THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008, AT 8 PM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, AT 11 AM

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, AT 2 PM

The November 8 concert is generously sponsored by Acura, Official Automotive Sponsor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic All Acura Vehicles Park Free for the Evening

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s former Associate Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead four performances featuring works by artists who embody nationalistic pride, Thursday, November 6, at 8 p.m., Friday, November 7, at 11 a.m., Saturday, November 8, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 8, at 2 p.m. The concerts begin with Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite and ends with Revueltas’ La noche de los mayas. Violinist Midori joins the orchestra for its first performance of Britten’s Violin Concerto.

Copland arranged an orchestral suite from Appalachian Spring, originally written as a ballet score for Martha Graham, in 1944. Highlighting a slice of Americana, Copland weaves the familiar Shaker tune, “Simple Gifts,” poignantly into the suite’s climax. Revueltas’ La noche de los mayas (The Night of the Mayas) utilizes folk-like melodies and percussive variations to voice the spirit of Mexico.

Virtuoso, professor, and humanitarian Midori joins the orchestra as soloist in Benjamin Britten’s challenging Violin Concerto. The most widely performed British composer of the 20th century, Britten, combines technicality, melancholy and lyricism in a youthful piece that reflects his pacifist views during a time of escalating tensions in 1939.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events, free to all ticket holders, take place in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall one hour prior to the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday concerts, and on stage in the main auditorium one hour and 15 minutes prior to the Friday concert. Alan Chapman, KUSC-FM radio host, composer-lyricist and pianist, hosts.

Currently in his ninth season as Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony, MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA is one of this country’s most exciting and sought-after conductors. Under his leadership, both the artistic level of the Fort Worth Symphony and its contribution to the cultural life of the community have grown enormously. In the words of the Dallas Morning News, “The transformation of the FWSO under music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya continues to amaze.” The orchestra, under the direction of Harth-Bedoya, made its Carnegie Hall debut in January 2008. Recording projects of the Fort Worth Symphony include an all-Tchaikovsky CD and a bilingual recording of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf featuring narrations in Spanish and English with Michael York. Sentimiento Latin (2006), with Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez (Decca), and Alma del Perú, a recording of Peruvian traditional music with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Lima (Filarmonika) are also available. An active guest conductor, Harth-Bedoya has appeared with major orchestras across North America and Europe. Festival appearances include Adelaide, Aspen, Avanti (Helsinki), BBC Proms, Blossom, the Hollywood Bowl (for which he received an Emmy), Interlochen, Oregon Bach, Ravinia and Tanglewood. Recent and upcoming performances include the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony in Australia. Increasingly in demand as an opera conductor, Harth-Bedoya will conduct a new production of La bohème at the English National Opera in London, directed by Jonathan Miller during the winter of 2009. He has also appeared with the Canadian Opera Company (The Barber of Seville), the Minnesota Opera (Un ballo in maschera), and the Santa Fe Opera (Ainadamar with Dawn Upshaw). Winner of the 2002 Seaver/NEA Conductors Award, Harth-Bedoya has also served as Music Director of the Auckland Philharmonia, the Eugene Symphony and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Lima.

In the 2008/09 season, violinist MIDORI concocts the blend of worldwide performances, expanding commitment to community engagement, devotion to her various roles at the prestigious University of Southern California, and enthusiastic exploration of new territory that fans, students, and media alike have come to expect from this brilliant and multi-faceted artist. The season commences with a first-ever tour of trio repertoire with two distinguished colleagues, pianist Jonathan Biss and cellist Johannes Moser, in appearances at numerous European festivals. Aside from the new trio and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Maestro Harth-Bedoya, Midori’s performing colleagues of 2008/09 will also include the Toronto Symphony / Jun Märkl, Boston Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln / Pietari Inkinen, Vienna Symphony / Christian Arming, Seattle Symphony / Gerard Schwarz, the Cincinnati Symphony / Paavo Järvi, and the LSO / Kristian Järvi. In addition to the standard repertoire, Midori’s musical palette for 2008/09 extends back as far as J.S. Bach, and forward to embrace such composers as Cage, Enescu, Kirchner, and Pärt. Midori feels passionately that people must have access to a variety of great music, regardless of their age, race, social class, geographic location, or financial means. Each year Midori devotes a substantial amount of time to several community-directed initiatives she has established, in both the U.S. and internationally, to address this issue. In 2007, Midori was designated an official U.N. Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who cited her community engagement work as a model of exemplary commitment to worldwide goals shared by the U.N. Midori’s devotion to music education involves not only her extensive community engagement efforts but a deep commitment to her work at the University of Southern California. At USC’s Thornton School of Music, Midori holds the prestigious Jascha Heifetz Chair, and also serves as Chair of the Strings Department. As such, in addition to her administrative duties, she provides private violin instruction, chamber music coaching and devising a curriculum in community engagement studies. At USC, Midori actively performs with her students both on and off campus. In addition and on an ongoing basis, Midori enjoys working with young violinists in master classes all over the world. Midori records exclusively for Sony BMG, which issued two releases by the artist in 2008 – an album joining sonatas of J.S. Bach (Unaccompanied No. 2 in A minor) and Bartók (No. 1 in C-sharp minor, with pianist Robert McDonald), and a 2-CD compilation of catalogue material, The Essential Midori. Midori’s violin is the 1734 Guarnerius del Gesu “ex-Huberman,” which is on lifetime loan to her from the Hayashibara Foundation. She uses three bows, two by Dominique Peccatte and the third by François Peccatte.

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, NOVEMBER 6, 2008, at 8 PM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008, at 11 AM

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2008, at 8 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008, at 2 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA, conductor

MIDORI, violin



COPLAND Appalachian Spring Suite

BRITTEN Violin Concerto

REVUELTAS La noche de los mayas



The November 8 concert is generously sponsored by Acura, Official Automotive Sponsor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic – all Acura vehicles park free for the evening.



Upbeat Live pre-concert events, free to all ticket holders, take place in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall one hour prior to the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday concerts, and on stage in the main auditorium one hour and 15 minutes prior to the Friday concert. Alan Chapman, KUSC-FM radio host, composer-lyricist and pianist, hosts.

Tickets ($17 - $147) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card by phone at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($17), 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 information, please call 323.850.2000.

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