Los Angeles Philharmonic

With his First Symphony, “Titan,” Gustav Mahler set down an audacious artistic statement. From its early echoes of nature and birdsong to the heaven-storming finale, it contemplates life and death, tragedy and triumph over one exhilarating ride. In the fall of 2009, Gustavo Dudamel also made his own audacious statement in his debut as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducting a monumental performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. He comes full circle, revisiting this cherished work. The stunning Vilde Frang joins in the first half for Korngold’s sublimely cinematic Violin Concerto. A child prodigy, the 9-year-old Erich Korngold was deemed a “musical genius” by Mahler in 1906. Nearly four decades later, Korngold, living in Los Angeles as a successful composer of Golden-Age Hollywood scores, would dedicate his achingly beautiful Violin Concerto to Gustav’s widow, Alma.