TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2009, AT 8 PM

The Concert is Endowed by a Generous Grant from the Colburn Foundation

Acclaimed pianist Murray Perahia returns to Walt Disney Concert for a recital featuring the works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann, Tuesday, October13, at 8 p.m. Each piece is a major work in the piano repertory and demonstrates its composer’s mastery of a particular form – Bach’s partitas, Beethoven’s sonatas, Chopin’s etudes, mazurkas and scherzos and Schumann’s cycles of thematically united miniatures. The performance kicks off the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2009/10 Colburn Celebrity Series, which features some of the world’s leading virtuosos.

The program opens with Bach’s Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 803, which Perahia recorded this year for Sony Classical. Following is Beethoven’s Piano Sonato No. 30 in E, Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Op. 15, and, from Chopin, Etude in A-flat, Op. 25, No. 1, “Aeolian Harp,” Three Mazurkas – in A-flat, Op. 59, No. 2; in C-sharp minor, Op. 50, No. 3; and in F-sharp minor, Op. 59, No. 3 – and Scherzo No. 4 in E, Op. 54.

Called “the poet of the piano” by his fans, Perahia began studying the piano at the age of 4 and is considered one of the most gifted pianists of his time. Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times stated of his spring 2009 appearance at Avery Fisher Hall, “Mr. Perahia is a tremendous artist who has had to face serious challenges, notably a finger injury that caused him problems over many years. His technique seemed flawless on this night. Technical execution and musical gesture are one in a Perahia performance.”

The 2009/10 Colburn Celebrity recitals present virtuoso performances by world-renowned artists. Featured are two four-concert series, which includes three recitals anchoring the On Location: Emanuel Ax residency, which explores the dual bicentennials of Chopin and Schumann. Future recitals feature Lang Lang, piano (November 8, 2009); Richard Goode, piano (January 19, 2010); Emanuel Ax, piano, and Yo-Yo Ma, cello (January 27, 2010); Joshua Bell, violin (February 26, 2010); Emanuel Ax, piano, Dawn Upshaw, soprano and Michael Ward-Bergeman, hyper-accordion (March 23, 2010); Emanuel Ax, piano (April 20, 2010); and Christine Brewer, soprano (June 1, 2010).

In the more than 35 years he has been performing on the concert stage, American pianist MURRAY PERAHIA has become one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time, performing in all of the major international music centers and with every leading orchestra. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom he has toured as conductor and pianist throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and South East Asia. Born in New York, Perahia started playing piano at the age of 4, and later attended Mannes College where he majored in conducting and composition. His summers were spent at the Marlboro Festival, where he collaborated with such musicians as Rudolf Serkin, Pablo Casals, and the members of the Budapest String Quartet. He also studied at the time with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. In subsequent years, he developed a close friendship with Vladimir Horowitz, whose perspective and personality were an abiding inspiration. In 1972, Perahia won the Leeds International Piano Competition, and in 1973 he gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival, where he worked closely with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, accompanying the latter in many lieder recitals. Perahia was co-artistic director of the Festival from 1981 to 1989. During the 2009/10 season, Perahia performs recitals across North America, including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and at New York’s Carnegie Hall. In Europe, he tours with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, performing in London, Paris, Berlin, and Prague, and appears with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich under the baton of Bernard Haitink. Perahia’s 2008/09 season included a European tour and Chicago performances as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink; a recital tour of Asia, including concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore and Seoul; and recitals across the United States and Europe, including at New York's Avery Fisher Hall and in Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen and London. In the summer of 2009, Perahia performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. Perahia has a wide and varied discography. In September 2009, Sony Classical released his recording of Bach’s Partitas Nos. 1, 5 and 6. Some of his previous solo recordings feature Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, Op. 14, 26 and 28, and Bach’s Partitas 2, 3 and 4. He is the recipient of two Grammy awards, for his recordings of Frederic Chopin’s complete Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25 and Bach’s English Suites Nos. 1, 3, and 6, and numerous Grammy nominations. Mr. Perahia has also won several Gramophone Awards. In 1998, Sony Classical released a four-disc set commemorating 25 years of his recordings issued under this label. Recently, Perahia embarked on an ambitious project to edit the complete Beethoven Sonatas for the Henle Urtext Edition. He also produced and edited numerous hours of recordings of recently discovered master classes by the legendary pianist, Alfred Cortot, which resulted in the highly acclaimed Sony CD release, Alfred Cortot: The Master Classes. Perahia is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, and he holds honorary doctorates from Leeds University and Duke University. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary KBE by Her Majesty The Queen, in recognition of his outstanding service to music.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable locations 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 concerts, children's programming and community concerts, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2009, AT 8 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



Colburn Celebrity Series

MURRAY PERAHIA, piano



BACH Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830

BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109

SCHUMANN Kinderszenen, Op. 15

CHOPIN Etude No. 1 in A-flat, Op. 25, “Aeolian Harp”

CHOPIN Mazurka in A-flat, Op. 59, No. 2

CHOPIN Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 50, No. 3

CHOPIN Mazurka in F-sharp minor, Op. 59, No. 3

CHOPIN Scherzo No. 4 in E, Op. 54



The concert is endowed by a generous grant from the Colburn Foundation.

Tickets ($17 - $95) 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 Series, 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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