Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, 31 May 2026
Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
Roberto Sierra: Estudios Sinfónicos (World premiere)
This is Gustavo Dudamel’s second to last concert as music director with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Pairing a classic orchestral war horse in Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben while supporting new music in a world premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Estudios Sinfónicos perfectly represents the kind of programming Dudamel has treated Angelenos to for well over a decade.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned Sierra’s piece, a series of five études for orchestra. This form is traditionally associated with solo piano works, now applied to the entire orchestra. Each movement focuses on rhythm, orchestral color, and texture. In the long established world of classical music, Sierra delivers something refreshingly new and dedicated Estudios Sinfónicos to Maestro Dudamel. After hearing it for the first time, you have to wonder why other composers have not attempted to try this before as it is a brilliant way to showcase an orchestra’s sound and virtuosity. Sierra describes his musical style, a blend of European modernism and Latin American folk elements, as “tropicalization”. An admirer of Turner and Kandinsky, Sierra said he would be a painter if not a composer. In Dudamel, Sierra has a committed interpreter, and a willing orchestra to use as his canvas to premiere a colorful and memorable new work.
After intermission, the night continues with Strauss’s heroic Ein Heldenleben. Personally this is not among my favorite works by Strauss and speaks to Dudamel’s enthusiasm for the piece that forced me to change my mind about it. The title translates to “A Hero’s Life” and is a self-portrait of the composer battling his personal demons and past triumphs to conclude with inner peace. In other performances, Strauss’ unabashed heroism and grandiosity is often underplayed to the point of dullness. Dudamel has the LA Phil making no apologies for Strauss’ expressive writing and launches the piece with with a disciplined aggression that grabs your attention and never lets go. Dudamel doesn’t approach often played orchestral works from an overly intellectual or contrarian perspective to interpret something new for the sake of new. Instead, he is able to breathe life into old classics by getting to the heart of the work to perform the piece with such natural conviction to where everything feels right. The melodies are never over-the-top or indulgent and the more tumultuous episodes are clearly rendered with plenty of character. The season started with Strauss’ monumental tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie and fittingly concludes with another spectacular performance by the composer that gave a well-deserved standing ovation from the packed hall.
Later that week I was able to listen to the performance again through the LA Phil’s collaboration with KUSC Classical California broadcasts. Dudamel’s passion for the work made Strauss Ein Heldelben go from something I rarely made time for to a piece I have heard repeatedly in such a short time. That is elite artistry. Combine that with helping bring a new composition to the world and it is no wonder he is one of the most sought after conductors. KUSC’s partnership with the LA Phil continues with broadcasting Dudamel’s final appearance as music director so people both here in Los Angeles and around the world can appreciate what a treasure his time with us has been.
