On Saturday evening at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 43-year-old American conductor Karina Cannellakis led the LA Phil in a program of works of Beethoven, Mozart and Bartok.
The first work on the program was the Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 by Beethoven. Canellakis began by making the first five chords — C, F, D7, D7, D7 — that open the overture even more staccato than other versions I‘ve heard. From there, she gave the audience a compact and sharp version of Beethoven’s overture. It was clean and crisp, and the classical-size orchestra responded with an energetic performance.
The first half concluded with the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503 by Mozart with the 45-year-old Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan. Both Barnatan and Canellakis had an obvious rapport which resulted in a wonderfully smooth and flowing concerto. Canellakis held the orchestra back while Barnatan showed his Mozartian skills on the keyboard. His playing was not showy but displayed all the ornamentation of Mozart’s writing. Once again, Canellakis displayed her already very refined and mature conducting skills and the LA Phil musicians responded with warm yet exciting playing.
Barnatan rewarded the audience’s appreciation of his fine playing with an encore of Mendelssohn’s Rondo capriccioso in E major/E minor, Op. 14. When introducing the Mendelssohn, Barnatan explained that Mozart wasn’t the only child prodigy. He then said that Mendelssohn composed the Rondo capriccioso when he was just 14 years old. Considering that Mendelssohn was almost middle-aged (he died when he was 38), the Rondo capriccioso is already a mature and challenging work, which Barnatan admirably played.
The concert concluded with what has already become somewhat of a staple for Canellakis — the Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116, by Bartok. With the large orchestra, she really let loose with Bartok’s masterpiece. Canellakis allowed the LA Phil musicians, either singly, in pairs or larger ensembles, to shine throughout the Concerto, as Bartok intended. Canellakis played the Concerto without breaks between the sections so as not to spoil the mood with audience applause. The result was a resonant, spellbinding performance.
Gustavo Dudamel is leaving the LA Phil in 2026 to assume the helm of the New York Philharmonic, so the LA Phil must be thinking about who can replace him. In a recent op-ed about the Chicago Symphony’s selection of 28-year-old Klaus Mäkelä as their next music director, LA Times music critic Mark Swed intimated that after three very successful selections of 20-something-year-old conductors — Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel — perhaps the Phil should consider someone who has more experience conducting major orchestras.
May I please suggest Karina Canellakis? Currently the chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Canellakis could assume the role and hit the ground running. She is exciting and has a wonderful podium presence. She is a musician’s musician and, like Dudamel, an accomplished violinist. And she would allow the storied LA Phil to boast having a woman as the first director of a major American orchestra, Marin Alsop notwithstanding. Recruiting Canellakis, if she’s available and interested, would be a bold and exciting choice!
—Henry Schlinger, Culture Spot LA
For information about upcoming concerts, visit www.laphil.com.
Photos: Karina Canellakis, courtesy of the artist’s website / Inon Barnatan, photo by Marco Borggreve