A bright Mahlerian cosmos from Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic

By Thomas May, 04 March 2016

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“the conductor kept attention riveted on the delightful surprise of each soloist's entry”

Reviewed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles on 3 March 2016

Mahler, Symphony no. 3 in D minor

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor

Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-soprano

Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale

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

Ligeti shines at Disney Hall under Gimeno's baton

Laurence Vittes, 14th December

Renaud Capuçon adds a degree of theatricality to his Mozart with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

***11

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Thomas May

Thomas May is a writer and translator based in Seattle. His books include Decoding Wagner and The John Adams Reader, and he blogs about the arts at memeteria.com. He has written for The Washington Post, Gramophone, Listen, Symphony magazine, OPERA America, crosscut.com, and many other publications.