy, he made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979. He is the recipient of many major awards including the Siena Prize from the Accademia Chigiana in 1993, the first conductor ever to receive the prize; the Royal Philharmonic Society's Opera Award in 1995; and their Conductor Award in 1997. In 1998 he was awarded the rank of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government; in 2003 he received an honorary doctorate from the Sibelius Academy in Finland.

Swedish mezzo-soprano MALENA ERNMAN has rapidly become a much sought-after artist in Europe. Her important breakthrough role was Rosina in Rossini's "Barber of Seville" at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1998. Alongside her opera and classical concert engagements, Ernman has become well-known as a versatile singer with a broad repertoire, singing the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret for the Swedish National Theater. Her recordings include Handel's Agrippina with René Jacobs, the volume of vocal works in Sony's award-winning Ligeti edition, Fabian Müller's Nachtgesänge with David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra, and most recently a disc of cabaret songs with pianist Bengt-Åke Lundin. Regarding that cabaret recording on Bis, Barry Millington wrote in BBC Music Magazine that Malena Ernman is "a great discovery: superb vocal control (including a formidable tenor range) allied to alert, word-sensitive delivery and impressive facility in English, French, and German."

Tenor TOPI LEHTIPUU, born in Finland, resident in Paris, studied piano and violin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later choral directing and singing. Among his teachers were Peter Lindroos and Howard Crook. He made his stage debut in the title role of Britten's Albert Herring and then appeared as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. The major Mozart tenor roles are now a central part of his repertoire, as well as the works of Monteverdi, Rameau, and Handel. In addition, Mr. Lehtipuu has sung Hylas in Berlioz's Les Troyens (conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner) and was heard in the world premiere of Peter Eötvös's Angels in America (Paris, 2004). The tenor is active on the early-music scene, working under the batons of René Jacobs at the Innsbruck Early Music Festival and the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden; of William Christie in Rameau's Les Paladins at the Châtelet in Paris; and of Christophe Rousset in period performances of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Mr. Lehtipuu has also collaborated with Sir Simon Rattle and with Esa-Pekka Salonen in their projects in Berlin and Los Angeles, respectively. Earlier this year Mr. Lehtipuu appeared as Ferrando in Così fan tutte at the Glyndebourne Festival; in 2007 he will be returning to the Paris Opera in Handel's Ariodante.

The Swedish soprano MIAH PERSSON received her education at the University College of Opera in Stockholm, where she is a member of the Royal Opera and has been heard in roles such as Susanna, Pamina, Sophie, Gretel, and Dorinda in Handel's Orlando. She made her European debut in Scarlatti's Griselda at the Berlin Staatsoper and has since appeared at the Vienna Staatsoper, the Palais Garnier and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Theâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, in Frankfurt, Innsbruck, and at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Her concert repertoire reaches from Bach to Mozart, Mahler, and Britten. Ms. Persson has collaborated with conductors including Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, and Ivor Bolton. She can be heard on CD in a recital of Swedish songs (with Roger Vignoles), as Almirena in Handel's Rinaldo with René Jacobs, and on a recording of Haydn's Jahreszeiten under the baton of Ivoor Bolton. She first appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 2003 when she sang in Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. She returned a year later as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, and in 2005 as Sifare in Mozart's MitridateI. She made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and at the Glyndebourne Festival (Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte) earlier this year.

The Grammy Award-nominated LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE led by Music Director Grant Gershon and celebrating its 42nd season, is in its third season as the resident chorus at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Recognized as one of the world's premier choirs, the chorus received the prestigious ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. Founded in 1964, the Chorale was the first organization in the nation to offer a complete season of great choral masterworks. In addition to presenting its own concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Chorale performs regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Chorale has recorded two CDs under Gershon's baton, including the acclaimed You Are (Variations) by Steve Reich, released in September 2005 on Nonesuch Records, and an RCM recording featuring Esa-Pekka Salonen's first choral work, Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund, and Philip Glass' Itaipu. It previously released three CDs under the baton of Music Director Emeritus Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. The Chorale is also featured on the soundtracks of numerous major motion pictures, including A.I. Artificial Intelligence, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Waterworld.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 8:00PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2:00PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

MIAH PERSSON, soprano

MALENA ERNMAN, mezzo-soprano

TOPI LEHTIPUU, tenor

WAYNE TIGGES, bass-baritone , baritone

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE with music director Grant Gershon

STRAVINSKY Symphony of Psalms

MOZART Mass in C Minor, K. 427

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Robert Winter who is a UCLA performance practice professor, pianist, and media author is speaker.

Boston Company Asset Management is the Sponsor for October 6

Tickets ($15-$129) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15) will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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