L.A. Phil April Highlights: John Williams, Four Seaons, Nielsen and Evgeny Kissin
/By Truman C. Wang
5/2/2025
photo credit: l.a. phil
On April 5, the LA Phil celebrated John Williams’ life and career in a musical journey through cinematic history.
The program opened with the triumphant "Olympic Fanfare and Theme," where the commanding brasses immediately established the evening's celebratory atmosphere. The ethereal excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" followed, with the orchestra navigating the piece's mysterious tonal landscapes and building to its iconic five-note motif
The "Harry Potter" selections transported the audience to Hogwarts, with haunting celesta playing by Joanne Pierce Martin. "Dear Basketball" provided an intimate, poignant interlude (I heard the first performance at the Hollywood Bowl, on September 2, 2017, narrated in person by Kobe Bryant.) "Adventures on Earth" from "E.T." closed the first half with soaring strings and sweeping emotional power.
After intermission, we heard the "Superman March", “Jurassic Park” theme, “Indiana Jones” and, most impressive of all, the ‘Shark Cage Fugue’ from “Jaws”, where the contrapuntal vigor Williams often keeps hidden in his film scores was brought brilliantly to the foreground. The concert concluded, fittingly, with selections from "Star Wars," the strings rendering "Princess Leia's Theme" tenderly before the full orchestra unleashed the majestic "Throne Room and Finale" to thunderous applause.
Gustavo Dudamel, a longtime friend and collaborator of Mr. Williams, was an ideal interpreter on the podium. The composer himself, now 93 and confined to a wheelchair, made a rare appearance onstage during the final curtain and encore. It was not only an unforgettable musical evening, but also a historic one.
The following week, on April 12, eighteenth-century specialist Nicholas McGegan brought his spirited direction to the Disney Hall. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" featured th LA Phil’s own concertmaster Martin Chalifour as soloist. Mr. Chalifour's violin sang with pristine clarity throughout, particularly in the melancholic "Winter" adagio where his rich tone floated effortlessly above the orchestra's hushed accompaniment.
McGegan, always animated on the podium, drew historically informed and vibrato-light playing from the modern orchestra without sacrificing warmth. After intermission, the rarely-heard Chaconne from Mozart's Idomeneo proved a genuine treat—its stately pace unfolding with elegant precision. The evening concluded with a “Surprise” – Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94, where McGegan's characteristic wit found its perfect foil. The famous second-movement shock delivered its intended effect, drawing knowing smiles from the audience. The finale bubbled with effervescent energy, bringing the evening to a delightful and satisfying close.
Evgeny Kissin, the Russian piano wunderkind discovered by Herbert von Karajan in 1988, whose name has since become synonymous with technical brilliance and profound musicality, delivered a masterclass in contrasts at his sold-out Walt Disney Concert Hall recital on Thursday, April 24, his eagerly-awaited return to Los Angeles in over 10 years.
Opening with Bach's C minor Partita, Kissin displayed architectural precision and clarity that belied the work's contrapuntal complexities. His seemingly miraculous ambidextrous articulation remained crystalline throughout, with each voice distinctly audible yet cohesively blended.
In a recent interview, Kissin said “Chopin is the composer whose music is closest to my heart.” Here, it’s easy to see why. The two Chopin Nocturnes, and E-Major Scherzo in the main program, as well as the two Chopin encores (a Ballade and a waltz) revealed Kissin's poetic side. His touch transformed—now veiled and delicate, now passionate and assertive—drawing listeners into Chopin's intimate circle
After intermission, Kissin turned to Shostakovich, offering a searing account of the Second Sonata, exposing the work's stark emotional landscape with unflinching directness. The Largo movement, in particular, became a haunting meditation on isolation. The selected Preludes and Fugues could be dry academic exercises in lesser hands, but Kissin, a composer himself, illuminated their inner workings with clarity and architectural precision.
The final curtain calls and ovations were also on an epic scale. The audience simply did not want him to leave. A total of four encores were played before Kissin left to sign CD’s in the Disney Hall lobby, where there was already a long queue of fans waiting. For me personally, this was the finest piano recital in recent memory, by a complete artist who is both a great pianist and a great musician.
Last summer, guest conductor Ryan Bancroft won plaudits at the Hollywood Bowl and many considered him a shoo-in to succeed Dudamel. I missed that concert, but judging from the strengths of his conducting on April 27 at the Disney Hall, I could see that possibility.
Anders Hillborg's "Sound Atlas” (U.S. premiere), established an immediately compelling atmosphere. Bancroft navigated the work's shimmering textures and microtonalities with precision and sensitivity, drawing remarkable timbral variety from the orchestra. The piece's gradually evolving soundscapes created an immersive effect.
Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son brought crystalline technique and thoughtful reading Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24, one of his only two piano concertos in a minor key. Her playing struck a good balance between classical restraint and expressive freedom (notably in the extended first-movement cadenza where she explored the darker, minor-key passages.) Conductor Bancroft and the musicians, particularly the woodwinds, provided supple and nuanced accompaniment.
After intermission, Nielsen's Fourth Symphony received a revelatory reading. Bancroft's interpretation emphasized the work's elemental force and structural integrity. The famous timpani duel in the finale was executed with thrilling precision by Joseph Pereira and David Riccobono. It literally brought the month of April to a close with a bang, giving hope and optimism to a world in upheaval, in 1916 (when the symphony was written) as well as in 2025.
Photo credit: la phil
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.