Dawn Upshaw performs in the West Coast premiere of Kaija Saariaho's Passion de Simone—the Finnish composer's oratorio inspired by French philosopher Simone Weil—tonight at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, in his last season as the orchestra's music director. Peter Sellars directs. An encore performance will take place this Saturday night. Both performances include pre-concert events with composer Steven Stucky as part of the Hall's Upbeat Live series.

The LA Weekly's Mary Beth Crain says "Saariaho has immortalized Weil's philosophy and vision in her rich, complex oratorio," concluding that, given the artists involved, like "that great soprano, Dawn Upshaw, Saariaho's own vision couldn't be in more capable hands."

Upshaw gave the US premiere of La Passion de Simone in three performances, also directed by Sellars, during last summer's Mostly Mozart festival at Lincoln Center, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the London Voices.

For ticket information on this week's performances, visit laphil.com.