Mahler’s groovy songs open LA Phil festival

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the LA Phil

Ekaterina Gubanova, Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil

By Matthew Richard Martinez, 21 February 2025

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“tiny masterpieces that are the DNA of Mahler’s sprawling symphonies”

Reviewed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles on 20 February 2025

Mahler, Blumine

Mahler, Symphony no. 10 in F sharp major: Adagio

Mahler, Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor

Ekaterina Gubanova, Mezzo-soprano

Sir Simon Keenlyside, Baritone

A cerebral bacchanalia: Young's bold, brainy Messiaen at Disney Hall

Néstor Castiglione, 10th April

Simone Young's take on Messiaen's Turangalîla with the Los Angeles Philharmonic proves a night to remember.

*****

Dudamel and Catalan choirs dazzle in Beethoven’s Missa solemnis

Néstor Castiglione, 20th February

In Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel conducts Beethoven's Missa solemnis for the first time... and it proves worth the wait.

*****

Shock, spectacle and endurance: Yuja Wang and Thomas Adès at full tilt

Laurence Vittes, 8th February

If Prokofiev’s original intention in his Second Piano Concerto was shock and awe, Yuja Wang gives exactly the right performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

***11

John Adams leads Americana, past and present, with LA Phil

Néstor Castiglione, 23rd January

Compelling as a composer and conductor, Adams restored Roy Harris' Third Symphony to the Los Angeles repertoire, alongside one of his most recent works.

*****

Salonen and the LA Philharmonic take on the forces of nature

Néstor Castiglione, 9th January

Reflections of nature and humanity's place within it in Salonen's 2026 return

****1

Winter Daydreams and a Jazz Age Nutcracker at Disney Hall

Néstor Castiglione, 18th December

A feast of Tchaikovsky with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under guest conductor Thomas Wilkins.

****1

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Matthew Richard Martinez

A professional conductor living in Costa Mesa, California, Matthew received Bachelor of Music and MFA degrees from University of California, Irvine. An avid sports fan, when he’s not conducting or listening to music, he can be found cheering for his hometown San Diego Padres.