100 Years of the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Meet the LA Phil for their 100th anniversary concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in the company of three prestigious guests. This gala evening, filmed in 2019, begins with the legendary Zubin Mehta masterfully conducting Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (“The Master-Singers of Nuremberg”) Overture, a humorous work where the composer exaggerates his own writing traits. Then comes Ravel’s La Valse, followed by Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 4, a commission by the orchestra, which premiered in 1993.

The illustrious ensemble then turns to the flamboyant Gustavo Dudamel for a whirling rendition of the Suite from Stravinsky’s The Firebird, in its 1919 version. The concert ends on a high with an incredible event, the world premiere of From Space I Saw Earth by Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason, a unique work, created for the occasion and inspired by the Apollo 11 mission, that requires three conductors. A task brilliantly executed by Maestros Mehta and Dudamel, joined by the excellent Esa-Pekka Salonen.