Seeing “Figaro” again: after Thursday’s performance, more random other thoughts about LA Phil’s latest gem

May 24, 2013 1 Comment

Basilio and Susanna (Act 1)

I was so enthralled by the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s production of The Marriage of Figaro that I wanted — needed — to see it again.  So last night, I decided to Tivo the King’s playoff game and head back to Walt Disney Concert Hall for another go at it.  Turned out to be the right decision:  this “Figaro” is still awesome, and the Kings won 3-0.  All is yar, indeed . . .

On opening night, I sat in the Orchestra East section, but far enough in front of the stage to still be able to see most of the action.  This time around, I sat in one of the “orchestra boat” sections directly facing the stage.  The different perspective combined with having seen the production before allowed me to appreciate some different aspects of the performance than I did last Friday night.

Since the extremely positive impressions I expressed in my original review still hold, I’ll focus on things unique to this particular night.  In addition, I thought I’d also share various impressions and observations that I noticed before but hadn’t include previously due to time or space constraints.  (SPOILER ALERT:  some of the specific comedic bits I avoided mentioning originally are discussed in some detail this time.)  So, for your reading pleasure, please enjoy . . .

Random Other Thoughts (the long extended dance-remix Figaro edition)

General observations about the cast

  • All of these men and women can sing AND act really well.  So many little details to appreciate and enjoy in their respective portrayals.  All their facial expressions and movement integrated quite nicely into those technically difficult recitatives and aria/duets/trios/etc.  Bravissimi!
  • Fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa’s first half costume for Malin Christensson (Susanna) looks very ballerina like, right down to the shoes.  She does a very nice job posing and moving like a ballerina, too.  I’d be rather surprised if she didn’t have some real dance training.
  • Speaking of Ms. Christensson:  she still had the lightest voice in the cast, but I had a less trouble hearing her this time around.  Perhaps it was the difference in my seat placement, perhaps she was singing out more, perhaps it was a combination of both.  Regardless of the size of her voice, I still like her singing.  Her “Deh vieni” was absolutely lovely. On top of it all, she’s a cutie.
  • Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Figaro) and Christopher Maltman (Count) are ideally paired adversaries:  both are young and hunky, strong and technically skilled vocalists, and just plain smooth.  Their interactions at the end of Acts 1 and 2 are particularly good.
  • Cherubino dressed as a girl (Act 3)

    Cherubino (Rachel Frenkel) dressed as a girl (Act 3)*

    I have a growing crush on Rachel Frenkel (Cherubino).  She did such beautiful work on her big arias, “Non so piu” and “Voi che sapete,” to go along with everything else she sang. . . . Okay, I’ll admit, perhaps contributing a little bit is the fact that she’s quite attractive in general, looked really hot in that pink dress, and fondled more women on stage than even Count Almaviva. (To see and hear her in action singing “Non so piu” in a different production, click HERE; BTW, the Susanna is Hélène Guilmette)

  • Dorothea Röschmann . . . Wow.  Just, wow.  She totally kicked ass last Friday night.  I don’t remember being that blown away by her in the BluRay we have of the Figaro production with her singing Countess in Salzburg (with Anna Netrebko as Susanna, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as Figaro, and Bo Skovhus as the Count), so a day or so later, I watched it again; she’s good in it, but not nearly as impressive as she was in person at Disney Hall (though in all fairness, Claus Guth’s leaden stage direction and Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s lethargic tempos don’t do her any favors in Salzburg).  Any thoughts that I was just imagining things Friday night disappeared after once again experiencing her star turn Thursday night.  It’s tough to imagine the role of Countess being performed any better. Read more of this post

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A magnificent “Marriage of Figaro:” LA Phil’s modern staging of Mozart classic is a huge success on all fronts

May 21, 2013 Leave a comment

Count (Christopher Maltman) and Countess (Dorothea Röschmann) (Act 2)

Count (Christopher Maltman) and Countess (Dorothea Röschmann) (Act 2)

This past Friday night, the Los Angeles Philharmonic unveiled the latest foray into its three-year “Mozart/DaPonte Trilogy” project, the first ever performance (staged or otherwise) of The Marriage of Figaro in the orchestra’s history.  It was glorious in every respect:  visually striking, dramatically compelling, and musically excellent.

