On this leap day in 1792, the great Italian composer, Gioachino Rossini, was born. He wrote over 30 operas along with many other works, but he is probably best known for The Barber of Seville. So in honor of Signore Rossini’s 220th birthday, I offer you The Barber of Seville the way most of us … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2012
Charles Dutoit leads a refreshing night with the LA Phil
A program of Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev may still be considered adventurous in some concert halls, but for many years, it was the norm at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The 20th Century French and Russian composers seemed to turn up on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s programs as often (if not more so) than Mozart, Brahms, … Continue reading
RIP Maurice André
The word “great” is often overused, but there can be no doubt that it applies to Maurice André. The French trumpeter, renowned worldwide for his artistry and leadership, has died at the age of 78. He won his first prize for trumpet in 1953. It was the first of many more awards and honors to come, … Continue reading
LA Opera’s Albert Herring is a light-hearted king of a comedy
Quick — imagine an opera, any opera, in your head. I’ll wait. . . . I’m guessing that you probably came up with large-bodied singers standing in one place belting out big arias in a foreign language (probably Italian, German, or French) over the strains of a big orchestra; lots of murder, suicide, rape, and … Continue reading
RIP Lorin Levee, LA Phil Principal Clarinet
According to KUSC’s Twitter feed, Lorin Levee, Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has passed away. He was 61 years old. The information was retweeted by the LA Phil, so I’m guessing that the sad news is accurate. Thoughts, prayers, and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. No additional details, andthe orchestra has … Continue reading
Mardi Gras wine: 2009 Melville Estate Pinot Noir – Sta. Rita Hills
Mrs. CKDH had asked for some Pinot Noir to go with the Mardi Gras meal she was preparing, so I poked around the wine “cellar” (read as “dedicated closet for wine in our garage”) to see what I could find. I was surprised to find a bottle of 2005 Cambria “Julia’s Vineyard” in amongst the … Continue reading
Back in the LA Opera Tweet Seat saddle tonight
I’m headed back to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion tonight to tweet-up Los Angeles Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s comedy, Albert Herring. Things are pretty much the same as they were for Simon Boccanegra, except for two notable differences: The evening begins with a back stage, behind-the-scenes tour Photography will no longer be permitted The hashtag for … Continue reading
All Reviews / Music News & Info: Classical / Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond) / Philharmonic Society of Orange County / Reviews 2011/2012
Chicago Symphony barrels its way through Orange County
Last Friday, Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony made their long-awaited visit to the Southland with a one-night stop at Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. The whole affair had a “take it or leave it” feel, beginning with the curiously obscure program of works by Honegger, Mason Bates, and Franck, and ending with Mr. … Continue reading
Dance this mess around: LACO’s Baroque Conversations No. 2 has all the right moves
If I were to look at a random cross-section of my favorite bits of music across genres, much of it — mazurkas by Chopin, Le Sacre du Printemps, New Order 12″ remixes, even the cheeky Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO — is inherently dance music. Baroque music in particular is riddled with dance-based themes. A … Continue reading
Muti on conducting new music and conducting in general; reviews from CSO’s concerts in SF
Tonight, the Chicago Symphony arrives in Southern California after too long an absence. The antici . . . pation is finally coming to an end. You’ve downloaded your free MP3 of Franck’s Symphony in d minor, listened to it intently, and now you’re ready for the real thing. A few last minute bits of fun: Continue reading
Ad majorum Dei gloriam: LA Master Chorale radiant in sacred music by Bruckner & Stravinsky
Grant Gershon and the Los Angeles Master Chorale have spent the better part of a month helping the Los Angeles Philharmonic with their Mahler Project. With their Disney Hall roommates moving on to Venezuela for the rest of the “Project,” conductor and chorus have collectively moved on in their own way without having to leave … Continue reading
LA Opera’s Simon Boccanegra: the view from — and of — the Tweet Seats
Los Angeles Opera’s production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra opens today, with Placido Domingo in the title role of pirate turned Doge of Genoa. As previously mentioned, I was offered one of LA Opera’s inaugural “tweet seats” for last Wednesday’s final dress rehearsal. Normally, I wouldn’t be writing about a rehearsal at all, let alone doing … Continue reading
Chicago Symphony coming to California; download free MP3 of Franck symphony to celebrate
The mighty Chicago Symphony Orchestra is coming to California next week, their first West Coast visit in decades. The impetus for their visit is to help the San Francisco Symphony celebrate their centennial, and since they made it this far, they’re making additional stops in Costa Mesa, Palm Desert, and San Diego. The CSO Brass … Continue reading
Warming up the thumbs: LA Opera Tweet Seat, here I come
In about two-and-a-half hours, I’ll be sitting in the Loge section of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion watching the final Los Angeles Opera dress rehearsal of Simon Boccanegra, sharing my thoughts in real time with the world, 140 characters at a time. The easiest way to follow along is to go to my twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/MrCKDH … Continue reading
The not-quite-sure-if-it’s-public domain: Prokofiev, Joy Division, and confusion over who can do what for how much money
I recently finished jury duty, and I’ve been in a bit of a jurisprudential kinda mood ever since. Given all of the recent brouhaha about SOPA (and yes, it was definitely a brouhaha — not a kerfuffle and much bigger than a hubbub), I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been more discussion in the classical … Continue reading
All is Yar 