Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel to release Pájaros Mágicos on Platoon, out March 20

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 March 20, 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.

Relevant Links
Album: Pájaros Mágicos
Single: Suite from The Firebird, K010 (1919 Version) Finale

For further information please contact: Philippa@platoon.ai

Pájaros Mágicos

Este nuevo álbum de la Filarmónica de Los Ángeles y el director musical y artístico Gustavo Dudamel, reúne dos ballets de principios del siglo 20 inspirados en aves míticas: El pájaro de fuego, de Igor Stravinsky, y Uirapuru, de Heitor Villa-Lobos. Escritas con una década de diferencia entre una y otra, ambas obras utilizan el folklore y los mitos aviares para explorar el encanto, la transformación y el finísimo margen entre lo natural y lo sobrenatural. Pájaros Mágicos se publica en Platoon el 20 de marzo y es el cuarto álbum de la colaboración entre Dudamel y la Filarmónica de Los Ángeles, ganadora de varios premios GRAMMY®, en el sello propiedad de Apple.

Igor Stravinsky compuso El pájaro de fuego en 1910 para Sergei Diaghilev y su compañía, Ballets Russes, y completó la partitura en solo seis meses. La suite de 1919 interpretada aquí destila el arco dramático del ballet, desde su sombrío comienzo, pasando por la explosiva Danza infernal, hasta un final radiante y triunfal, a menudo considerado uno de los finales más exultantes de toda la música orquestal. La obra sigue siendo pilar del repertorio orquestal, especialmente en Los Ángeles, donde el propio Stravinsky la dirigió en el Hollywood Bowl en 1940.

Siete años después de que Stravinsky imaginara su legendaria criatura de fuego, Villa-Lobos comenzó a escribir Uirapuru en Brasil, inspirándose en las leyendas sobre un pequeño pájaro amazónico que se cree tiene poderes mágicos. La composición evolucionó a lo largo de muchos años antes de alcanzar su forma definitiva en 1935. La música refleja las experiencias de Villa-Lobos en el Amazonas, salpicadas de prominentes cantos de pájaros, percusión distintiva y melodías brasileñas. La historia del ballet se mueve entre la violencia y la transformación antes de llegar a su sutil conclusión, que representa el restablecimiento del equilibrio en la naturaleza.

El director Gustavo Dudamel afirma: “Los pájaros mágicos de El pájaro de fuego y de Uirapuru han vivido conmigo durante muchos años. En la suite de Stravinsky de 1919, se siente un equilibrio extraordinario entre la energía pura que cambió el curso de la historia de la música y momentos de asombrosa elegancia y belleza. La música de Villa-Lobos nace de la tierra, de los sonidos del bosque, del mito, del espíritu de Brasil. En Uirapuru, la orquesta se transforma en la naturaleza misma: un ecosistema vivo de sonido y textura”.

“Cuando se unen estas dos obras, ocurre algo muy poderoso. Ambas hablan de mitos, de rituales y transformación. Me encanta esta combinación porque crea una conversación entre culturas, entre el mundo natural y el folklore, y entre historias antiguas y un lenguaje musical que sigue vibrando aún hoy”.

Escritas por compositores casi contemporáneos, las partituras de Igor Stravinsky y Heitor Villa-Lobos ofrecen dos visiones distintas del encanto musical: una brilla con el esplendor orquestal y el espectáculo mítico, mientras que la otra se arraiga en el mundo vivo, inspirándose en los sonidos y el folklore del bosque. Más de un siglo después, ambas obras siguen revelando nuevas verdades sobre la transformación, la naturaleza y las fuerzas invisibles que dan forma a la narrativa humana.

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.?