Gustavo Dudamel and the

Los Angeles Philharmonic’s

recording of the

Complete Symphonies of Charles Ives

 wins GRAMMY^® Award for

Best Orchestral Performance

 “It’s a glorious achievement.”

The Guardian · 5-star review

“… an exhilarating, multi-layered, musical dream.”

Financial Times · 4-star review

LOS ANGELES (March 14, 2021) – Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recording of the complete symphonies of Charles Ives won the GRAMMY^® Award for Best Orchestral Performance today at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY^® Awards.

The composer’s four symphonies were recorded for Deutsche Grammophon in landmark interpretations by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic during highly acclaimed concert performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in February 2020, captured just weeks before the world went into Covid-19 lockdown.

“This recording was made during some of the final performances before the pandemic shutdown, and so we all have such powerful, poignant memories around it. We are honored to have it receive this award and recognition, and we look forward to the day when we can all make music together again safely!" said Gustavo Dudamel.

This is the second year in a row that the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel have received the award for Best Orchestral Performance, in 2019 the live, world premiere recording of Andrew Norman’s Sustain also won.

###

About the Composer: Charles Ives was born in 1874 in Danbury, Connecticut. His father was the youngest bandmaster in the Union Army during the American Civil War and encouraged his son to make music. Young Ives also excelled at baseball and American football. He received a solid grounding in harmony and counterpoint from his composition professor at Yale University and ran experiments in mixing different types of music with the Hyperion Theater Orchestra. Ives made his living in the insurance business and composed in his spare time, a practical arrangement that delivered great creative freedom.  This staunchly independent thinker synthesized the American folk tunes and hymns of his childhood with his own aesthetic, using techniques such as bitonality and polyrhythms decades before they entered the standard 20th-century composition toolbox, to create a unique sound and a personal voice – truly, an American original.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Charles Ives (1874-1954)

COMPLETE SYMPHONIES

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel

Marta Gardolińska

Los Angeles Master Chorale

Symphony No. 1

I. Allegro con moto

II. Adagio molto. Sostenuto

III. Scherzo. Vivace

IV. Allegro molto

Symphony No. 2

I. Andante moderato

II. Allegro

III. Adagio cantabile

IV. Lento maestoso

V. Allegro molto vivace

Symphony No. 3 (“The Camp Meeting”)

I. Old Folks Gatherin’ – Andante maestoso

II. Children’s Day – Allegro moderato

III. Communion – Largo

Symphony No. 4

I. Prelude. Maestoso

II. Comedy. Allegretto

III. Fugue. Andante moderato

IV. Finale. Very slowly – Largo maestoso

Releases Dates: digital, August 28, 2020; physical, January 29, 2021 - Deutsche Grammophon

The Ives recording was made possible by generous support from Michele Moehring.

Available for purchase at the LA Phil store

 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 a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on 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.

Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org

Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org