Before a single note was played, one marveled at the alterations to the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage.  This year’s production design was turned over to Parisians Jean Nouvel and Azzedine Alaïa, and the two Frenchman came up with drastically different solutions than their predecessors to the challenges offered by doing opera in this iconic but non-traditional space:

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Photos from opening night of “The Marriage of Figaro” at Walt Disney Concert Hall (UPDATED May 21)

May 18, 2013 2 Comments

Figaro and Don Curzio (Act 2)

Last night, I had the good fortune to be able to attend the first performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s fully staged production of The Marriage of Figaro.

It was, in a word, glorious.

My full review can be found HERE. will be posted in the next day or so.  In the meantime, please enjoy the hi-res photo gallery below from opening night (credit: Craig T. Mathew & Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging).

UPDATE:  Additional images added from the dress rehearsal (taken by Genaro Molina for the Los Angeles Times) and design images courtesy of the Atelier Jean Nouvel and Azzedine Alaïa.

UPDATE #2 (May 19):  A couple of things . . .

  • I added a couple more photos:  a backstage pic of Dorothea Röschmann (Countess), plus a photo of Simone Osborne (Barbarina) by Mr. Molina.
  • I realized that if you happen to use Google Chrome as your default browser (which I do), some of the thumbnails below may not show up.  I have no idea why this is the case.  Rest assured if you click to enlarge any of the thumbnails you can see, the “missing” pics will be there as you scroll through the images.  Note that this problem doesn’t seem to exist if you browse with Firefox or Safari.  Go figure.

UPDATE #3 (May 20):  Additional images from opening night (taken by Lawrence K. Ho for the Los Angeles Times)

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Burt Hara wins LA Phil Associate Principal Clarinet chair

May 3, 2013 4 Comments

Burt Hara (photo by Nate Ryan)The first time the Los Angeles Philharmonic held auditions to fill its Associate Principal Clarinet chair, no one was hired.  During the past week, they tried again, and this time it looks like they  made an offer — and it’s a doozy.  No official word from the orchestra, but according to numerous sources, Burt Hara, Southern California native and current Principal Clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra (MO), will be taking the job.  (Ralph Skiano, Principal with the Richmond Symphony, was the runner-up)

This is a huge coup for the LA Phil.  Mr. Hara is one of the leading clarinetists anywhere.  In addition to having held his position in Minnesota since 1987, he spent the 1996-97 season as Principal with the Philadelphia Orchestra and played some noteworthy concerts with the New York Philharmonic in 2010.

Unfortunately, this also happens to be a huge loss for the MO.  Mr. Hara has been one of the undeniable stars of that orchestra.  Just last week, he was the featured soloist in the Mozart clarinet concerto during a special concert being given by the musicians of the orchestra (a self-organized gig in the ongoing wake of their misbegotten lockout by the MO’s management).   Larry Fuchsberg, writing for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, described his playing this way:  ”Hara, at once soloistic and self-effacing, made it look easy. His was marvelously centered playing, unembellished but by no means plain.”

That Mr. Hara would be willing to take what most would consider to be a step down (from Principal in one major orchestra to Associate Principal in another) points to just how big a cluster-f*** the situation with the MO has become.  According to the most recent offer from the MO’s management, principals in that orchestra would have to take a 50% slash in their salary — and there is no indication that the MO’s musicians will agree to such a drastic cut. As a member of the musician’s negotiating committee, Mr. Hara has had a front-row seat to all that nonsense.   This past October, he seemed resigned to the situation and foreshadowed his departure:

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And here’s to you, Mr. Robertson: SoCal native returns to conduct the LA Phil

April 16, 2013 2 Comments

David RobertsonA little over a week ago, David Robertson returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s podium for the first time in over five years, and for the life of me, I have a hard time understanding why it’s taken so long.

