Igor Stravinsky famously celebrated the second season of the year with The Rite of Spring. So it is only appropriate that this spring, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be celebrating the Russian composer with a series of concerts that start this week and run through April 20th.
First up is All Stravinsky on Tuesday, April 9th. This concert features 18 members of the LA Phil under the direction of Stephen Mulligan. The program includes Histoire du soldat for violin, clarinet, and piano, Octet for Winds, Suite italienne for violin and cello and The Soldier’s Tale. The narrator for the latter piece is actress Kate Burton.
Former LA Philharmonic Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, who has passionately and persuasively lead the orchestra in performances of Stravinsky’s music, will return for the rest of the Stravinsky programs.
On April 12th and 13th Salonen leads a program that includes the composer’s little-known Funeral Song, written for his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov. That is followed by Agon and then The Rite of Spring.
April 14th finds Salonen with the LA Phil and the LA Master Chorale, performing a series of sacred works written by the composer. These include Requiem Canticles, Introitus (TS Eliot in Memoriam), In memoriam Dylan Thomas, Mass, Elegy for JFK, Chorale Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich herâ€Â and Cantata.
April 18th, 19th and 20th will showcase two ballet scores by Stravinsky: Orpheus and Persephone. (Seems to be a popular pairing as there is a new musical officially opening April 17th on Broadway called Hadestown that combines those two myths. More on that next week.) These performances will be directed by Peter Sellars.
Salonen will also lead the LA Philharmonic in programs of the works of Respighi and Mozart in late April and early May. He will assume the role of Music Director for the San Francisco Symphony in September 2020.
For tickets and details of each concert, click on the dates of each description above.
Main photo by Mika Ranta/All Salonen images courtesy of the LA Philharmonic