Broadcasts on Tap for Tour by Philharmonic

Live television and radio broadcasts in Britain and Finland will mark the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s European tour that begins Aug. 27, it was announced at a press conference Thursday afternoon. The orchestra, led by its music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen, will open its tour at the Helsinki Festival in Salonen’s native city.

There will be two performances in Finland, the second on national radio and television. The 11-city, 14-concert trip--the Philharmonic’s first European tour with Salonen other than residencies at the Salzburg (1992) and Lucerne (1993) festivals--will continue with three performances in London and Birmingham, England, where it will appear live on BBC television and radio.

In addition to Helsinki and the London Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Philharmonic also will play at the festivals of Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt, as well as in Amsterdam, Cologne and Dusseldorf. The orchestra will return to Los Angeles Sept. 14.

The orchestra’s performance in Berlin, one of three special events presented by the Berlin Festival to mark the departure of Allied troops from the city, will be its first there since 1987.

Tour repertory is highlighted by the late Witold Lutoslawski’s Symphony No. 4, commissioned for the L.A. Philharmonic, and given its premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1993 with the composer conducting. The repertory also includes symphonies by Bruckner, Elliott Carter, Hindemith and Sibelius. Pianist Emanuel Ax will appear as soloist with the orchestra in London, Birmingham and Amsterdam in Mozart’s D-minor Concerto, K. 466.