The Los Angeles Philharmonic marks the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall at its annual gala concert by paying homage to Frank Gehry, architect behind the iconic downtown LA venue. The prelude from Bach’s Partita, the first piece performed in the then-still-under-construction Hall, opens the program, followed by Esa-Pekka Salonen’s transformation of its melody into his piece FOG accompanied by Lucinda Childs, performing her own original choreography. Gehry’s love of the sea, orchestral music, and jazz is combined into offerings from Herbie Hancock, GRAMMY Award-winning R&B singer H.E.R., and Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who conclude the program with Debussy’s La mer. PROGRAM Bach: Violin Partita No.3, Prelude; Salonen: FOG; Hancock: Maiden Voyage; Debussy: La mer; H.E.R. & LA Phil
HK Phil – Tarmo Peltokoski & Lang Lang
Tarmo Peltokoski, Music Director Designate of the HK Phil, leads a captivating Nordic-inspired programme that showcases Finland in both its traditional and cosmopolitan forms. The evening opens with Castor, a dazzling orchestral work by Esa-Pekka Salonen, HK Phil’s Composer-in-Residence for the 2025/26 season and a compatriot and mentor of Peltokoski. The piece is inspired by the twin brothers of Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux. Superstar pianist Lang Lang then brings radiant virtuosity to Grieg’s lyrical Piano Concerto, before the concert concludes with Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, evoking the mythic heart of Finnish folklore in all its power and poetry. PROGRAM Salonen: Castor; Grieg: Piano Concerto; Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite