Gershwin & Strauss

Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s relationship with Gershwin’s Concerto in F started when the pianist was just 14 years old. Over four decades of performances his love and jazz-infused interpretations have only deepened for a showpiece he says exudes “utter joy” that leaves every member of the audience and orchestra with a “smile on their face.”

The opening of Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra was made famous by Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but beyond the brass and bombast that signal the sunrise lies a marvelous and ambitious symphonic poem that channels nature, science, and questions of the unseen world. Teddy Abrams leads the LA Phil in this orchestral showpiece and—on Saturday and Sunday—Caroline Shaw’s The Observatory inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer's experience looking down at the shape of Los Angeles and up at the night sky from Griffith Observatory.