Globe-Trotting Will Mark 75th Philharmonic Season : Music: 1993-94 events will include tours to Asia and Europe and a number of commissioned scores. - Los Angeles Times
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Globe-Trotting Will Mark 75th Philharmonic Season : Music: 1993-94 events will include tours to Asia and Europe and a number of commissioned scores.

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SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The adventure continues. Esa-Pekka Salonen’s second season as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic is the orchestra’s 75th, and the anniversary has sparked a series of commissions and two international tours, the conductor announced Tuesday at the Music Center.

“I’m greatly encouraged by what’s going on between the orchestra and its audience now,†said Salonen, who will conduct 12 weeks of subscription concerts. “Some of the programs have not been easy in any sense of the word, and the audience has taken up the challenge.â€

The 1993-94 season, which runs from Oct. 7 through May, 1994, begins on familiar terms, however, with Salonen conducting Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms†and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony--a pairing Simon Rattle conducted at Hollywood Bowl in 1991.

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In March, 1994, Salonen leads the orchestra on tour to Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In August and September, 1994, he takes the Philharmonic to festival appearances in Salzburg, Edinburgh, Berlin, Helsinki and Flanders, plus the London Proms.

The Philharmonic has also begun a series of commissions that will be presented over the years leading to the projected opening of Disney Hall in 1996. Bernard Rands is composing an orchestral piece--which Salonen will conduct in February, 1994--and Christopher Rouse will create a cello concerto for Yo-Yo Ma, which David Zinman will lead in January. Additionally, next season the Philharmonic New Music Group will premiere works commissioned from Conlon Nancarrow and Steven Mackey.

Works for the 1994-95 season have been commissioned from Steven Stucky, Rand Steiger, Harrison Birtwistle, Gerald Levinson and Gerard Grisey. Future seasons should hear new works from Pierre Boulez, Jacob Druckman, Shulamit Ran and Salonen.

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The Philharmonic will continue its recordings with Salonen for Sony Classical, working on the complete Bartok piano concertos with soloist Yefim Bronfman, a Debussy disc and other material including contemporary music. There are also plans for video projects.

Private and foundation support funds the commissions, and the orchestra is working on tour sponsors. Board president Joseph La Bonte said the orchestra is now in the black and intends to stay that way.

Heading the list of guest conductors are three musicians long associated with the orchestra. In January Rattle conducts Berlioz’s “Damnation of Faust†and Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. In April former music director Zubin Mehta returns with a Brahms program, and later in the month Boulez leads two programs.

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Making Philharmonic debuts are conductors Roger Norrington, Jukka-Pekka Sarasate, Heinrich Schiff and Robert Spano. Returning are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sian Edwards, Eri Klas, Jeffrey Tate, Franz Welser-Most and Zinman.

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