Salonen brings Bryce Dessner's Violin Concerto to the LA Philharmonic

Pekka Kuusisto

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic

By Cameron Kelsall, 05 May 2025

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“this stirring piece of new music made for a welcome contemporary centerpiece”

Reviewed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles on 4 May 2025

Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Dessner, Violin Concerto

Beethoven, Symphony no. 3 in E flat major "Eroica", Op.55

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor

Pekka Kuusisto, Violin

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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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.