This new album from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel brings together two early-20th-century ballets inspired by mythical birds: Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Uirapuru. Written within a decade of each other, both works use folklore and avian myth to explore enchantment, transformation, and the thin margin between the natural and the supernatural. Pájaros Mágicos is released on Platoon on 20 March, and is the fourth album in Dudamel and the LA Phil’s multi-GRAMMY® winning partnership on the Apple-owned label.

Igor Stravinsky wrote The Firebird in 1910 for Sergei Diaghilev and his company, Ballets Russes, completing the score in just six months. The 1919 suite performed here distills the ballet’s dramatic arc from its shadowy opening, through the explosive Infernal Dance, to a radiant, triumphant finale often considered one of the most exultant endings in all of orchestral music. The work has remained a cornerstone of orchestral repertoire, especially in Los Angeles, where Stravinsky himself conducted it at the Hollywood Bowl in 1940.

Seven years after Stravinsky forged his fabled fire creature, Villa-Lobos began writing Uirapuru in Brazil, drawing on legends surrounding a small Amazonian bird believed to possess magical powers. The composition evolved over many years before reaching its final form in 1935. The music reflects Villa-Lobos’s experiences in the Amazon, punctuated with prominent bird calls, distinctive percussion, and Brazilian melody. The ballet’s story moves between violence and transformation before reaching its subdued conclusion, representing the restoration of balance in nature.

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel says, "The magical birds of The Firebird and Uirapuru have lived with me for many years. In Stravinsky’s 1919 suite, you feel an extraordinary balance between the raw energy that changed the course of music history and moments of incredible delicacy and beauty. Villa-Lobos’ music is born from the land, from the sounds of the forest, from myth, from the spirit of Brazil. In Uirapuru, the orchestra becomes nature itself: a living ecosystem of sound and texture."

"When you bring these two works together, something very powerful happens. Both works speak to myth, ritual, and transformation. I love this pairing because it creates a conversation between cultures, between the natural world and folklore, and between ancient stories and a musical language that continues to feel vibrant today."

Written by near-contemporaries, the scores of Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos offer two distinct visions of musical enchantment; one glows with orchestral brilliance and mythic spectacle while the other roots itself in the living world, drawing from the sounds and folklore of the forest. More than a century later, both works continue to reveal new truths about transformation, nature, and the unseen forces that shape human storytelling.

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About Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel is committed to creating a better world through music. His unwavering belief in the power of art to inspire and transform lives has fueled his unifying presence on and off the podium, his commitment to education and access for underserved communities around the world, and his mission to expand the impact of classical music to new and ever-larger audiences. His rise, from humble beginnings as a child in Venezuela to an unparalleled career of artistic and social achievements, offers living proof that culture can bring meaning to the life of an individual and greater harmony to the world at large. He currently serves as the Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and in 2026, he becomes the Music & Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, continuing a legacy that includes Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein. Throughout 2025, Dudamel celebrated the 50th anniversary of El Sistema, honoring the global impact of José Antonio Abreu’s visionary education program across five generations, and acknowledging the vital importance of arts education. Celebrations with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra included a European tour to Paris, London, Luxembourg, Berlin, Munich, Brussels, and Madrid; a residency in London that saw Dudamel and the orchestra opening for Coldplay at Wembley Stadium and performing at the Royal Festival Hall; and a series of recording releases on the Platoon label, including the orchestra’s Grammy-nominated recording of Boléro.

About Platoon

The multi-award and GRAMMY® winning label Platoon was acquired by Apple in 2018. The boutique artist-services company identifies groundbreaking talent from around the world, while providing invaluable and innovative tools and services to build their careers and reach new fans. Platoon landed its first success shortly after its inception when it signed the then-unknown Billie Eilish, laying the groundwork for her ascent to global stardom, alongside other household names such as Mr Eazi and Victoria Monét. Current signings include Saint Harison, Lenny Tavárez, RZA, Khaid, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dalia Stasevska, and more.

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 youth development programs such 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. 

Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel está comprometido a crear un mundo mejor a través de la música. Su inquebrantable convicción de que el arte tiene el poder de inspirar y transformar vidas ha impulsado su presencia unificadora sobre y fuera del podio, su dedicación a la educación y el acceso para comunidades desatendidas alrededor del mundo, y su misión de ampliar el impacto de la música clásica a públicos nuevos y cada vez más grandes. Su ascenso, desde sus modestos comienzos como niño en Venezuela a una carrera incomparable, plena de logros artísticos y sociales sin igual, son prueba fehaciente de que la cultura puede dar significado a la vida de un individuo y más armonía al mundo entero. Actualmente se desempeña como director musical y  artístico de la Filarmónica de Los Ángeles y de la Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de  Venezuela, y en 2026 asume como director musical y artístico de la New York Philharmonic, continuando un legado que incluye a Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini y Leonard Bernstein. A lo largo de 2025, Dudamel celebró el 50 aniversario de El Sistema, rindiendo homenaje al impacto mundial que el visionario programa educativo de José Antonio Abreu tuvo sobre cinco generaciones, y reconociendo la vital importancia de la educación artística. Los festejos con la Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar incluyeron una gira europea por París, Londres, Luxemburgo, Berlín, Múnich, Bruselas y Madrid; una residencia en Londres en la que Dudamel y la orquesta abrieron para Coldplay en el estadio Wembley y actuaron en el Royal Festival Hall; y una serie de lanzamientos discográficos por el sello Platoon entre los que se cuenta Boléro - la grabación de la orquesta nominada para un Grammy.