Program Features Ligeti’s Atmosphères, Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 AND 29, 2008 AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2008 AT 2 PM

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel begins his Los Angeles Philharmonic 2008/09 residency with three concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Friday and Saturday, November 28 and 29, at 8 p.m., as well as Sunday, November 30, at 2 p.m. The program features soprano Christine Brewer as soloist in Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs. Dudamel opens the program with Ligeti’s Atmosphères, and closes the program with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.”

Avant-garde composer Gyorgy Ligeti’s music “was among the most innovative of the last half of the 20th century,” as noted by The New York Times. His distinctive style, devoid of traditional structure, revolutionized postwar music. Atmosphères is one of his most famous compositions, due in part to its use in the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Strauss is known today for his orchestral works, his operas, and his songs. He burst on the scene at the end of the 19th century with a series of vibrant orchestral works. He then shocked audiences with the rawness of his operas Salome and Elektra before charming them with the luxuriant vocal and orchestral splendor of Der Rosenkavalier. During his last years, Strauss composed a number of moving works, including Four Last Songs. Grammy-winning American soprano Christine Brewer, who last appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the ground-breaking Tristan Project in 2007, returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall for this performance, which marks her first collaboration with Dudamel.

Beethoven once said “I love a tree more than a man.” His love of nature and preference for the countryside inspired his beautiful Symphony No. 6 in F major, known as “Pastoral.” It premiered alongside his more famous Fifth Symphony, under the title “Recollections of Country Life,” in 1808. Two centuries later it remains a central work in the symphonic repertoire.

Gustavo Dudamel, one of the most exciting young conductors today, takes over the helm as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the fall of 2009. He is currently Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.

Dudamel’s residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic continues Thurs. – Sun., Dec. 4 – 7, 2008, with pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, in a program that includes Kurtág’s Stele, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and Strauss’ Alpine Symphony.

Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions are free to ticket-holders, and occur one hour prior in BP Hall. Asadour Santourian, Artistic Advisor and Administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School, hosts Upbeat Live Nov. 28 – 30.

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL’s remarkable artistry, along with his unique ability to communicate and become one with an orchestra are only a few of the characteristics that establish him as one of today’s leading figures in the music world. His exceptional gift, together with contagious energy on as well as off stage, takes musicians and listeners on a memorable journey. Currently the Music Director of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, he becomes the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009-10, and enters his tenth year as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Gustavo Dudamel’s 2008-09 season opened in October with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra tour of Europe, including performances in Cologne, Essen, Luxembourg, Munich, Vienna, Barcelona, Valencia, San Sebastian and Valladolid. In November 2008, he tours the US with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, bringing it to New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washingon DC, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. This is followed by two weeks of subscription concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. December brings Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra on a debut Asian tour to Japan, China, and Korea. Additional appearances this season are with Staatskapelle Berlin, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and a return engagement with the Berliner Philharmoniker, among others. In the 2007-08 season, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela embarked on a European tour with performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the BBC Proms in the UK, and five German venues, including Schleswig Holstein Festival, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Dresden Semperoper, Bonn Beethovenfest, and Frankfurt Alte Oper, followed by a US tour to rave reclaim in October, with performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and in New York’s Carnegie Hall. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and returned for performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony. Gustavo Dudamel has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2005. His debut recording, Beethoven 5&7 with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra was released worldwide in September 2006, and he has received the 2007 Echo Award (Germany) for “New Artist of the Year.” His second recording with the Orchestra, Mahler 5, was released in May 2007, and was chosen as the only classical album on iTunes’ “Next Big Thing.” His third album with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, FIESTA, was released in May 2008 and it is in essence, as the title suggests, a “fiesta” of Latin-American works, such as Revueltas’ Sensemayá, Carreño’s Margariteña, and Estévez’s Melodia en el Llano, as well as Bernstein’s Mambo, among others. News of Gustavo Dudamel’s talent spread worldwide after his triumph at the inaugural Bamberger Symphoniker Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in May 2004. Born in 1981 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, he studied violin at the Jacinto Lara Conservatory with José Luis Jiménez and later, with José Francisco del Castillo, at the Latin American Academy of Violin. In 1996, he began his conducting studies with Rodolfo Saglimbeni and during the same year was named Music Director of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra. In 1999, along with assuming the Music Director position of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, he began conducting studies with José Antonio Abreu, the Orchestra’s founder. In May 2007, Dudamel was awarded the Premio de la Latinidad by the Unión Latina, an honor, given for outstanding contributions to Latin cultural life, which is presented by the 37 Latin American and African member states of the Unión Latina organization. In 2008, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra was granted Spain’s prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, given annually by the Fundación Principe de Asturias. Most recently, Dudamel was awarded the 2007 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Young Artists.

CHRISTINE BREWER’s appearances in opera, concert, and recital are marked with her own unique timbre, at once warm and brilliant, combined with a vibrant personality and emotional honesty reminiscent of the great sopranos of history. Her range, golden tone, boundless power, and control make her a favorite of the stage as well as a sought-after recording artist. Brewer has appeared with many of the world's great conductors: Kurt Masur, Robert Shaw, Pierre Boulez, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Michael Tilson Thomas, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Christoph von Dohnányi, Antonio Pappano, Sir Charles Mackerras, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Neville Marriner, Leonard Slatkin, Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, and Charles Dutoit. Brewer's repertoire encompasses the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi, Strauss, Mahler, Janácek, and Britten, and she regularly performs with many of the world's leading orchestras. On the opera stage Brewer has been seen in a variety of roles, including the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra de Lyon, the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Santa Fe Opera, and the English National Opera; the title role in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride at the Edinburgh Festival, in Rio de Janeiro, and in Madrid; and the title role in Die ägyptische Helena at Santa Fe Opera. Brewer's recordings include a contribution to Hyperion's Schubert series with pianist Graham Johnson; the Janácek Glagolitic Mass and Dvorák Te Deum with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Telarc); the Dvorák Stabat Mater (Naxos); and an appearance as soloist on a recording of opera choruses (Telarc). Opera Theatre of St. Louis produced and released two recital recordings by Brewer. Recent recordings include Barber's Vanessa (Chandos) with the BBC Symphony, and the Grammy-winning Bolcom Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Naxos), both conducted by Leonard Slatkin; Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (EMI) with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; a disc of lieder for Hyperion's new Richard Strauss series with pianist Roger Vignoles; Fidelio in English and Great Operatic Arias (Chandos) with the London Philharmonic and David Parry; Mozart's Requiem with Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Telarc); and Britten's War Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Kurt Masur (LPO Live). Recent releases include the Strauss Four Last Songs and the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde with Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Telarc (August 2006), and Fidelio in German with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra on LSO Live.

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:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008, at 8 PM

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2008, at 8 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2008, at 2 PM

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



LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, conductor

CHRISTINE BREWER, soprano



LIGETI Atmosphères

STRAUSS Four Last Songs

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”



Upbeat Live pre-performance discussions are free to ticket-holders, and occur one hour prior in BP Hall. Asadour Santourian, Artistic Advisor and Administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School, hosts Upbeat Live Nov. 28 – 30.

Tickets ($42 - $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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