L.A. Phil launches ‘Celebrate Salonen’ microsite

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Classical music fans are enjoying Esa-Pekka Salonen’s bittersweet final season as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as the 50-year-old conductor prepares to step down to concentrate on composing music. Although the Finnish-born Salonen plans to remain a resident of Brentwood and will visit the orchestra as a guest conductor, he often heads back to Finland to immerse himself in composing — and who knows, really, how often E.P. will phone home?

But if you’re missing Salonen already, you can always visit him online on the Philharmonic’s new microsite ‘Celebrate Salonen,’ which officially launched Tuesday as one of the special projects honoring Salonen’s final season. The site, which the Phil calls ‘a living tribute to Salonen’s legacy,’ will offer an exploration of his 17 seasons with the Los Angeles orchestra with more than 100 images, 15 hours of music, three hours of video and four hours of audio interviews. Visit here.

Salonen fans can even do a little composing themselves by leaving a dedicated message for Salonen in the ‘tributes’ section of the site.

And orchestra watchers may also track the activities of Salonen and the orchestra during their tour of Asia, continuing through Oct. 31, on the LA Phil Tour Blog.

-- Diane Haithman