L.A. Orchestra to Return for Chamber Season

The return of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the local debut of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will highlight the La Jolla Chamber Music Society’s 1993 concert series in San Diego’s Civic Theatre. Executive director Neale Perl announced the six-concert series Monday.

Under the Philharmonic’s new music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra will play Jean Sibelius’ Four Legends and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on May 8.

“All four Legends are rarely played on the same program,” Perl said, “and we were eager for our audiences to hear this young Finnish conductor present the works of Finland’s greatest composer.”

The Philharmonic has just recorded the Sibelius for Sony, and Perl said the orchestra will arrive in San Diego on the heels of its European tour. For 69 consecutive seasons the Philharmonic maintained its own San Diego series at Civic Theatre, but abandoned the project in 1990.

Violinist Itzhak Perlman will launch the downtown series Jan. 13, accompanied by pianist Janet Guggenheim. Japanese pianist Minoru Nojima, who was the hit of this season’s Sherwood Auditorium chamber music series, returns Feb. 20 for a solo recital.

Popular Irish flutist James Galway will perform March 5, accompanied by classical guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita. Carter Brey, winner of the 1981 Rostropovich International Cello Competition and frequent performer at the society’s annual SummerFest, will give a recital April 3 with pianist Christopher O’Riley.

The 30-member chamber orchestra of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will appear April 21 under the leadership of Iona Brown. Longtime director of the oft-recorded ensemble--about 600 recordings bear the academy’s name--Brown was also leader of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra until last year.

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