Semyon Bychkov Leads LA Phil and Katia & Marielle Labeque in World Premiere of Dubugnon's Battlefield

Conductor Semyon Bychkov leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Katia & Marielle Labèque in the world premiere of Richard Dubugnon's Concerto for Two Pianos and Double Orchestra, "Battlefield," commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, on Friday & Saturday, November 11 & 12 at 8 PM and Sunday, November 13 at 2 PM at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This will mark the first time Semyon and Marielle (husband and wife) perform together at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Dubugnon's Concerto for Two Pianos and Double Orchestra, "Battlefield," has nine movements, each meant to portray a stage of a hypothetical XVth-century battle. "The traditional symphony orchestra is divided in two, like two armies facing each other," notes Dubugnon. Composing expressly for Katia and Marielle Labèque, Dubugnon continues, "I realized that in the literature for two pianos and orchestra, the two soloists very often play together most of the time, which makes it difficult for the listener to know who plays what. I wanted in this work that both soloists didn't only converse and compete in virtuosity but also had their own moments of brilliance or expressivity...I tried to compose music which would serve to bring out their contrasting personalities."

The evening also features Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole (for two solo pianos), the composer's vibrant tribute to the land of his mother, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, composed in 1940. Drawing on his previous compositions and ecclesiastical chants, Rachmaninoff's three-movement orchestral suite also combines energetic rhythmic sections with some of his lushest melodies.
Preceding each concert is an Upbeat Live event which takes place in Walt Disney Concert Hall's BP Hall one hour before the concert and is 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.

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

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