For Santa Barbara orchestra aficionados, being afforded the chance to hear the Los Angeles Philharmonic, one of the world’s great orchestras, on a regular basis, is one of those cultural highs well worth the two-hour drive. The orchestra’s long and lofty reputation has gained in international repute, especially in recent chapters led by maestros Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel.
Luckily for us, Santa Barbarans have also had at least yearly audiences with the L.A. Phil, tidily in sync with the 104-year history of the presenting organization CAMA. And as the season programming math works out in 2023, we’ve had two visits from the mighty Angelenos, both as a season-closing concert in May and this season’s orchestral “International Series” season opener, at The Granada Theatre on Tuesday, December 12.
As a neat, illuminating pair, the two concerts showcase different aspects of this orchestra’s life, times, and repertoire attitudes. Dudamel’s triumph in May featured two (count ‘em) challenging and evocative new works by young women composers, Gabriella Smith and Ellen Reid. Next week’s concert is more deeply rooted in history, not only in its menu of Schumann’s Piano Concerto and Mahler’s Titan symphony, but through the august presence of the L.A. Phil’s eminent maestro emeritus, Zubin Mehta.
Mehta is no stranger to the 805. Although we haven’t seen Mehta onstage locally since 1993, his upcoming Granada appearance marks a remarkable 53rd conducting this orchestra in our town. He has led the L.A. Phil in CAMA-hosted concerts, in both the Granada and the Arlington theatres, going back to a time just prior to his being named music director, as a promising 25-year-old upstart in 1961.
One of the best-known living conductors, the Indian-born Mehta, now 87, has had a uniquely illustrious career, including stints as head of the L.A. Phil (1962–1978), the New York Philharmonic (1978–91) and a 50-year run as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra along with countless guest conducting work.
For generational contrast, Tuesday’s concert also features an emerging young star, 29-year-old South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho — who, in fact, performed in recitalist mode at Campbell Hall on December 1. With the L.A. Phil, Cho takes on the soloist role in Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, last heard in this hall at the hands of Alessio Bax and the Santa Barbara Symphony a year ago. It is a welcome return.
After intermission, the spotlight turns to Mehta as famed Mahler-ian, over the landscape of his Symphony No. 1, Titan. Interestingly, the sounds of Mahler are filling the Riviera Theatre at the moment, via Bradley Cooper’s high-profile film Maestro, the biopic of another legendary Maher-ian, Leonard Bernstein.
In an interview earlier this year with Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed, Mehta spoke of his close relationship with Bernstein, commenting that “Bernstein had many things to tell me, and I appreciated a lot of it, especially about how to deal with the orchestra and about interpretation. He told me what he liked and what he didn’t like. He once came to my performance of Mahler’s Fifth and didn’t like it.”
Mehta, who maintains a residence in Los Angeles and who has regularly made guest conducting appearances with the orchestra over the decades, said, “I promised when I left the Los Angeles Philharmonic that I would keep coming back, and I have.” As of next Tuesday, he returns to another old stomping ground, in downtown Santa Barbara.
CAMA presents Los Angeles Philharmonic on Tuesday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m., at The Granada Theatre (1214 State St.). For tickets and additional information see ticketing.granadasb.org/18046.