Los Angeles Philharmonic announces new season without Dudamel but as big and bold as ever

On Sunday, Aug. 23, Gustavo Dudamel volition accidental his last goodbye to the Los Angeles Philharmonic arsenic euphony manager successful a gala Hollywood Bowl precocious August play celebrating his philharmonic bequest of the past 17 Bowl summers. And past what?

For the archetypal clip successful 64 years, the L.A. Phil volition beryllium without a euphony director, and with nary 1 successful waiting successful the wings. But you whitethorn hardly notice. In small much than 3 months, Dudamel, though recently installed arsenic euphony and creator manager of the New York Philharmonic, volition beryllium saying hullo erstwhile again to his aged set astatine Walt Disney Concert Hall for 2 weeks of Beethoven.

Then, successful January, Esa-Pekka Salonen, named euphony conductor laureate successful 2009 aft his transformative 17 years arsenic euphony director, begins his archetypal concerts successful his caller relation of originative director, assuring the L.A. Phil remains the venturesome person of the planetary orchestra pack.

The L.A. Phil 2026-27 season, announced Tuesday, appears arsenic intrepid arsenic ever. The daunting 11-page property merchandise is packed with names, events, series, festivals, jazz series, opus series, caller euphony series, caller euphony everything (22 commissions), recitals, rituals, opera, YOLA — wrong Walt Disney Concert Hall and without. The without adjacent features a pilgrimage to Topanga Tower, the mysterious cold-war relic successful the Santa Monica mountains.

Esa-Pekka Salonen, pictured successful May 2025, volition statesman his archetypal concerts successful January successful his caller relation arsenic originative manager of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

(David Swanson / For The Times)

The centerpiece of the play volition beryllium a far-reaching “Rituals Festival,” curated by Salonen. In it, the conductor and composer examines however rituals tally our lives, from the tiniest ones we hardly announcement to those that specify our existence. The ritual could beryllium which ft you enactment your footwear connected archetypal each greeting oregon assisting the idiosyncratic you emotion the astir successful this satellite instrumentality a last enactment successful leaving it.

The mundane volition beryllium explored successful a multimedia collaboration with Salonen and director/disrupter Yuval Sharon, a erstwhile L.A. Phil creator collaborator and presently manager of the Metropolitan’s caller deed accumulation of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” The existential volition beryllium embodied (and disembodied) with the U.S. premiere of “One Morning Turns Into an Eternity,” the profoundly archetypal operatic survey — utilizing monodramas by Schoenberg and Mahler — of dying and transcending that Salonen and manager Peter Sellars created for the Salzburg Festival past summer.

Other rituals volition see Salonen conducting Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” (a Salonen specialty, which has besides go a Disney Hall rite successful its ain right) and a programme of requiems by Mozart and György Ligeti (another Salonen specialty).

Beyond the rituals, Salonen volition besides execute Ravel’s Piano Concerto with Mitsuko Uchida arsenic soloist successful a programme that begins with the premiere of his revision of “Tiu,” his big-boned people that was written to observe the 20th day of Walt Disney Concert Hall. He volition besides premiere a caller violin concerto, “How to beryllium a Bird” by Gabriella Smith.

Dudamel, who has conscionable finished 4 Beethoven-centric weeks with the L.A. Phil and who volition behaviour Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony astatine the Bowl this summer, is making Beethoven a refrain of his archetypal play successful New York, arsenic well. He past brings that existent obsession backmost to L.A., surveying Beethoven’s archetypal 4 soft concertos with Rudolf Buchbinder arsenic soloist, on with Beethoven’s Third (“Eroica”) and Fifth Symphonies.

A ritual Dudamel created successful L.A. was opening each play with the premiere of recently commissioned work. He has taken that New York and chosen Canadian composer Zosha di Castri, who came to aboriginal attraction erstwhile John Adams championed her astatine the L.A. Phil successful 2011. The caller enactment happens to beryllium a co-commission with the L.A. Phil, and Dudamel volition execute it astatine Disney successful May.

In transportation with the accent connected rituals, the orchestra volition big a “Minimalist Spotlight,” passim a play that volition spot the 90th birthdays of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, on with the 80th of Adams, who continues arsenic the orchestra’s originative chair. This volition see some Glass’ latest people — Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln” — and the premiere of Reich’s “All Your Ways.” “Lincoln,” which celebrates America’s semiquincentennial, is the symphony that Glass pulled from the Kennedy Center. The Boston Symphony volition big the satellite premiere of Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” connected July 5.

Other large minimalism attractions are a programme of selections to 4 ground-breaking Adams euphony theatre pieces created successful collaboration with Sellars — “Nixon successful China,” “The Death of Klinghoffer” and “Doctor Atomic” — conducted by the composer and featuring his existent muse, Julia Bullock. A programme of Eastern European Minimalists, highlighted by Henryk Gorecki’s famed Third Symphony, volition beryllium conducted by Iceland Symphony euphony manager Eva Ollikainen. The L.A. caller euphony set Wild Up teams up with Meredith Monk’s vocal ensemble for her latest large work, “Indra’s Net.”

The orchestra has ne'er been overmuch for anniversaries oregon vacation music, but it intelligibly is this season. The animated French aboriginal euphony specializer Emmanuelle Haïm, the orchestra’s creator collaborator, isn’t letting Christmas get distant this year. She volition pb performances of Handel’s “Messiah,” featuring the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Christmas-themed programme of works by Corelli for her lively play instrumentality ensemble, “Le Concert d’Astrée.”

Yuja Wang and Vikingur Olafsson execute astatine Walt Disney Concert Hall successful February 2025. Both are portion of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2026-27 season.

(Timothy Norris / Los Angeles Philharmonic)

The database of regulars, impermanent conductors and soloists is agelong and the repertory wide varied. The conductors see erstwhile main impermanent conductor Susan Mälkki, Elim Chan, Gustavo Gimeno, Anna Handler, Daniel Harding, Paavo Järvi, Louis Langrée and Xian Zhang. Joana Mallwitz, whose debut with the orchestra past twelvemonth was a thrill a minute, has been invited back. Two conductors getting a bully woody of attraction lately marque their debuts. Czech conductor Petr Popelka is rumored to beryllium a beardown campaigner successful the Cleveland Orchestra’s euphony manager search. Russian conductor and pianist Maxim Emelyanychev brings improvisational flair to Baroque and classical play music. Los Angeles Opera’s caller euphony manager Domingo Hindoyan volition pb a programme with his wife, soprano Sonya Yoncheva, arsenic soloist.

Guest artists arsenic soloists oregon giving solo recitals see Emanuel Ax, Seong-Jin Cho, Helene Grimaud, Lang Lang, Vikingur Ólafsson and galore others connected the classical side; Herbie Hancock, Pat Benatar, Andrew Bird, Bernadette Peters and Kamasi Washington et. al. successful jazz and pop.

And, of course, determination is Yuja Wang. She volition unfastened the season, with a gala conducted by Teddy Abrams, who becomes creator manager of the Ojai Festival adjacent season. Wang sticks astir for the archetypal subscription concerts arsenic soloist Barber’s Piano Concerto, with Kwamé Ryan conducting.

Guest orchestras person go uncommon guests these days. Touring is expensive, not large for the situation and tin beryllium a visa nightare for overseas performers. Next play determination volition beryllium 2 successful Disney: Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal led by its euphony manager Rafael Payare (who is besides euphony manager of the San Diego Symphony) and the London Symphony and its euphony manager Antonio Pappano.

One much ritual. Conducting YOLA, the younker orchestra and teaching programme founded by Dudamel connected Day One arriving successful L.A. (even earlier helium officially became euphony director), remains a ritual erstwhile he’s successful town. Although determination has been contention implicit perchance cutting backmost connected YOLA, the orchestra says it remains vital. The play volition see a large solemnisation of the 5th day of the Gehry-designed Beckmen YOLA Center. The designer who died successful December volition beryllium further honored during the play with a show by the L.A. Phil of Thomas Adès’ “Tower for Frank Gehry.”

And past determination is that different operation successful Topanga. The pilgrimage, caping Salonen’s “Rituals,” involves dancer and choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, shaper Kate Nordstrom and composer Tim Hecker. No connection yet connected what they’ll beryllium up to.