An Extended Farewell: A valedictory ‘Walküre’ for Frank Gehry’s hall, writes Katherine Syer

Review of Die Walküre, directed Arvelo, conducted Dudamel, Los Angeles, 2026. 

November 2026, Volume 20, Number 3, 78–9.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s last weeks in Disney Hall before its annual move to the Hollywood Bowl were aflame with extended appreciation for Gustavo Dudamel this year. After seventeen transformative years with the orchestra, Dudamel officially takes up his role as Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic this fall. His experience conducting Wagner’s mature oeuvre ramped up with revivals of The Tristan Project in 2022. Frank Gehry, the architect of Disney Hall who passed away last December, was key to their collaborative Rheingold in 2024. For these performances of Die Walküre, given with just one act per evening, Gehry introduced cloud-like paper structures and extended his effective use of organically integrated wooden ramps to elevate the singers and frame the orchestra, adding special details to showcase the third act.