Dudamel at the Barbican (II): a rendez-vous with Herbie Hancock

The memorable second night of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s three-day residency at the Barbican did not just surpass any putative expectations, it transcended them. Coinciding with its Borders and Boundaries season, the Barbican’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this was fittingly a concert without limits: an unconventional and exciting pairing of this sublime orchestra, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, with jazz legend Herbie Hancock and his quartet.

The orchestra opened the concert on its own; Dudamel made a few introductory comments, a rare occurrence in the more formal atmosphere of traditional orchestral concerts. This first half consisted of the European premieres of two challenging and engaging works by two Latin American composers. Paul Desenne’s Guasamacabra began with a swirling vortex of…