First and foremost, his broad repertoire featuring impeccable credentials in 20th and 21st Century music syncs up perfectly with the orchestra’s own sensibilities.  Second, he’s visited the San Francisco Symphony multiple times since then, and you’d figure that a subsequent jaunt down the coast wouldn’t have been very difficult.  Third, he happens to be a local boy and alum of Santa Monica High School.  Finally — and this is most important — the orchestra sounds great and plays well when he conducts.

Net net, I can’t think of another conductor who would be a better candidate for more regular, even annual, visits.  His prolonged absence was even more perplexing after hearing an excellent performance of  Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, the West Coast premiere of a new piano concerto by Steven Mackey, and Ravel’s orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.

Most telling to me was his rendition of the well-worn Mussorgsky/Ravel piece.  From his very first time conducting the LA Phil in 1999 to his most recent visit at the helm of the two-week “Concrete Frequency” festival, Mr. Robertson has loaded his programs with challenging, even obscure, works by the likes of Ives, Lutosławski, Crumb, Milhaud, Varèse, among others.  This was my first chance to catch him doing a bona-fide orchestral warhorse.  And he did not disappoint.

These were fully-saturated Pictures for an Instagram age, sunny in disposition and unabashedly splashy in approach throughout without ever being superficial.  Darker sections (e.g. “Bydlo,” “Catacombs,” or “Cum mortuis in lingua mortua”) weren’t very ominous in absolute terms but still felt dark in comparison to the other moments, the same way an overcast 67-degree day passes for bad weather in Los Angeles.  Mr. Robertson pushed tempos a bit while still  keeping it all in nice proportion — it wasn’t until the work’s climax, “The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga),” did he unexpectedly ratchet back the speed, an arresting move that heightened the drama through the finale of “The Great Gate of Kiev.”

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Dudamel & LA Phil strike while the iron is hot, release “La mer” and “Firebird” on iTunes

March 26, 2013 Leave a comment

Dudamel - Debussy and StravinskyInteresting to find out about the latest iTunes release from the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  They just recorded and released these two works a few years ago under Esa-Pekka Salonen for the same label, so it’s a bit of a surprise that they’d put them out again so soon.

But then again, maybe not.

As I mentioned before, response to their recent performances of these works under Gustavo Dudamel have generally been well received while they have been on tour, and the orchestra will be performing both during their final stop in New York.  This enables fans to have a chance experience this interpretation as often as they’d like.

I’m curious as to which performance (or performances) were used in these recordings — as I mentioned previously, the second performance I attended was better than the first.  Regardless, it’ll be good to have this latest snapshot of the relationship between Dudamel and the LA Phil.

Additionally, it’s noteworthy that the orchestra will have three very different recordings released in fairly rapid succession:

  • Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Lutoslawski symphony cycle
  • Gustavo Dudamel’s Mahler 9th, the first of his CD releases with the orchestra
  • and now this.

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LA Phil tuning up the programs they are taking on tour (part 3 of 3): pondering how much better “The Other Mary” v2.0 actually is

March 23, 2013 5 Comments

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is in the midst of the continental European leg of its tour to London, Lucerne, Paris, and New York.  Reviews of concerts in London have been consistent in their high praise of the orchestra’s performance and sound in the fairly adventurous repertoire they have taken on the road.  On balance, they have generally been keen on Gustavo Dudamel’s interpretations of the 20th and 21st Century works he’s conducted, and while their comments often mirrored my own concerns about his choice in tempi in La mer and Firebird, you get the sense that his interpretations were more like what I heard during the second performance I attended — smoother and less tentative.

Then there is John Adams’s reworking of The Gospel According to the Other Mary.  The reviews gave generous kudos to the performers, but have been mixed about the merits of the composition and dramaturgy.

I find it interesting and completely understandable that opinions differ on opposite sides of the pond.  I saw the second L.A. performance of The Other Mary, and I happen to agree with the California critics I mention above in that this iteration of The Other Mary is better than last year’s:  Peter Sellars’s relatively restrained staging makes the drama more comprehensible; the musical textures are noticeably less thick, so the singers are no longer overwhelmed by the orchestra; and the performances of all involved were uniformly top-notch.

