Dvořák and Korngold

Friday Evenings 3 (FR3) — “With her gorgeous sound—dense, warm, and brilliant—and her immaculate technique, [María] Dueñas is already at the top” (Bachtrack). The Gen-Z violinist makes her highly anticipated return to Walt Disney Concert Hall with Korngold’s mesmerizing and theatrical Violin Concerto. Like Dueñas, Korngold was one of classical music’s great child prodigies, and he went on to become one of the most influential film composers in Hollywood. In hopes of solidifying his reputation beyond cinema, Korngold zeroed in on composing more concert music, including the Violin Concerto. He might have snatched some melodic ideas from his earlier film scores, but the music stands on its own as a shimmering showpiece for the instrument. Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada makes his LA Phil debut, leading the Korngold piece alongside Dvořák’s austere Seventh Symphony, a piece he hoped would “make a stir in the world.” And that, it did—becoming a critically acclaimed work among Romantic symphonies for its rumbling percussion and warm, lyrical spirit. This performance is generously supported in part by the Kohl Virtuoso Violin Fund.