Program Features Works by Bartók, Mendelssohn and Dvo?ák

TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2008, AT 8 PM

The Concert is a Fidelity Investments FutureStage Concert
Media Sponsor: Time Warner Cable

Andris Nelsons, considered one of the most promising conductors today, and rising young violinist Renaud Capuçon make their Hollywood Bowl debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program featuring Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor and Dvo?ák’s Symphony No. 7, Tuesday, July 15, at 8 p.m.

Capuçon performs the Mendelssohn piece, one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time, notable for its striking melodic content. Bartók’s set of six Romanian Folk Dances are among the composer's most accessible works, and Dvo?ák’s emotionally turbulent Symphony No. 7, completed in 1885, had its highly successful first performance at St James’s Hall London that same year, conducted by Dvo?ák himself.

The Latvian-born Nelsons, who becomes music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the start of the 2008/09 season, was described last fall by The Guardian as “… a commanding presence, without a trace of ego, intent only on creating music and pulsating energy.” He currently serves as principal conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in Herford, Germany.

Capuçon, already one of the leading violinists of his generation, was named "New Talent of the Year" in 2000 by the French Victoires de la Musique. He has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic under Haitink, the Boston Symphony under Dohnányi, and the Orchestre de Paris under Eschenbach, among many others. He plays a Guarneri del Gesù “Panette” (1737) that belonged to Isaac Stern.

The Latvian-born ANDRIS NELSONS is the newly appointed Music Director of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, beginning in the 2008/09 season. Without exception, the promising young conductor has been invited to return to every orchestra with whom he has made his debut. These have lately included the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, NDR-Sinfonieorchester, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, and the Royal Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras. Beyond these, the future holds further significant debuts; with the Concertgebouw Orkest, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Orchestre National de France, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Soloists Nelsons works with include Sarah Chang, Håkan Hardenberger, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Olli Mustonen and Baiba Skride. Nelsons was principal conductor of Latvian National Opera from 2003 to 2007. He made his German opera debut in January 2007 at Deutsche Oper Berlin and returned in June to lead the annual Wagner performance with Deborah Voigt. Over the next two seasons, he will conduct Eugene Onegin at the Deutsche Oper, Turandot at the Hamburgische Staatsoper. In June 2008, he made his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper with Pique Dame and returns for Tosca and Madame Butterfly in the 2008/2009 season. Next season, Nelsons will conduct for the first time at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and, in summer 2010, he will make his debut at the Bayreuther Festspiele, performing Lohengrin. Nelsons’ first commercial recording was released by ORFEO Records at the end of 2006, featuring him conducting the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and violinist Arabella Steinbacher, in a recording of Shostakovich’s two violin concertos. The disc received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik in January 2007. A Sony recording of Tchaikovsky works, with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and violinist Baiba Skride, has just been released internationally. Born in Riga, in 1978, into a family of musicians, Nelsons began his career in music as a trumpeter in the Latvian National Opera Orchestra and has also won many prizes for his singing. He was recipient of the prestigious Latvian Grand Music Award for outstanding achievement in music in 2001 and, after graduating in the same year, he went to St. Petersburg to study conducting with Professor Alexander Titov. He has been studying privately with Mariss Jansons since 2002.

Born in Chambéry in 1976, RENAUD CAPUÇON began his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris at the age of 14, winning numerous awards during his five years there. Following this, Capuçon moved to Berlin to study with Thomas Brandis and Isaac Stern, and was awarded the Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts. In 1997, Capuçon was invited by Claudio Abbado to become concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, which he led for three summers, working with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim, Franz Welser-Moest and Abbado himself. Since this time, Capuçon has established himself as a soloist at the very highest level. He has played concerti with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic under Haitink, the Boston Symphony under Dohnányi and the Orchestre de Paris under Eschenbach. Other orchestras he has performed with include the Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, NDR Hamburg, Orchestre National de France, La Scala Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Some of the other conductors he has collaborated with include Dutoit, Masur, Brüggen, Bychkov, Philippe Jordan, Krivine, Sawallisch, Ivan Fischer and Robertson. Capuçon has a great commitment to performing chamber music and has worked with Argerich, Barenboim, Bronfman, Grimaud, Kovacevich, Pires, Pletnev, Repin, Bashmet and Mørk, as well as with his brother and regular collaborator cellist Gautier Capuçon. These collaborations have taken him to the festivals of Edinburgh, London (Mostly Mozart), Berlin, Lucerne, Verbier, Aix-en-Provence, Roque d’Anthéron, San Sebastian, Stresa, Tanglewood and many others. Capuçon records exclusively for Virgin Classics and his most recent releases include the Dutilleux Violin Concerto with Myung-Whun Chung and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Brahms Violin Sonatas with Nicholas Angelich, Ravel and Schubert chamber music with Gautier Capuçon and Frank Braley and the Mendelssohn and Schumann Violin Concertos with Daniel Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Of his 2002 recording ‘Le Boeuf sur le toit’ with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, again with Harding, International Record Review declared “Not since the emergence of Vengerov and Repin has such an exciting young violinist come my way.” Capuçon plays the Guarneri del Gesù “Panette” (1737) that belonged to Isaac Stern, bought for him by the Banca Svizzera Italiana (BSI).

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 in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. 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 40th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2008, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fourth year in a row at the 19th 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:

TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2008, AT 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood



MENDELSSOHN AND DVO?ÁK



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

ANDRIS NELSONS, conductor

RENAUD CAPUÇON, violin



BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor

DVO?ÁK Symphony No. 7



The concert is a Fidelity Investments FutureStage concert.

Media sponsor: Time Warner Cable

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