Of course, those critics in England had a purer experience since they didn’t have the benefit/burden of knowing what it was like previously.  Their reactions sound a lot like the same mixture of compliments and frustrations showered upon The Other Mary by many folks, myself included, when it premiered last year.

I wonder how much knowing how it used to be makes the newer version look better by comparison, like the 400 lb person who loses 150 pounds:  if you knew them back when, they look so much better today and you’re thrilled at what they were able to achieve.  If you never knew them before, you think, “Gee, that 250 lb person would look so much better if only they dropped some weight.”

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LA Phil tuning up the programs they are taking on tour (part 2 of 3): Dudamel swings for the fences with “La mer” & “Firebird”

March 8, 2013 1 Comment

Gustavo Dudamel (photo by Andrew Eccles)

“I think that Debussy is, perhaps,  the most important composer of this century.  I also happen to think that today, the future of classical music has a lot to do with Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and less to do with Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern.

The relationship between Debussy and Stravinsky is particularly interesting.  First of all, young Stravinsky was very much influenced by Debussy’s music, but also Debussy was one of the few people who understood what Stravinsky was trying to do . . . and the relationship between these two men was one of the most interesting chapters in music of this century.”

– Esa-Pekka Salonen, In Rehearsal (DVD), 1997

Back at the beginning of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2012/2013 season, Gustavo Dudamel conducted the world premiere of Symphony by Steven Stucky and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, taking direct aim at repertoire that have been veritably owned by his predecessor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.  For this past weekend’s concerts, he doubled down with another concert of two more of Mr. Salonen’s calling cards, Debussy’s La mer and The Firebird by Stravinsky.

The natural inclination to juxtapose the two conductors in this repertoire is particularly strong:

  • First, Mr. Dudamel is choosing to conduct La mer in his fourth season as Music Director, the same point in Mr. Salonen’s tenure that he decided to record it for Sony, thereby allowing listeners to directly compare their interpretations after each have had roughly the same amount of time to lead the orchestra.
  • Second, Mr. Salonen and the LA Phil happened to perform and record both La mer and The Firebird for DG near the end of his tenure with the orchestra.  This makes it easy to compare interpretations that are separated by just a few years.

Mr. Dudamel’s versions of these works invite particular scrutiny because he and the LA Phil will be performing them on their upcoming trip to Europe and New York.  Given that the rest of the music to be done on tour is much newer, these early 20th century classics will undoubtably be the most well-known works those audiences will hear.  For all intents and purposes, they will serve as the yard-stick against which both orchestra and conductor will be measured while on the road — all the contemporary works could be hits, but if the Debussy and the Stravinsky miss the mark with out-of-town audiences and journalists, it would be disappointing to say the very least.

I had the good fortune to be able to attend two performances of this program, just as I had done with the season opener.  I am happy to say that they were both concerts this weekend were very good.  Yet while I’d describe those dazzling season-opening concerts as home runs — perhaps even grand slams — this past weekend’s concerts were doubles to the gap that could have been legged-out for triples but weren’t:   welcome accomplishments in any case, but the latest pair felt like an opportunity not fully realized.

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LA Phil tuning up the programs they are taking on tour (part 1 of 3): Packing up the Green Umbrella for a road trip

March 6, 2013 4 Comments

Joseph Pereira outside Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has begun presenting to local audiences the programs they will be taking on tour, all of which include music exclusively from the 20th and 21st Century.  London, Lucerne, Paris, and New York get the two big programs: one featuring works by Vivier, Debussy, and Stravinsky; the other with John Adams’s massive oratorio, The Gospel According to the Other Mary.

As if that weren’t enough to show their dedication to newer music, the LA Phil’s New Music Group will be performing an extra concert in London:  the Green Umbrella program they unveiled at Walt Disney Concert Hall last week.  In fact, it will be the very first concert they give on tour — a statement-making concert, if you will.

