Sir Simon Rattle Leads LA Phil and Magdalena Kozena at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Now thru 5/6

Sir Simon Rattle returns to Los Angeles for his first concerts leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, today, Friday and Saturday, May 3, 4 and 5, at 8 pm, and Sunday, May 6, at 2 pm. Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená sings Mahler's settings of Friedrich Rückert's Romantic poetry. Also on the program are Ligeti's Atmosphères, Wagner's Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin, and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9.

Rattle will also lead the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) EXPO Chamber Orchestra in a rehearsal Saturday, May 5, at 11 am, on stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The rehearsal is followed, at 12:30 pm, by the YOLA EXPO Chamber Orchestra in concert with Rattle leading the group in the final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (arr. Leidig) to open the program. Additional details to be announced.

Sir Simon Rattle was born in Liverpool and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After 15 years as a regular guest conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, he became its Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in September 2002. The Berliner Philharmoniker has for many years had close links with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela and, since his appointment, Rattle has led two projects in Venezuela. Recent seasons have included Far East and European tours with Berliner Philharmoniker; projects with Vienna Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The 2007/08 season included the Berliner Philharmoniker's 125th birthday celebrations, Berlin in Lights (a 10-day Carnegie Hall residency), a Scandinavian tour, the BBC Proms and two visits to his birthplace, Liverpool, for concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker and with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, as part of the city's celebrations as the 2008 European Capital of Culture. Forthcoming seasons includes opera productions in Vienna, Berlin, London and Salzburg; extensive touring with the Berliner Philharmoniker; and projects with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Philadelphia Orchestra. An exclusive EMI artist for many years, Rattle has made over 70 recordings for the label, and has received numerous prestigious international awards.

Magdalena Kožená is well established as a major concert and recital artist. Recital appearances have taken her to London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Hamburg, Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Tokyo, San Francisco, and New York's Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. She has also appeared at the Munich, Salzburg, Lucerne, Schwarzenberg Schubertiade, Aldeburgh and Edinburgh festivals. Her pianists include Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman, Malcolm Martineau, András Schiff and Dame Mitsuko Uchida. Her concert appearances include the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle; the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Mariss Jansons, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Claudio Abbado, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Sir Charles Mackerras and Robin Ticciati, the Wiener Philharmoniker with Daniel Harding and Sir Simon Rattle; the Accademia Santa Cecilia with Myung-Whun Chung and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela with Gustavo Dudamel. Kožená is an exclusive artist with Deutsche Grammophon for whom she has just released Lettere Amorose.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in Walt Disney Concert Hall's BP Hall one hour prior to the performances, and are free to all ticket holders. Christopher Russell, Director of Orchestral Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Coordinator of the Orchestra Program at Orange County High School of the Arts, hosts.

Complete Los Angeles Philharmonic program:

LIGETI Atmosphères
WAGNER Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin
MAHLER Rückert Lieder
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9

For more information and complete artist biographies, please visit: laphil.com.

The Walt Disney CONCERT HALL is located at 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

TICKETS: Subscriptions and single tickets for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2011/12 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are currently available. To purchase, visit LAPhil.com, the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet. To order by phone with credit card, call the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office at 323.850.2000, or Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. For more information, call 323.850.2000.

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