Los Angeles Philharmonic

Richard Strauss’ music offers rich lyricism and deep storytelling—often focusing on intense psychological extremes. British conductor Daniel Harding has proven a sensitive interpreter of Strauss’ sweeping and indulgent orchestral works. The Guardian praised him for being “sensuous yet never cloying” in his interpretation of Also sprach Zarathustra—the epic and thunderous work best remembered for its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“Is there a work where the first minute is so well known yet nothing is known of the other 33 minutes?” Harding asks. The iconic opening trumpet call and booming timpani thuds are “incredibly graphic, and very well thought out,” leaving space for deep contemplation.

Strauss had a particular affection and talent for the horn, his father’s instrument. His Second Concerto explores the instrument’s many possibilities, from Mozartian elegance to rustic hunting fanfares, making it a perfect showcase for Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Andrew Bain.

Thomas Adès’ symphonic distillation of his 2016 opera The Exterminating Angel kicks off the concert on a thrilling note. Much like the film that inspired the music (Luis Buñuel’s 1962 surrealist psychological drama of the same name), The Exterminating Angel Symphony is strange, dark, and amusing with drastic tempos shifts that yank its listeners back and forth between moments of glee and unease.