Esa-Pekka Salonen to leave L.A. Philharmonic

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Finnish-born conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, who helped make the Los Angeles Philharmonic into one of the leading U.S. orchestras, will leave as music director at the end of the 2008-09 season, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.

The Times said his successor will be Gustavo Dudamel, a charismatic 26-year-old conductor from Venezuela.

In a interview with Times music critic Mark Swed, Salonen, 48, said he intended to concentrate on composing, although he planned to continue to conduct the Philharmonic and other orchestras.

"I always felt that one day I would have to make the change in my own life, bite the bullet and see what it is to be a composer who conducts rather than the other way around," he said in an interview.

He has been music director of the orchestra since 1992 and is known for his adventurous programming.

Salonen was the longest-serving music director in the history of the Philharmonic, which was founded in 1919, the Times said.

The paper added that signing Dudamel as its next music director was a daring move by the orchestra. But it added that audiences instantly respond to his ebullience and he has been hailed a natural on the podium.