Salonen Leads Bartók, Bjarnason, and Sibelius

Bartók’s groundbreaking and eerie Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta launches a rich, full program that ends with Sibelius’ final symphony, the one-movement Seventh, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen about whom The New Yorker raved “[he] was born to conduct Sibelius.” In between, a much-anticipated premiere from Daníel Bjarnason featuring the highly celebrated pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, both artists from Iceland’s wildly creative music scene who were stars of the LA Phil’s 2017 Reykjavík Festival.