Commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the newest orchestral work by composer Ricardo Lorenz, “Humboldt’s Nature,” will premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2026. Lorenz, a Michigan State University College of Music professor of composition, is excited to make his second premiere under the direction of famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and his preparation includes continued research.
Lorenz’s relationship with the LA Philharmonic began when he was commissioned through the Pan-American Music Initiative. Todo Terreno premiered in 2022, and Dudamel and Lorenz, both raised in Venezuela, could relate to the themes of the piece.
In fact, Dudamel enjoyed performing the piece in Los Angeles so much, that he added it to a second performance that same week and took it on tour in Europe where it was performed in several major concert halls. With this new commission, the feeling and the challenge for Lorenz are different.
“They actually asked me, ‘what would you want to do this time?’ Which is amazing, to have that opportunity,” he said. “So, I sent them a list of three things I was thinking of, and the Humboldt idea grabbed their attention right away.”
The selected idea was a symphonic exploration of the life and writings of Alexander von Humboldt, the 18th-century German scientist and explorer whose travels through South America, including Lorenz’s birthplace, shaped modern understandings of ecology and interconnectedness.
“I’ve always been fascinated by Humboldt’s ability to see connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena,” Lorenz said. “His writings are not just scientific — they’re poetic, philosophical and visionary.”
Lorenz’s connection to Humboldt runs deep. “I went to a school named after Humboldt in Venezuela. Yet while studying there, nobody ever took the time to tell us what this incredible scientist accomplished. We just knew he was famous, but we didn’t know why.”
That changed when Lorenz read “The Invention of Nature” by Andrea Wulf. “I started to piece everything together, realizing the immensity of Humboldt’s contributions, and how personal it was for me.”
“Humboldt’s Nature” is the result, a 25-minute piece structured in five movements grouped into three continuous sections. “Each movement portrays the transformation Humboldt undergoes while journeying in the tropics and how he slowly becomes more empathetic and more aware of colonialism’s inhumanity,” Lorenz explained. “He returns to Europe a completely different person after this one-year trip in Venezuela.”
The symphonic work also features a recurring musical theme that evolves throughout the work. “I created a short musical theme which impersonates Humboldt, and the theme is heard throughout the piece from the very beginning until the very end. But we hear it slowly transforming as his worldview and ideas about nature transformed during his experience traveling in my homeland.”
To further enrich the project, Lorenz applied for and earned a Harp Development grant which is allowing him to travel to Germany this fall. He will study Humboldt’s original travel diaries at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. “I’m honored to be invited by the Academy to embed myself for three months in their archives to look at his diaries, his actual travel diaries. I hope to create a database of moments in his diaries where he focuses exclusively on what he heard during his travels rather than on what he observed or measured.”
Sound plays a significant role in Lorenz’s vision. “Humboldt writes about bird sounds. He writes about howling monkeys, waterfalls, the sound of sand as it is blown by the coastal breeze. And so, I’m focusing on this dimension of his writings in two ways… I thought, what if I collaborate with a sound artist and try to recreate the soundscapes that he described?”
That collaboration is with Alonso Toro, a childhood friend who is both a biologist, composer and a sound artist. “He knows the exact species Humboldt mentions in his diary, and he can find actual recordings of each of those species’ sounds.” The result is a series of sonic episodes that recreate what Humboldt heard while traveling throughout Venezuela in 1799.
Lorenz sees “Humboldt’s Nature” as more than a musical composition — it’s a bridge between disciplines. “The interesting story here, beyond the commission itself, is how I am bridging scientific research and art. That doesn’t happen often: composers going out of their way to do research around an idea that later turns into a satellite project.”
As the College of Music prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary as a college in 2027, Lorenz’s work stands as a powerful example of artistic excellence and global engagement. “It’s a whole kaleidoscope of relationships that eventually have come together because of this one idea.”
The future MSU premiere of “Humboldt’s Nature” also offers a moment of reflection for Lorenz as an educator. “The students being present when it’s being rehearsed and premiered, and seeing the interaction between the faculty member and performance faculty — that in itself is a learning experience.”
He hopes to share the creative journey with students once the piece is complete. “When this piece is done, I will be able to have sessions where I can share with them how this piece started as a very simple idea and slowly grew into many creative pathways.”
Of the upcoming premiere early next year, Lorenz has confidence in the piece and the performers. “I have no doubt it’s going to sound compelling. How I relate to this story is so genuine, it’s so personal to me that, somehow, I know it’s going to strike a resonant chord in the listener.”
This story originally appeared on the College of Music website.