This is certainly admirable and ambitious in concept, and based on what I heard, the works performed certainly gave the musicians a chance to show off their range and flexibility.  Moreover, the three compositions fit together well while also presenting some diversity in musical language.

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Dudamel, Shaham, and LA Phil make old standards sound fresh; Julien Beaudiment sits in as first-chair flute

February 28, 2013 Leave a comment

Gil Shaham (photo by Luke Ratray)Gustavo Dudamel returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic podium for the first time since October 14, 2012.  Most of the next few weeks will be devoted to preparing programs for the orchestra’s upcoming tour to Europe and New York, but this past weekend’s concerts were not going to be played out of town.

On paper, it seemed like an unexciting tune-up — Music Director and orchestra getting a little re-acquainted after a few months apart by playing some Romantic oldies by Wagner and Schumann, and joined by star violinist Gil Shaham for another run through the ubiquitous Brahms violin concerto.

Fortunately, what could have been a hum-drum concert turned out to be a lovely Sunday afternoon of music, with Messers. Dudamel and Shaham helping to bring these works to life.  Pieces that can easily feel like drab museum pieces instead were made to sound vigorous and contemporary.

The collaboration between conductor and soloist in the Brahms was particularly rewarding to experience.  These are two extremely committed musicians who are always having fun while they are on stage, and they aren’t afraid that anyone else knows it.

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Dutoit finally gets to show his Austro-Germanic side in latest program with the LA Phil; Gautier Capuçon & Carrie Dennis stellar in “Don Quixote”

February 26, 2013 3 Comments

Dutoit-G.Capucon-DennisCharles Dutoit’s annual visits to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic have become a highlight of every season, and his residency this year was more of the glorious same.  Adding to the joy was the chance to see and hear him conduct something other than the FrancoRussian rut he has been in during the past seven or eight years; I’m not sure whether pigeonholing him in that repertoire has been his idea, the orchestra’s, or some combination thereof.

In fact, the last time he conducted anything vaguely Teutonic was in 2006 in a program that included Mozart’s Figaro Overture and Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto.  Since then, there have been only two composers he has conducted locally that weren’t from either French or Russian composers:  a Ginastera curtain-raiser and the ubiquitous Grieg Piano Concerto.

His concerts this year featured music from Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Strauss.  It showed that no matter what he conducts, he continues to offer balanced and compelling interpretations of great beauty.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Strauss’s Don Quixote.  Mr. Dutoit elicited a sonorous yet bright sound from the orchestra, rich in expression and texture, while maintaing clarity throughout.  He also had the good fortune of having two wonderful soloists in the key roles.

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Observations from LA Phil’s 2013/14 season presser (um, “Death of Klinghoffer” perhaps?!!)

February 25, 2013 7 Comments

As promised, I did my best to tweet details of the upcoming Los Angeles Philharmonic 2013/2014 season.  That said, I’m sure there are those among you who didn’t follow along for whatever reason — perhaps you were otherwise occupied, or maybe you just don’t do that newfangled Twitter thing, or the dog ate your homework.  In any case, you can see the entire stream of consciousness HERE, some of which are included in my observations below (after the jump).

The entire press packet is available online (HERE).  That said, there were some interesting things mentioned at the press conference (aka “the presser” if you’ll permit me) that ARE NOT in that press release — the biggest one is this:

  • Deborah Borda (President and CEO) mentioned that in conjunction with the orchestra’s upcoming “Minimalist Jukebox Festival,” the Los Angeles Philharmonic will collaborate with Long Beach Opera in a performance of The Death of Klinghoffer.

Wait . . . what was that?  Really??!!!

The long saga about John Adams’s controversial opera will take forever to try to explain here, but suffice it to say that this is a big deal — “Klinghoffer” has never been performed in Southern California despite the fact that Los Angeles Opera was one of the original commissioning organizations.  I’ve asked for additional information, and we’ll see if I/we get any in the coming day or two.  (UPDATE, Feb 27:  per the Los Angeles Times, Long Beach Opera confirmed that they will present The Death of Klinghoffer in 2014, with James Robinson directing.  No other details were given).

