SoCal Saturday Night

Upcoming broadcasts

LA Phil Broadcasts on Classical California are made possible through the endowed LA Phil Broadcast Program Fund, generously supported by the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund.

Saturday, May 16

Dudamel Launches His Final Season Gustavo Dudamel kicks off his 17th season as the LA Phil’s Music & Artistic Director with a beloved orchestral piece that exemplifies his adventurous and exciting tenure. Follow Dudamel from dusk ‘til dawn, through deep forests, icy fields, and a tumultuous storm, as he leads the LA Phil in Richard Strauss’ exhilarating hike. The composer called his orchestral expedition An Alpine Symphony, “since it represents: moral purification through one’s own strength, liberation through work, and worship of eternal, magnificent nature.” Dudamel presents a world premiere for orchestra and choir by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellen Reid—known for her interactive soundscapes and innovative fusions of art, nature, and technology—that draws inspiration from the four elements as experienced in Los Angeles versus New York. A note from Gustavo Dudamel: We open our 2025/26 season with a celebration of the natural world—something that inspires us, challenges us, and connects us all. I’m especially proud to begin with the world premiere of Earth Between Oceans by Ellen Reid, a deeply personal and powerful work for both of us. The title reflects the two cities that have shaped our lives—Los Angeles and New York—and the music explores how the four natural elements have shaped them in return. This piece is a meditation on the overwhelming power of nature in the face of rising political and environmental uncertainty. Each movement evokes an element through a specific cityscape: from the frozen soil of a New York winter in “Earth,” to the calm, vast openness of “Air” seen from above the city. “Fire” is a visceral response to the devastating Southern California wildfires of January 2025, and “Water” flows with the spirit of the Pacific coast. At the heart of Earth Between Oceans is a sense of resilience and hope. Ellen’s music reminds us that the natural forces surrounding us are older, wiser, and more enduring than any moment of crisis. Her focus on rhythm, combined with the unique role of the choir, shapes a sound that feels both rooted and transcendent. Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony continues this dialogue with nature. It is a story of exploration—of climbing toward something greater, through danger, awe, and beauty. This is my first time performing it with the LA Phil, and I’m honored to take this journey with our extraordinary musicians and our audience. Together, these works remind us of the beauty of the Earth, the challenges we face, and the enduring capacity of music to connect us across distance, time, and experience. —Gustavo Dudamel

Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor Los Angeles Master Chorale Grant Gershon, Artistic Director Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director

Ellen REID Earth Between Oceans (world premiere, LA Phil commission with generous support from the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund) R. STRAUSS An Alpine Symphony

Past broadcasts

Saturday, May 9

Mahler, Bartók & Ravel Sleigh bells and sweet melodies tumble out from Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, painting a scene the composer compared to “a dewdrop on a flower that suddenly illuminated by the sun, bursts into a thousand lights and colors.” Former Dudamel Fellow Elim Chan leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic as they traverse a shifting atmosphere of mellow woodwinds, menacing trumpet calls, and eager timpani wallops, before approaching the gates of heaven. When everything unravels in the final movement, South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha voices Mahler’s joyful child, envisioning what lies beyond the pearly gates. With her “sumptuous, plush sound,” Rangwanasha “floats high notes with almost indecent ease. Hear a few of them live and it’s as if you’ve died and (sins allowing) gone straight to Heaven” (The Times of London).

Los Angeles Philharmonic Elim Chan, conductor Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano

RAVEL Le tombeau de Couperin BARTÓK Dance Suite MAHLER Symphony No. 4

Saturday, May 2

Salonen & Levit Scale Busoni’s Masterpiece Perhaps the most, or only, conventional element of Busoni’s Piano Concerto is its title. Nearly 75 minutes in length with five movements—the last featuring a men’s chorus—and one of the largest orchestras of the entire genre, it requires nothing less than a herculean effort by the soloist, not to mention the more than 100 other musicians performing. Pianist Igor Levit, a noted champion of Busoni who has called the concerto “a piece to widen your curse words repertoire,” rises to its considerable challenges. Together with LA Phil Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and the men of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he explores Busoni’s grand utopian vision. Reviewing Levit and Salonen’s 2023 performance of the concerto in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times raved “...the communal exultation of Levit, Salonen, the orchestra and chorus captured something so large and impractically visionary, something that had so much to say about the society to which we aspire, that one could walk out of the concert hall convinced we can make a difference.” Los Angeles Philharmonic Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Igor Levit, piano Los Angeles Master Chorale Grant Gershon, Artistic Director Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director

BUSONI Piano Concerto, Op. 39, BV 247

Recent Broadcasts On Demand

Listen to the latest SoCal Saturday Night on demand for one week following each broadcast.