The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala

A century to the day after the orchestra’s first concert on 24th October 1919, the centennial season culminates in a fantastic gala night at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the current and former chief conductors Dudamel, Mehta and Salonen sharing the podium. The repertoire is a true reflection of the DNA that makes the LA Phil the LA Phil. The anniversary gala opens with a performance of Richard Wagner’s overture to "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" under the direction of Zubin Mehta and clearly illustrates the unleashed potential of this ensemble of first-class musicians combined with the excellent acoustics of the auditorium. No less impressive is the rendition of Maurice Ravel’s "La Valse", which Mehta also conducts. This is followed by Witold Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 4 (a work commissioned by the LA Philharmonic in 1992), which is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Igor Stravinsky’s "Firebird Suite" under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, who has been the principal conductor of the orchestra since 2009. The highlight of the gala was without doubt the premiere of the LA Philharmonic commission "From Space I saw Earth" by the Icelandic contemporary composer Daníel Bjarnason.