Joshua Bell, Sam Haywood Return to Walt Disney Concert Hall 2/7

Violinist Joshua Bell returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall accompanied by British pianist Sam Haywood in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut, Tuesday, February 7, at 8 pm, the ninth stop of the duo's 21-city tour. The recital, featuring music by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Ravel, Ysaÿe and Gershwin, is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2011/12 Colburn Celebrity Recitals, which feature some of the world's leading virtuosos.

The recital opens with Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major, followed by Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108, Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Ysaÿe's Sonata in D minor for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 3, "Ballade," and Gershwin's Three Preludes (arranged by Jascha Heifetz). Additional works are to be announced from the stage.

About the artists: An Avery Fisher Prize recipient and Musical America's 2010 Instrumentalist of the Year, Bell is The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' newly named Music Director. Bell came to national attention at age 14 in his debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Today he is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestra leader and composer who performs his own cadenzas to several of the major concerto repertoire. In addition to his U.S. recital tour with Haywood, Bell's 2012 schedule includes a tour with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in the U.S. Bell also tours Europe with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski and in recital with Jeremy Denk. Bell is an exclusive Sony Classical artist; French Impressions, his new album of works from Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Franck with Jeremy Denk was released in January 10, 2012 to critical acclaim and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's classical chart. Since his first LP recording at 18, Bell has recorded more than 36 CDs garnering Mercury, Grammy, Gramophone and Echo Klassik Awards. Recent releases include the soundtrack to the new Chinese production The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale, At Home With Friends, the Defiance soundtrack, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has recorded critically acclaimed performances of Sibelius and Goldmark and the Beethoven and Mendelssohn concertos both featuring his own cadenzas; and the Oscar winning soundtrack, The Red Violin.

Sam Haywood is a critically acclaimed British pianist whose performances have thrilled audiences worldwide. He is a frequent collaborator with Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis. Haywood's latest release, Chopin's Own Piano, is the first to have been made on Chopin's own 1846 Pleyel piano. To celebrate the Chopin anniversary, he performed at Lancaster House with Steven Isserlis in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra on the same day and at the same venue as Chopin's own performance for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848. Haywood has composed severAl Small-scale works for solo piano and various duos, including the Song of the Penguins, published by Emerson Editions which was inspired by the film, March of the Penguins. He is also involved in educational projects and has co-written a children's opera. Haywood began playing the piano at age 4, inspired by evenings listening to crackly LPs of Beethoven Sonatas with his grandmother. Following his success at age 13 in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, he received the Isserlis prize from the Royal Philharmonic Society and later studied with Paul Badura-Skoda, and at the Royal Academy of Music with the late Maria Curcio, a pupil of Artur Schnabel.

Future performances for the 2011/12 Colburn Celebrity Recitals include: pianist Leif Ove Andsnes (February 8, 2012); Jeffrey Kahane – Celebrating 15 years of Jeffrey Kahane at Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (March 7, 2012); Piatigorsky International Cello Festival (March 18, 2012); and baritone Matthias Goerne with Christoph Eschenbach as pianist (April 16 and April 18, 2012).

Complete Program:

MENDELSSOHN Violin Sonata in F major

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