Vasks, Pärt & Górecki
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Eva Ollikainen, Jeanine De Bique
Walt Disney Concert HallSouth Hope Street, Los Angeles 90012
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Eva Ollikainen, opens the Minimalist Icons Festival program with Pēteris Vasks’ Vēstījums (The Message), followed by Arvo Pärt’s Symphony No. 2. After intermission, soprano Jeanine De Bique joins the orchestra for Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, setting three Polish laments. Vasks’ work moves between ominous foreboding and euphoric exaltation, while Pärt’s Second Symphony incorporates children’s toys and Tchaikovsky’s “Sweet Dreams.”
Founded in Los Angeles in 1919, the LA Phil performs this orchestral program as part of the season’s Minimalists spotlight. The New York Times called Pärt’s music “a timeless sound redolent of both the Renaissance and modern Minimalism,” and NPR described Vasks’ Vēstījums as “the symphonic equivalent to a head rush.”
Designed by Frank Gehry, this concert hall is a striking architectural landmark with sweeping stainless steel curves that catch the light outside, while inside, its acoustics are meticulously crafted to deliver rich, clear sound to every seat. The auditorium seats over two thousand people in a space where the audience is fully immersed in the music, surrounded by warm wood paneling and a stage that brings performers close to listeners. The venue hosts ticketed performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and other ensembles, offering an evening focused on attentive listening rather than casual socializing. Nearby bars and restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles provide options for pre- or post-show dining, but inside, the experience centers on the music in a refined, elegant setting.