Saturdays at 7pm
Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic.
This Summer quarter of the WFMT Orchestra Series begins with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Elim Chan conducting a vibrant opening to our season with Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Dances, painting a vivid auditory picture of New York City’s dynamic multicultural soundscape. Igor Levit brings his distinctive touch to George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, followed by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. This season also includes:
• Journey through Mozart’s musical genius as Gemma New conducts the elegant and complex Symphony No. 38, “Prague”, and Igor Stravinsky’s Danses concertantes. Paired with Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto featuring the refined clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan.
• Experience the rich dialogues of Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto with the sublime collaboration between violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and cellist Pablo Ferrández. Gustavo Dudamel guides the LA Phil through the youthful vigor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1, offering a majestic blend of melodic sweetness and fiery power.
• Thomas Adès and Kirill Gerstein deliver an audacious performance of Adès’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, capturing the intensity and depth of these modern masterpieces. Adès also leads Ravel’s hauntingly beautiful La valse.
• Daniil Trifonov tackles the profound complexity of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, under the baton of Susanna Mälkki. This concert also features the U.S. premiere of Enno Poppe’s Fett, an innovative exploration of sound.
• Victor Wooten redefines the electric bass in his piece La Lección Tres, a pioneering blend of jazz and orchestral elements, which we will hear in this concert with the composer as soloist. This is also complemented by works from Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor all conducted by Thomas Wilkins.
• Explore the urban landscapes of John Adams’ City Noir, a nocturnal journey through Los Angeles, alongside the world premiere of Timo Andres’ Made of Tunes performed by pianist Aaron Diehl. This program captures the city’s eclectic, cinematic vibe with the includsion of Copland’s Quiet City.
• Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony emerges under Louis Langrée’s direction, featuring LA Phil’s own Joanne Pearce Martin, and the world premiere of Assemble from Jonathan Bailey Holland. The performance also includes Ravel’s intricate violin showpiece Tzigane as soloist Martin Chalifour and the whimsical Mother Goose Suite.
• Closing the season, Maria João Pires joins to perform the world premiere of Andreia Pinto Correia‘s Cortejo, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting a profound interpretation of Strauss’ Don Quixote with featured performers Robert deMaine and Teng Li.
Schedule
September 7
Saint-Saëns’ Organ SymphonyCamille Saint-Saëns’ adventurous, final symphony has been ingrained in popular culture with themes from its memorable triumphant last movement appearing in pop songs and as the main theme in the film Babe. Dedicated to Franz Liszt—and featuring the LA Phil’s own Joanne Pearce Martin in this performance—the “Organ” symphony led fellow composer Charles Gounod to hail Saint-Saëns as “the French Beethoven.”
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Louis Langrée teams up again with acclaimed composer Jonathan Bailey Holland for a world premiere symphony. And in an impressive showcase of Maurice Ravel, Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour performs the composer’s virtuosic violin showpiece, followed by the LA Phil demonstrating his knack for conveying childlike wonder with the Mother Goose Suite.
CONDUCTOR
Louis Langrée
SOLOISTS
Martin Chalifour, violin*
Joanne Pearce Martin, organ**Jonathan Bailey Holland
Assemble
(world premiere, LA Phil commission)Maurice Ravel
Tzigane*
Maurice Ravel
Mother Goose Suite
Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 3, “Organ”**
September 14
Schubert and BeethovenWith flavors of Haydn, Beethoven, and Rossini, Schubert’s epic Sixth Symphony is a rollercoaster of somberness, charm, serenity, and humor, with the wind section shining brightest here. Penned by a composer just turned 21, the piece is permeated by an overall sense of youthfulness. Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Artistic Director Jukka-Pekka Saraste leads the dance that is Beethoven’s self-described “most excellent symphony,” showcasing the composer’s exuberant and optimistic side in full display.
CONDUCTOR
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 6
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 7
September 21
Bartók and MozartInon Barnatan is “a true poet of the keyboard: refined, searching, unfailingly communicative” (The Evening Standard). Effortlessly sailing through its melodic yet meticulous runs, Barnatan demonstrates why No. 25 ranks among Mozart’s top piano concertos. Karina Canellakis leads Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, universally praised for its thematic dominance, enhanced by shimmering harps and winds, a wistful folk-like intermezzo from the strings, and a spontaneous fugue and fanfare led by the brass.
CONDUCTOR
Karina Canellakis
SOLOIST
Inon Barnatan, piano*
Ludwig van Beethoven
Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503*
Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra
September 28
Dudamel Leads Mozart and StraussGustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil lead Strauss’ Don Quixote, an epic tone poem that pits the infamous “Man of La Mancha” against a flurry of windmills and wizards, featuring the LA Phil’s Principal Cello Robert deMaine and Principal Viola Teng Li as soloists. Maria João Pires performance of Mozart’s Jeunehomme is also heard on this week’s broadcast.
CONDUCTOR
Gustavo Dudamel
SOLOIST
Maria João Pires, piano*
Robert deMaine, cello; Teng Li, viola**Andreia Pinto Correia
Cortejo
(world premiere, LA Phil commission with generous support from the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 9, “Jeunehomme”*
Richard Strauss
Don Quixote**
