Los Angeles Philharmonic
By the mid-2010s, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra had established itself as a model for the image and role of the symphony orchestra in contemporary society, and as one of the top orchestras in the U.S. and the world. Under the vibrant leadership of music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, a product of Venezuela's innovative El Sistema program of classical music education, the orchestra has shown a commitment to foundational works and adventurous explorations.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic was founded in 1919 by Los Angeles multi-millionaire and avid amateur musician William Andrews Clark, Jr. The orchestra's first music director was Walter Henry Rothwell. The next year, the Philharmonic moved into The Temple, a church built in 1907 and renamed Philharmonic Auditorium. Despite the name change, the hall remained a place of worship, and the orchestra had to plan its activities around those of the church. The Philharmonic benefited from the attraction that California held for European expatriates; following Rothwell, its music directors were Georg Schnéevoigt (1927-1929), Artur Rodzinski (1929-1933), Otto Klemperer (1933-1939), Alfred Wallenstein (1943-1956), and Eduard van Beinum (1956-1959).
In 1945, Leopold Stokowski had founded the Hollywood Bowl Symphony for the summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, a striking art deco outdoor concert shell in a lovely natural amphitheater. The Los Angeles Philharmonic soon replaced it as the regular orchestra for this series, becoming a beloved part of the city's public cultural life. In 1962, Zubin Mehta began his long and productive tenure as music director, which lasted until 1978. He was succeeded by Carlo Maria Giulini (1978-1984), and in turn, by André Previn (1985-1989). The L.A. Philharmonic's music director from 1992 to 2009 was Esa-Pekka Salonen, the exciting young conductor and composer whose programming was built around the great established classics of the 20th century, new music, and a solid representation of established repertoire. Gustavo Dudamel assumed leadership of the orchestra in 2009.
In 1964, the L.A. Philharmonic moved into a new home, the Dorothy Chandler Music Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. The hall was shared with the Civic Light Opera Association and other concert and theater companies, a situation that grew uncomfortable and limiting for the Philharmonic. A new permanent home for the orchestra, Walt Disney Hall, featuring a striking design by Frank Gehry and titanium and brushed stainless steel exterior, was inaugurated in October 2003. In 2007, inspired by the success of El Sistema, the L.A. Philharmonic and Dudamel established the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, which offers free music education and instruments to students in the Los Angeles area.
The L.A. Philharmonic gives an annual 30-week winter season. More than 250 concerts are either performed or presented at its two iconic venues: Walt Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. These presentations represent a breadth and depth unrivaled by other orchestras or cultural institutions. With a strong commitment to contemporary music from its earliest days, the Philharmonic remains noted for the extraordinary number and variety of new works it has commissioned.
© Joseph Stevenson & James Manheim /TiVo
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Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 "Pathétique"
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carlo Maria Giulini
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (Live From Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles / 2012)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 25, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holst: The Planets / John Williams: Star Wars Suite
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88; Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66 & Notturno in B Major, Op. 40
André Previn, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Telarc on Sep 26, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Piano and Orchestral Versions)
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin - Set: Bernstein/Ozawa/Previn/Levine
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Adams: Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?
Yuja Wang, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Apr 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14: No. 9 Waltz of the Snowflakes (Live at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles / 2013)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Anne Tomlinson
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Oct 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holst : The Planets
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6; Scythian Suite
André Previn, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No.5
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & Piano Quintet in G Minor
Yefim Bronfman, Juilliard String Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Nov 15, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Superman March (From "Superman" / Live At Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles / 2019)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Feb 22, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schmidt: Symphony No.4 / Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony
Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (Live From Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles / 2008)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on May 20, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 / Hillborg: Eleven Gates
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nielsen: Symphony No.4 - Scriabin: Poème de l'Extase (Australian Eloquence Digital)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Symphonic Music - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on May 29, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5; Overture "Leonore II"/Lutoslawski: Symphony No.4 (DG Concerts)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Andriessen: Theatre of the World
Classical - Released by Nonesuch on Sep 29, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Leon Fleisher, Vol. 2: Brahms & Mozart (Live)
Leon Fleisher, Pierre Monteux, Bruno Walter, Concertgebouw, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Apr 15, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Girls of the Golden West, Act I Scene 1: Wagon Ride - Ned Peters was a hustler
Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Adams
Classical - Released by Nonesuch on Feb 29, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo