LA Phil Presents U.S. Premiere of Tan Dun's THE TEARS OF NATURE at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Now thru 1/6

In-demand conductor Christoph Eschenbach returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its first three performances of the new year, tonight and Saturday, January 4 and 5, at 8 pm, and Sunday, January 6, at 2 pm. On the program is the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun's percussion concerto The Tears of Nature, featuring Martin Grubinger in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut. Also on the program is Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, which was recorded by the LA Phil, with Zubin Mehta conducting, for Decca Records.

The Tears of Nature, written for Grubinger, was co-commissioned by the LA Phil, with generous support from Nancy S. and Barry Sanders, continuing a long-standing association between Tan Dun and the orchestra. Other collaborations include the composer's Concerto for Paper Percussion and Orchestra - which received its world premiere in 2003, at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting, and the Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto, which was performed in 2008, at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil's Ben Hong as soloist.

In demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, Christoph Eschenbach began his tenure in September 2010 as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Since his appointment to these positions in 2008, he has played a key role in planning future seasons, international festivals and special projects for these two prestigious institutions. Eschenbach's conducting activities in the 2012/13 season include performances in Europe with the NDR Symphony Orchestra, where he was Music Director from 1998 to 2004; Munich Philharmonic; Orchestre de Paris, the ensemble he led as music director between 2000 and 2010; a tour of Germany with the London Philharmonic; concerts in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; and a tour of Australia and Europe leading the Australian Youth Orchestra. He also returns to the Vienna State Opera to conduct performances of Richard Strauss's Capriccio. In the U.S., in addition to leading the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall, Eschenbach returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony.