L.A. Phil Mixes It Up With Famous Finns,
New Works and a Glimpse of the Future
by Julie Riggott
Bigger is better when it comes to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“One of the things that I’ve noticed about working with Esa-Pekka [Salonen] is that ideas can’t be big enough,” said Chad Smith, who as vice president of artistic planning interprets and implements the music director’s vision for the Phil.
The new season brings a variety of programming. After the gala opening night with celebrity soprano Renée Fleming on Thursday, Oct. 4, the Phil has three festivals featuring orchestral works complemented by new music, symposia and other events: Sibelius Unbound, the International Youth Orchestra Festival and Concrete Frequency.
“We have to scale our projects bigger. Our audiences expect it, the city expects it, our orchestra expects it, and, indeed, Esa-Pekka expects it,” Smith said.
The season kicks off this Thursday with a program of French and Italian music by Ravel, Berlioz