Esa-Pekka Salonen Leads Los Angeles Philharmonic

Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the U.S. premiere of his 2005 work for orchestra, Helix, on Friday, March 30 at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 1, at 2 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program also includes a suite from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Thibaudet, described by critics as a masterful, charismatic, poetic, and breathtaking virtuoso, is regarded as one of the best pianists in the world, performing with today's foremost orchestras and conductors and on the most venerated stages.

Helix, written at the request of Salonen's friend and fellow conductor Valery Gergiev for the World Orchestra for Peace, is an overture-like work with serious undertones. Composed for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the work was premiered by Gergiev at the Proms in London.

Describing the brief work, Salonen says, "The musical expression changes quite drastically in the course of these nine minutes: the idyllic, almost pastoral opening phrase for piccolo and contrabassoon returns much later in the horns and trumpets, fortissimo, surrounded by a very busy tutti orchestra. The closing section shows the material in an almost manic light." Salonen and the Philharmonic also give performances of this program at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on April 28 and at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York on April 29.

Veronika Krausas, composer and lecturer at University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, discusses the concert program at "Upbeat Live," a free event in BP Hall open to all ticket holders and held one hour before each performance (except March 30, when "Upbeat Live" begins at 9:45 a.m. on stage).

As part of Acura's sponsorship of the March 31 performance, all Acura vehicles entering the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garage that evening park at no charge. -- www.laphil.com