Conductor Charles Dutoit returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three performances, Thursday, February 23, at 8 pm, Friday, February 24, at 11 am, and Saturday, February 25, at 8 pm.
The concert opens with Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, described by the composer as “an austere ritual that is unfolded in terms of short litanies between different groups of homogenous instruments.” The impetus for the work was a request from the French publication Revue Musicale for Stravinsky to make a contribution in memory of composer Claude Debussy, who had died two years prior. Following is Debussy’s La mer, one of his most admired and frequently performed works. The concert closes a suite from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev composed the score in 1936 for the Leningrad Theater of Opera and Ballet, but the music became known though concert performances well before the first staging in Russia by the Kirov Ballet, which occurred in 1940.
Charles Dutoit’s history with the Los Angeles Philharmonic dates back to 1972, and he has been a frequent guest conductor since. In the 2012/13 season the Philadelphia Orchestra, with whom he made his debut in 1980, will honor him by bestowing upon him the title of Conductor Laureate. Dutoit also holds the title of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and regularly collaborates with the world’s pre-eminent orchestras and soloists.
Complete Program:
STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
DEBUSSY La mer
PROKOFIEV Suite from Romeo and Juliet
Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall one hour prior to the Thursday and Saturday concerts and on stage one hour and 15 minutes prior to the Friday matinee, and are free to all ticket holders. Daniel Kessner, composer, conductor and flutist, hosts.
WHO: LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
CHARLES DUTOIT, conductor
For full artist biography, please visit: laphil.com
WHEN: Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 8 PM
Friday, February 24, 2012, at 11 AM
Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 8 PM
WHERE: Walt Disney CONCERT HALL
111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
HOW TO
PURCHASE: Subscriptions and single tickets for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2011/12 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are currently available. To purchase, please visit LAPhil.com, the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet. To order by phone with credit card, please call the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office at 323.850.2000, or Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.
