It was on October 3, 2009 at the Hollywood Bowl that Gustavo Dudamel made his debut as the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The concert was a free, five-hour show that included a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Ten years later the LA Phil is celebrating Dudamel’s first decade with a concert that combines classical music and film music. The concert, Ten Years – Bravo Gustavo, takes place this Thursday, July 18th.
As befits a celebration of Dudamel’s anniversary, members of YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles) will be joining the LA Phil musicians.
Thursday’s concert will open with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concert No. 1. The soloist is Khatia Buniatishvili. The Georgian-born pianist has not only toured the world playing with pretty much every major orchestra, she’s performed as a soloist, with her sister Gvantsa and has collaborated with the band Coldplay.
The second half of the program is dedicated to film music. This will not be your usual line-up of film music, though it will all certainly be familiar. The program features Erich Korngold’s “Fanfare” and “March of the Merry Men from Robin Hood; Max Steiner’s Suite from Casablanca, Bernard Herrmann’s Suite from Vertigo; Franz Waxman’s Sunset Boulevard Suite, Henry Mancini’s Theme from The Pink Panther and selections of John Williams’ score for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The latter cue seems only appropriate as the LA Phil recently released Celebrating John Williams on Deutsche Grammophon Records.
With the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood Bowl itself coming up in three years, this concert will be, perhaps, a little taste of what might be in store three seasons from now.
For tickets go here.
Check back here at Cultural Attaché for our interview with Khatia Buniatishvili.
Photo of Gustavo Dudamel by Adam Latham/Courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.