Upcoming broadcasts
Tune in for a series of LA Opera on Air, hosted by Jennifer Miller Hammel.
Saturday, November 7
TURANDOT
Hiding out in enemy territory, a prince on the run encounters a captivating beauty who scorns love. With nothing to lose, he enters an all-but-impossible contest, risking his life to win her hand. But after claiming his victory, he faces an even greater challenge: melting Turandot’s icy heart.
Composer Giacomo Puccini’s untimely death in 1924 left Turandot, his final opera, unfinished. Shortly after Puccini’s passing, composer Franco Alfano was commissioned to create an ending for the world premiere production at Milan's La Scala in 1926. This now-standard finale is what will be heard in these performances.
Saturday, November 14
JAMES CONLON FAREWELL CONCERT
Three of opera's greatest composers. One stage. One night.
An evening of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner performed by the full LA Opera Orchestra and Chorus, under the baton of a conductor who has spent 20 years mastering the music on this stage.
Whether you've loved opera all your life or have been waiting for the right moment to try, you won't want to miss this. Unforgettable melodies, soaring tenors and heartbroken sopranos, a chorus that lifts the whole room: this is opera at its best.
Saturday, November 21
FALSTAFF
Sir John Falstaff finds himself a bit short on cash, so he hatches a scheme: seduce two merry (and wealthy) wives of Windsor and live out his days in luxury. Too bad this bumbling knight happened to send both his targets the same love letter! Now Alice Ford and Meg Page are set on teaching Falstaff a lesson, and it's not long before a long list of his adversaries join in. Audiences are in for a whirlwind of disguises and deceptions, and maybe even an unexpected dip in the River Thames.
James Conlon conducts one of his personal favorites, Verdi's utterly delightful comic masterpiece. Longtime company favorite Craig Colclough stars as the boastful Falstaff, leading a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Nicole Heaston, Ernesto Petti and Hyona Kim among the pranksters all too happy to take the errant knight down a peg, with Deanna Breiwick and Anthony León as the young lovers desperate to steal a private moment to themselves among the madness. This classic comedy gets an equally classic staging by Lee Blakeley, with atmospheric sets and sumptuous period costumes designed by Adrian Linford.
Past 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, October 24
Ravel, Debussy & Saint-Saëns Philippe Jordan, “the low-key maestro who’s taking French [music] to new heights” (The Guardian) brings a rejuvenating je ne sais quoi to a night of masterworks by three of the most popular composers from France.
A highlight on the program is the simple yet genius Boléro. Driven by the steadfast beat of a snare drum, Ravel’s iconic piece gradually builds from a singular, soft flute melody into a loud and magnificent, full-orchestra march in a matter of 15 minutes.
Saint-Saëns’ zippy and dramatic Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah kicks off the night on a high note, before Jean-Yves Thibaudet takes on Ravel’s mesmerizing Piano Concerto in G—a piece he’s been playing since he was 11 years old. “Ravel was extremely specific,” Thibaudet says. “It was almost an obsession with him, every little detail he wanted to write on the score, so you have to do it.” After intermission, the orchestra spins and sways through Ravel’s La valse and Debussy’s timeless Clair de lune.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Philippe Jordan, conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
SAINT-SAËNS Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila RAVEL Piano Concerto in G RAVEL La valse DEBUSSY (arr. STOKOWSKI) Clair de lune RAVEL Boléro
Saturday, October 17
Dvořák & Bruch In 2023, South Korean violin star Bomsori and dynamic German conductor Anja Bihlmaier made their BBC Proms debuts together with Bruch’s rich and seductive First Violin Concerto. Now, they reunite on the Hollywood Bowl stage to revisit this prized masterwork alongside Dvořák’s euphoric Eighth Symphony, known for its Bohemian folk-flavored melodies, dance-like finale, and contagious joy.
This special night under the stars begins with beyond the beyond by the late Sarah Gibson, a brilliant and beloved pianist, composer, and educator. Gibson was a member of the LA Phil family, serving as a lead teaching artist for the organization’s Composer Fellowship Program.
Gibson’s piece was supposed to premiere at the 2024 BBC Proms with Bihlmaier conducting, but she passed away from colon cancer before finishing it; beyond the beyond was lovingly completed by her HOCKET piano duo partner Thomas Kotcheff for its 2025 premiere.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Anja Bihlmaier, conductor Bomsori, violin
GIBSON beyond the beyond (US premiere) BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Saturday, October 10
Mendelssohn & Haydn Louis Langrée leads a lyrical night of Austrian and German delights, including Mendelssohn’s ingenious Violin Concerto with Marc Bouchkov.
When Bouchkov performs “he doesn’t only serve us a prepared version of a piece, but tells us a story with it in the heat of the moment” (Violinist.com). Hear him chronicling the work that’s been a hit since 1845, following The Hebrides—Mendelssohn’s majestic adventure to the dark, coastal caves of Scotland.
Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 was the final symphony of his career and named after the city that treated him like a rock star. Full of charging joy, dark drama, and a potpourri of folk tunes, the “London” Symphony is simply sensational, with melodies that Haydn contemporary Charles Burney described as “such as were never heard before, of any mortal’s production.”
Los Angeles Philharmonic Louis Langrée, conductor Marc Bouchkov, violin
MENDELSSOHN The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto YSAYE Sonata No. 5 for Solo Violin in G Major, Op. 27/5: II. Danse Rustique (encore) HAYDN Symphony No. 104, “London”
Saturday, October 3
Beethoven’s Fifth It only takes four notes to recognize Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony. It’s defiant, ferocious, and instantly unforgettable. Anna Handler, a former Dudamel Fellow and incoming Conductor-in-Residence, returns to the Hollywood Bowl to unleash its liberating forces, pairing one of classical music’s most legendary statements with one of Beethoven’s rarely heard gems: the Triple Concerto.
Acting Concertmaster Bing Wang, Principal Cello Robert deMaine, and keyboardist Joanne Pearce Martin—a triple threat that has spent a combined 71 years with the Los Angeles Philharmonic—come together for the composer’s merging of symphonic and chamber music.
The program opens with a short, woodwind-rich piece by Grace-Evangeline Mason, an up-and-coming composer from the UK, that represents her impression of the moon as “a flower of gold hanging in a dark sky.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Anna Handler, conductor Bing Wang, violin Robert deMaine, cello Joanne Pearce Martin, piano
Grace-Evangeline MASON ABLAZE THE MOON BEETHOVEN Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Recent Broadcasts On Demand
Listen to the latest SoCal Saturday Night on demand for one week following each broadcast.
