ORCHESTRA WILL HIT THE ROAD AGAIN--WITH ISUZU

When the Los Angeles Philharmonic hits the road in March and May of next year, the orchestra will once again be traveling under sponsorship of American Isuzu Motors Inc.

For the Philharmonic, it marks the first opportunity to tour with its new music director, Andre Previn. For Isuzu, it marks the second consecutive year the Japanese automotive company will get a chance to gain national exposure through the orchestra.

This sort of trade-off is nothing new in the performing arts: A dance or opera or orchestral organization gets financing in exchange for the soft-selling of the benefactor’s product. Call it commercialism, call it selling out, but, said Isuzu Senior Vice President and General Manager John E. Reilly, this form of private funding may be the only path to take, now that governmental arts support at every level seems to be dwindling.

“It’s the old ugly dollar,” Reilly admitted. “From our point of view, we have to think, ‘What will this investment do for us?’ It’s our money, after all.” Isuzu will contribute more than $200,000 to finance the two 1986 tours.

The Philharmonic will travel to Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Fresno, Cupertino and San Francisco in March, and to New York, Buffalo, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth and Houston in May. Previn will conduct works by Britten, Prokofiev, Bartok, Elgar, Shostakovich, Haydn, Mozart and Ellen Zwilich--all drawn from the conductor’s first Music Center season.

While Reilly emphasized his love of music in general and the Philharmonic in particular, he would not dismiss practical considerations: “For a new company like ours, we have to search for ways to get known.” Although Isuzu is the oldest auto maker in Japan, Reilly explained, it has done business in the United States for only five years. “After the break-up of AT&T; (American Telephone & Telegraph) in 1983 (which resulted in a loss of tour funding for the Philharmonic), we saw our opportunity.”

According to Reilly, one of the company lawyers had suggested a luncheon meeting with Philharmonic Executive Director Ernest Fleischmann. Reilly, who had been a patron of the National Symphony in Washington, jumped at the opportunity to help the orchestra. “Their touring suited us perfectly,” he said, ticking off each city as yet another place where the company can place its name before the public.

In noting the undeniable advantages to Isuzu, Reilly noted that, as far as he knows, the company is the only auto maker capitalizing on the public relations bonanza found in supporting a touring orchestra. The reason, he theorizes, is quite simple.

“Look at the activities Detroit auto makers sink their money into: sports events. Look at Lee Iacocca (chairman of Chrysler). He goes to every ballgame in town, but you’ll never catch him at the ballet.

“The truth is,” he stated, “jocks run the auto companies.”

AT THE BOWL: This week at Hollywood Bowl might unofficially be called either “Misha Dichter Week” or “Beethoven Week.” The pianist appears in concerts Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, traversing all five concertos by Beethoven. At each event, led by Claus Peter Flor, the program consists solely of music by the celebrated German composer: Concertos Nos. 1 and 4, plus the “Fidelio” and “Egmont” overtures on Tuesday; Concertos Nos. 2 and 3, plus the “Creatures of Prometheus” overture on Thursday, and the Concerto No. 5, plus the Symphony No. 7 and “Wellington’s Victory” at the weekend events.

The latter piece will include the traditional fireworks display and some onstage fighting. No, not between orchestra and conductor (we hope), nor between conductor and intruding helicopters (we pray), but between costumed soldiers representing the warring French and British.

PEOPLE: Henri Temianka has been invited to play a violin recital and give a master class at the Royal Academy of Music in London in May. The locally based conductor/violinist has also been asked by the Minister of Culture of the People’s Republic of China to return to Peking and Shanghai in October, 1986, to teach and perform.

Donald Crockett, composer-in-residence with the Pasadena Chamber Orchestra, has received a commission from that ensemble to write a work in honor of the Pasadena Centennial. Titled “The Tenth Muse,” the piece will be scored for soprano and orchestra with Juliana Gondek as soloist. Texts will be drawn from the writings of women poets. The premiere is scheduled for June 17 at Ambassador Auditorium.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING DEPT.: The Philharmonic chose a rather curious quote to herald its 1985-86 season in a two-page Calendar advertisement on Aug. 11. “The Legend Is Back. Andre Previn Is at the Helm,” boasted the ad. The source? The Times, of course. Not our Times, the London Times.

“We really weren’t trying to fool anyone,” explained Dinah Daniels, the orchestra’s director of marketing and communications. “Since Previn and the Philharmonic haven’t begun their relationship, we had no local quotes to draw from.” Few were fooled, no doubt, since the source of the quote was clearly printed. But many, no doubt, were a bit confused. “The Legend Is Back”?

Here’s how the expanded quote, from a review by Richard Morrison published June 17, reads: “The legend is back. Andre Previn is at the helm of a London orchestra again--the Royal Philharmonic this time. . . .”

After a stint as principal conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra (1968-79), Previn recently began his tenure as music director with the Royal Philharmonic by presiding over what was modestly called the Andre Previn Music Festival. The two-week event included the premiere of his Piano Concerto, with Vladimir Ashkenazy as soloist.

Previn had reportedly developed quite a loyal following in England during his years with the LSO (he was subsequently named conductor emeritus). A profile on Previn in the Observer on June 23 claimed, “So far as the (Royal Philharmonic) is concerned, he is the best news since Sir Thomas Beecham.”