LOS ANGELES, CA (December 17, 2025) — The LA Phil today confirmed program details for the first program of its 2025/26 Body and Sound festival—Prometheus with Esa-Pekka Salonen, from January 9–11, 2026 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Salonen, the LA Phil's Conductor Laureate—who will begin a five-year term as Creative Director beginning in the 2026/27season—joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, soprano Liv Redpath, mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu and multimedia artist Grimanesa Amorós to lead a new presentation of Scriabin’s tone poem Prometheus, Poem of Fire devised by Salonen and Thibaudet. 

In Prometheus, Poem of Fire, Scriabin uses the ancient myth of the Titan who bestowed fire upon humanity—and was condemned to suffer for eternity—as a metaphor for spiritual development. Scriabin composed the piece for music and “color organ,” an instrument he conceived of which projected light of different colors linked to harmonic changes in music; by pairing music with light and color, he hoped to overwhelm and transcend the human senses, inspiring a state of spiritual ecstasy in the audience. While the technology required to translate Scriabin’s total vision for Prometheus did not exist in his lifetime, the piece has lent itself to numerous interpretations in the ensuing century, uniting music and visual art in a constant state of evolution.

In this January presentation, the visual element of Scriabin’s epic will be amplified with a new site-specific installation from multimedia artist Grimanesa Amorós titled RADIANCE. This large-scale light sculpture is inspired by one of the four classical elements of nature: fire. The work takes the form of a spark, pulsing and moving as flame does when exposed to the elements, as if it were alive, and explores how light can bridge the material and the metaphysical. Expanding upon Scriabin’s spiritual vision, Amorós finds a kinship between Prometheus and Viracocha—the Inca creator god who bestowed wisdom upon his people, taught them the arts and guided them toward civilization. In the spirit of Prometheus’ sacrifice, Viracocha’s gift and Scriabin’s visionary creation, RADIANCE serves as a visual journey for viewers of what it means to “play with fire.” Just as fire was crucial for civil advancement, the artwork is a guide to inspire a more profound exploration of identity, wisdom and human potential.

These performances mark Salonen and Thibaudet’s second multisensory presentation of Prometheus, which was previously performed by the San Francisco Symphony in March 2024 in collaboration with Cartier in-house perfumer Mathilde Laurent. 

The Los Angeles edition is the first of several multisensory mainstage concerts and off-site events which comprise the LA Phil’s Body and Sound festival. The initiative seeks to counteract the forces that numb our senses and reveal music’s profound impact on our health and well-being by inviting audiences to experience music differently.

The January program’s first half features Jean Sibelius’ The Oceanides and Gabriella Smith’s Rewilding, a piece commissioned by Salonen during his tenure as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. In the second half, Prometheus will be paired with Claude Debussy’s La damoiselle élue.

Program

Prometheus with Esa-Pekka Salonen

January 9–11, 2026

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor

Grimanesa Amorós, multimedia artist

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Liv Redpath, soprano

Jingjing Xu, mezzo-soprano

Los Angeles Master Chorale 

       Grant Gershon, Artistic Director 

       Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director

SIBELIUS — The Oceanides

Gabriella SMITH — Rewilding

Intermission

SCRIABIN — Prometheus, Poem of Fire

DEBUSSY — La damoiselle élue

Tickets

Tickets for the 25/26 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are now available online at laphil.com or via phone at 323-850-2000.

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ABOUT THE LA PHIL

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include multi-genre, multidisciplinary performances and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered across three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.

ABOUT INSIGHT

Bringing together a diverse range of guest artists and partner organizations with intellectually curious audiences, Insight takes the LA Phil’s concert programming as a starting point for thematic exploration. Insight activities—ranging from panel discussions and performances to exhibitions and publications—are typically offered in conjunction with festivals and special projects.

ABOUT ESA-PEKKA SALONEN

Esa-Pekka Salonen is renowned as both a composer and conductor. He recently concluded his position as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony (2020–2025) and will begin a role as the LA Phil's Creative Director in the 2026/27 season. He currently serves as Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He directs the pre-professional Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn School and co-founded the Baltic Sea Festival, serving as its Artistic Director from 2003 to 2018.

Recent highlights include conducting the 2023 Nobel Prize Concert, winning the prestigious Polar Music Prize and composer residencies with the Berlin Philharmonic and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. He recently led the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a newly reconstructed version of Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina with Simon and Gerard McBurney, featuring never-before-heard music from a recently-discovered manuscript.

Salonen's major compositions include concertos for piano (Yefim Bronfman), violin (Leila Josefowicz) and cello (Yo-Yo Ma), all appearing on recordings he conducted himself; Karawane, a work for voice and orchestra after a Dadaist poem; and his 2023 Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra. His new Horn Concerto, recently premiered with Stefan Dohr at the Lucerne Festival, will tour to Boston, Milan, Paris and Hong Kong.

Known for his enthusiasm for cutting-edge technology, Salonen has helmed digital projects ranging from multimedia works to virtual reality installations and AI collaborations. Notable projects include the traveling installations RE-RITE and Universe of Sound with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the award-winning audience-responsive opera installation Laila and various digital productions with the San Francisco Symphony featuring visual artists and his Collaborative Partners.

ABOUT JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

Through elegant musicality and an insightful approach to contemporary and established repertoire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has earned a reputation as one of the world’s finest pianists. He is especially known for his diverse interests beyond the classical world, including numerous collaborations in film, fashion and visual art. He is the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School, which awards several scholarships in his name.

This season, Thibaudet appears in concerts and recitals around the world in works ranging from Gershwin’s Concerto in F to Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “Age of Anxiety,” Scriabin’s Prometheus and Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie. A major champion of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, Thibaudet performs the piece with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. In addition to his orchestral dates, Thibaudet joins violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon on a fall trio tour, with stops throughout western Europe. He also continues his multi-season focus on Debussy’s Préludes, performing both books in their entirety at recitals around the world.

A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalog has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize and Gramophone awards. Recent recordings include Khachaturian, a celebration of the Armenian composer including his Piano Concerto and several solo piano pieces, and Gershwin Rhapsody, a selection of Gershwin pieces recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly-discovered ones. He is the soloist on Dario Marianelli’s recently reissued score for Pride & Prejudice, which was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2025; his playing can also be heard on Marianelli’s score for Atonement, Alexandre Desplat’s scores for The French Dispatch and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Aaron Zigman’s score for Wakefield. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.

ABOUT GRIMANESA AMORÓS

Grimanesa Amorós is a Peruvian-born American multimedia artist whose work explores community connections intersecting history, technology and architecture. Her keen understanding of structure enables her to create monumental sculptures incorporating various elements such as video, lighting and electronic components to create immersive environments and connect the viewer to their surroundings. Technology complements the concepts of her work without defining it—a medium of expression. She draws upon important cultural legacies for inspiration and presents societal issues like mental health. Grimanesa Amorós' artwork ties the past, present and future—pushing viewers to think beyond and challenging their initial perceptions.

Amorós is invited as a keynote speaker at museums, foundations and universities, where her lectures empower young professionals, attracting future artists, students and faculty working in architecture, science and technology. Amorós has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. She was a guest speaker at TED Global, a recipient of the NEA Visual Arts Grants Fellowships and has the distinction of being part of the '‘Art In Embassies Program of the U.S.'’ and the Civita Institute NE Chapter Fellowship Grant holder. Her work has been exhibited in numerous museums including the Ludwig Museum, CAFA Museum, Katonah Museum of Art and Seoul National University Museum of Art.