In the meantime, here are some other observations about the 2013/2014 season:

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Planning to live tweet from today’s LA Phil 2013/2014 season announcement

February 25, 2013 Leave a comment

The Los Angeles Philharmonic will be announcing the details of their 2013/2014 season today’s at 12noon Pacific Time.

I will be there, and for those wanting up-to-the-minute info, I am planning to live tweet from today’s press conference using the hashtag “#LAPhil1314″ starting around 11:45am.  To follow along, click HERE to get to http://www.twitter.com/MrCKDH or if you prefer, you can see the most recent tweets on the sidebar in the right.

The LA Phil has been pretty tight-lipped so far, but they did tweet this over the weekend:  ”BIG announcement this Monday at noon. Hint: It’s time to celebrate!”

The upcoming season will represent the 10th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall, so that probably has something to do with it. Also, some concert info has already been released by other performing arts organizations in other cities.  From Lincoln Center’s Great Performers and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County come details about these concerts:  

  • March 16, 2014 (Avery Fisher Hall, New York):  Corigliano – Symphony No. 1; Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5 (Gustavo Dudamel, conductor)
  • March 17, 2014 (Avery Fisher Hall, New York):  Bjarnason – New Work; Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 1 (Yuja Wang, piano); Brahms – Symphony No. 2 (Gustavo Dudamel, conductor)
  • April 26, 2014 (Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa):  Bartok – Violin Concerto No. 2 (Gil Shaham); Macmillan – Three interludes from The Sacrifice; other works TBD (Stéphane Denève, conductor)

We’ll see very soon what else they have in store.

 

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The long and short of last Thursday’s LA Phil concert with Ludovic Morlot and Emanuel Ax

January 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Emanuel Ax (photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco)Just to prove to myself that I could summarize into three bullet points my thoughts on last Thursday’s Los Angeles Philharmonic concert:

  • Emanuel Ax played Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25:  Spectacular.  Flawless.  Brilliant.  Dare I say, “Perfect.”
  • Conductor Ludovic Morlot:  Solid in Dutilleux’s The Shadows of Time and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
  • The orchestra:   Very good the whole night.

There, I did it.

Of course, there’s no fun in keeping things limited to three bullet points. . . .

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LA Phil announces 2013 Hollywood Bowl season

January 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Hollywood BowlThe Los Angeles Philharmonic released details today of this year’s Hollywood Bowl season (press release HERE and complete chronological list of performances HERE).  Nothing particularly Earth-shattering in the 2013 rendition of the popular Southern California summer venue’s line-up or format.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess.

The biggest surprises for me:

  • The USC Trojan Marching band will NOT be performing as part of the annual “Tchaikovsky Spectacular.”
  • No Rhapsody in Blue or American in Paris, though Gershwin is represented by his Cuban Overture and the Porgy and Bess:  Symphonic Picture.

There are more than a few noteworthy concerts planned.  Here is a brief list of the concerts that caught my eye for one reason or another (listed in chronological order, with all orchestral concerts being performed by the LA Phil unless noted otherwise):

  • The three 4th of July concerts feature the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West — besides being a nice patriotic touch, they happen to be a very good band. . . . Oh yeah, also appearing will be the LA Phil and Josh Groban:  let’s hope they perform these gems, which I feel are among Mr. Groban’s best work . . . 
  • July 9 & 11:  Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony and native Angeleno, makes his way back down The 5 (or The 101 and/or PCH, depending on your route of choice) to kick-off the Tuesday/Thursday classical music series; the Mahler 2nd Symphony takes up the first night; the second night includes the Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Dubinushka, and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Gil Shaham.
  • July 14:  guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela return to the Cahuenga Pass for the first time since their triumphant 2011 Hollywood Bowl debut.
  • July 23:  The Rite of Spring (!) makes an appearance at the Bowl on a program which also features Stravinsky’s Fireworks and the excellent Augustin Hadelich in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.  Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducts.

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