Christoph Koenig Leads LA Phil and Pepe Romero at Walt Disney Concert Hall; Program Ends Tonight, 4/29

Conductor Christoph König makes his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut as he leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three performances, the last of which is today, Sunday, April 29, at 2 pm. Joining is famed guitarist Pepe Romero, performing with the LA Phil for the first time in 20 years, in Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, a piece first played by the LA Phil in 1964 featuring Romero's brother Angel as soloist. König replaces originally scheduled conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, who had to cancel his appearances due to illness. Also on the program are Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 2, and Dvo?ák's Scherzo Capriccioso, which replaces Joaquín Turina's Danzas fantásticas.

Christoph König currently holds positions as principal conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto and music director of the Solistes Européens Luxembourg. His recent performances as a guest conductor include engagements with the Orchestre de Paris, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Norwegian Radio Orchestra Oslo, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Radio Orchestra (RTVE) in Madrid, Orquesta y Color de la Comunidad de Madrid, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra whom he led on a highly successful tour of China in 2008.

Born into an illustrious guitar family, Pepe Romero has communicated the richness and beauty of the classical guitar to millions throughout the world. At age 7, he set foot on the concert stage for the first time, at the Teatro Lope De Vega in Sevilla, Spain, and more than 60 years later, continues to mesmerize audiences all over the world. He has worked with almost every major conductor alive, and has to his credit more than 60 recordings. In 1992, Romero performed on a ground-breaking laser disc of the Concierto de Aranjuez with Neville Marriner and the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields. In the 2012/13 season, Romero will honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of his father, the legendary Celedonio Romero, and in the 2013/14 season, he will tour the world celebrating his own 70th year.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in Walt Disney Concert Hall's BP Hall one hour prior to the Thursday and Sunday performances, and on stage an hour and 15 minutes prior to the Friday performance, and are free to all ticket holders. Russell Steinberg, UCLA faculty, Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, composer, conductor and performer, hosts.

Complete program:

DVO?ÁK Scherzo Capriccioso
RODRIGO Concierto de Aranjuez
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

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

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