Beethoven
Symphony No.6 in F major, Op.68 ‘Pastoral’
Ades
Inferno, the first part of the ballet Dante
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel
Reviewed by: Rob Pennock
Reviewed: 11 August, 2026
Venue: BBC Proms, radio broadcast, Royal Albert Hall, London
Appearing at the Proms for the first time in 25 years the Los Angeles Philharmonic brought two programmes, both ending with contemporary music, which is very unusual for a major touring band.
In the Beethoven, Dudamel thankfully used a full string section, but the string tone was still fairly light. Being 2026 all the repeats were observed. The opening movement is about the awakening of happy feelings when arriving in the country and there was no joy. The phrasing was flat; there was no rhythmic spring or control of micro-dynamics. Worse still, there was tepid applause at the end and for some reason a load of late comers were admitted. Why? If you are late, you don’t get in.
The brook flowed smoothly by; the woodwind solos were perky, but everything sounded calculated. In the Scherzo’s Trio the peasants seemed to be on speed and again where was the joy. The clipped Storm was underwhelming, the serene transition to the hymn ruined by a fluffed horn solo. Regrettably the finale displayed little or no emotional engagement and prior to the pizzicato section of the rondo there was another major horn slip.
A few days before Ades had conducted the second part of Dante and after the interval we had the first part, Inferno, of which Dudamel and the LAPO gave the first performance. Here Dudamel and his players came alive and produced a blockbuster performance of music, by arguably, with John Adams, the world’s greatest composer. The score is littered with references to Liszt, for Ades the archetypal portrayer of Satan, Puccini and Berlioz and you could write a thesis on his move from the avant-garde to the more mainstream. Using masterly orchestration, melody and rhythmic invention, each of the circles of Hell is vividly described and time and again you are knocked back in your seat. Prior to the desolate ending there is a riotous Can-Can take on Liszt’s Grand Galop Chromatique, which brought premature applause. Quite rightly the audience were on their feet at the end.
I was at this too. Yes, the ballet sounds amazing but if ‘Inferno’ contains any original ideas not recycled from Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Sibelius and the rest I must have missed them. The Liszt thing struck me as a bit of a feint to distract attention from the reliance on ‘The Firebird’. Then again that score has Scriabin and Ravel in it so perhaps we shouldn’t complain. As RP says it was brilliantly done and no doubt all in the best possible taste!
Hi David, just saw this. Yes there are several influences, but all I heard was Ades.