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.
Sun, June 7 LIVE FINALE BROADCAST
Gustavo Dudamel: Celebrating 17 Years Gustavo Dudamel honors his Venezuelan and American identities, presiding over two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works in his final Walt Disney Concert Hall program as Music & Artistic Director. At times hushed and mysterious and at others pulsating and ecstatic, Harmonium was a breakthrough for John Adams’ compositional voice. Borrowing texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne, Adams explores time, harmony, and rhythm, unraveling gentle meditations into an awe-inspiring swirl of sound. In the second half, Dudamel guides Cantata Criolla, another breakthrough work that is not just definitive of composer Antonio Estévez’ voice but an emerging national Venezuelan style. The cantata follows Florentino, a troubadour on the Venezuelan plains who challenges the devil to a battle of wit and song. Estévez’s cross-cutting rhythms and musical textures follow the contest from ominous peril to triumph. Driven by his belief that music can build bridges between cultures, Dudamel selected the cantata as one of the first pieces he wanted to bring to Los Angeles in his inaugural season as Music Director, and it fittingly sets the stage for Gustavo’s finale concert of the 2025/26 season.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor Anthony León, tenor Gustavo Castillo, baritone Los Angeles Master Chorale Grant Gershon, Artistic Director Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director
John ADAMS Harmonium ESTÉVEZ Cantata Criolla
PAST EPISODES
Sun, May 31, 2026 LIVE BROADCAST
Sierra and Strauss Richard Strauss’ tone poems are arguably among some of the most richly orchestrated and strikingly adventurous pieces written for orchestra. Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) is no exception as it closely follows the composer’s own real-life conflicts, resolutions, and romances along the way through its bold battle music, soaring melodies, and passionate spirit. Join Gustavo Dudamel as he conducts Strauss’ heroic journey for the first time in Los Angeles after the LA Phil performs a brand-new orchestral piece by Roberto Sierra—the Puerto Rican composer known for his unique fusion of European modernism and Latin American folk elements called “tropicalization.”
Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Roberto SIERRA Estudios sinfónicos (world premiere, LA Phil commission) R. STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben
Sunday, May 24
Dudamel, Dante, and Beethoven 6 Noted for its blissful introduction, birdsong via woodwinds, and rumbling thunder of cellos, Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony embodies the calming charm of the countryside. In a letter to one of his beloved pupils, he wrote, “How happy I am to be able to wander among the bushes and grass, under trees and over rocks, no man can love the country as I love it.” Gustavo Dudamel captures the serenity of the symphony before steering the orchestra into the treacherous depths of Thomas Adès’ “Inferno”—the fiery first movement of the work that won the LA Phil a Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance. Within minutes of hearing Dante, “You can feel the lightning bolt of [Adès’] virtuosity, the sense of pure enjoyment as he uses every orchestral resource to create a battery of exhilarating sound from a 75-strong orchestra” (The Guardian).
Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral" Thomas ADÈS "Inferno" from Dante (LA Phil commission)
Recent Broadcasts On Demand
Listen to the latest Celebrating Gustavo on demand for one week following each broadcast.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Roberto SIERRA Estudios sinfónicos (world premiere, LA Phil commission) R. STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben