Looking back at Weimar: Salonen conducts the LA Phil

By Néstor Castiglione, 09 February 2020

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“Salonen’s direction... was a faultless display of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s excellence”

Reviewed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles on 7 February 2020

Hindemith, Ragtime

Weill, Concerto for Violin and Wind Instruments, Op.12

Bach, Schmuecke dich, o liebe Seele - chorale prelude in E Flat Major, BWV654

Bach, Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist (Orgel-Büchlein) in G Major, BWV631

Hindemith, Mathis der Maler Symphony

Carolin Widmann, Violin

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor

Los Angeles Philharmonic

It’s a hero’s life for Gustavo Dudamel at Disney Hall

Néstor Castiglione, 29th May

Dudamel closes in on the end of his Disney Hall tenure in heroic style with Richard Strauss’ tone poem, Ein Heldenleben.

****1

Dudamel’s LA Phil Walküre proves worth the wait

Matthew Richard Martinez, 21st May

An enveloping performance of Die Walküre spans three consecutive evenings, featuring world class singing in Frank Gehry’s stunning space.

****1

LA Phil celebrates the California spirit with Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Cameron Kelsall, 3rd May

The program features Maria Dueñas in Korngold's Violin Concerto and a moving tribute to LA native Michael Tilson Thomas

****1

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

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Néstor Castiglione

Néstor Castiglione is a freelance music critic, program note annotator, translator, and lecturer born and raised in Los Angeles. Aside from classical music, he also writes and lectures on the culture and popular music of early Shōwa Japan (1925 – 1945). His website is Echorrhea and you can also follow him on Instagram @echorrhea.