An interesting, if not deeply revelatory, article in the Wall Street Journal was posted about how orchestras cope when conductors or soloists cancel due to illness. Chad Smith, Los Angeles Philharmonic Vice President for Artistic Planning, is quoted liberally throughout. The article makes a point of mentioning that replacements are often harder to find for … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2011
The musical haul from this Christmas
Let’s see: The complete recordings of Martha Argerich on Deutsche Grammophon and Phillips (published by Decca) A Blue-ray featuring Ms. Argerich and Mischa Maisky in the world premiere of “Romantic Offfering,” a double concerto for Piano, Cello, and Orchestra by Rodion Shchedrin and the Sonata in A Major for Cello and Piano by César Franck, … Continue reading
“O Magnum Mysterium” by Tomás Luis de Victoria
The classic Latin chant about Christmas, O Magnum Mysterium, has been set to music by many distinguished composers over the centuries, ranging from Palestrina to John Harbison. Morten Lauridsen’s 1994 version has since gone on to be a modern-day classic and the best selling chorale octavo ever sold by the Theodore Presser Company. As absolutely amazing … Continue reading
“There were shepherds abiding in the field:” Sylvia McNair vs. Linus
I’ve enjoyed many performances of “Messiah” in person, on CD, and on video, and have also sung bass in my fair share of student, community, and semi-professional performances of Handel’s most famous oratorio. One of my personal favorites has always been a concert by Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, with Sylvia McNair as the … Continue reading
Visiting the speakeasies of New York: Death and Company
The name might scare you, but don’t let it. There is nothing frightening here, especially if you want a grown-up place to get a good drink and hang out. Strictly speaking, Death and Company is not a speakeasy since it isn’t hidden from view, it’s location is public, and it even has a guy out … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Ludwig van Beethoven
The great German composer was born on this date in 1770. In his honor, please enjoy the iconic first movement from his Fifth Symphony, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by the incomparable Carlo Maria Giulini. If you typically associate Maestro Giulini with interpretations that lean towards the broad and spacious, you may be … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Jean Sibelius
On this date in 1865, Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer and nationalist, was born. In his honor, below is a brief excerpt of his Second Symphony played by the Gothenburg Symphony, conducted by their Music Director, Gustavo Dudamel. If you want to hear the whole thing, here’s also a live recording of the whole Second Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka … Continue reading
Visiting the speakeasies of New York: Please Don’t Tell (PDT)
At first blush, Please Don’t Tell (or “PDT” as it is often called) takes the nouveau speakeasy concept of Milk & Honey — nondescript entrance leading to bar with limited seating manned by a mixologist — up a notch or two. Despite those similarities, a visit to the two venues feels completely different: where Milk … Continue reading
Fashionably late: Salonen and the LA Phil take on lost-and-found Shostakovich
Esa-Pekka Salonen was back for his second week with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. With a world premiere of the abandoned opera, Orango, paired with the withdrawn-for-25-years Symphony No. 4, his all-Shostakovich concerts were a study of two contrasting works that had both been hidden and eventually brought to new light. To add to the lost-and-found theme, E-P himself … Continue reading
Gustavo Dudamel and new music: some comparisons to Salonen (Part Two of an ongoing series)
With Esa-Pekka Salonen returning for a second weekend to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s podium, and with me trying to kill an hour before tonight’s all-Shostakovich program begins at Walt Disney Concert Hall, I thought it was time to fulfill a promise I made in a prior discussion; namely, to compare Mr. Salonen’s penchant for conducting … Continue reading
All is Yar 