LA Phil to Present U.S. Premiere of Tan Dun's THE TEARS OF NATURE at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 1/4-6

In-demand conductor Christoph Eschenbach returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its first three performances of the new year, Friday and Saturday, January 4 and 5, at 8 pm, and Sunday, January 6, at 2 pm. On the program is the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun's percussion concerto The Tears of Nature, featuring Martin Grubinger in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut. Also on the program is Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, which was recorded by the LA Phil, with Zubin Mehta conducting, for Decca Records.

The Tears of Nature, written for Grubinger, was co-commissioned by the LA Phil, with generous support from Nancy S. and Barry Sanders, continuing a long-standing association between Tan Dun and the orchestra. Other collaborations include the composer's Concerto for Paper Percussion and Orchestra - which received its world premiere in 2003, at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting, and the Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto, which was performed in 2008, at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil's Ben Hong as soloist.

In demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, Christoph Eschenbach began his tenure in September 2010 as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Since his appointment to these positions in 2008, he has played a key role in planning future seasons, international festivals and special projects for these two prestigious institutions. Eschenbach's conducting activities in the 2012/13 season include performances in Europe with the NDR Symphony Orchestra, where he was Music Director from 1998 to 2004; Munich Philharmonic; Orchestre de Paris, the ensemble he led as music director between 2000 and 2010; a tour of Germany with the London Philharmonic; concerts in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; and a tour of Australia and Europe leading the Australian Youth Orchestra. He also returns to the Vienna State Opera to conduct performances of Richard Strauss's Capriccio. In the U.S., in addition to leading the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall, Eschenbach returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony.

Dubbed by critics as "a wizard of percussion," Austrian multi-percussionist Martin Grubinger performs with many of the top orchestras at the world's most prestigious venues. His repertoire is unusually broad and ranges from solo works and chamber music, with partners including pianists Ferhan and Ferzan Önder, to large ensemble programs. He's had an increasing number of works written for him, including Rolf Wallin's das war schön!, Anders Koppel's Concert No. 3, Avner Dorman's Frozen in Time and Friedrich Cerha's Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, performed and recorded with Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Peter Eötvös, as well as Tan Dun's new concerto. Highlights of the current season include premieres of the percussion concertos by Tan Dan and HK Gruber and an appearance with the Tonkünstler Orchestra at Schloss Grafenegg's televised summer gala.

Complete Program:

Tan Dun The Tears of Nature (U.S. premiere, LA Phil co-commission with generous support from Nancy S. and Barry Sanders)
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

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

For full artist biographies, visit: laphil.com/eschenbach

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

Subscriptions and single tickets for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2012/13 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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