Like a boss: David Robertson and SLSO at Segerstrom Concert Hall show how it’s supposed to be done

March 22, 2013 Leave a comment

Good chemistry between a conductor and orchestra is a difficult thing to predict or explain, but as former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart might say, I know it when I see it.  And I know I saw — and heard — it this past Monday night when David Robertson brought the St. Louis Symphony into Segerstrom Concert Hall for a very generous evening of interesting works, care of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

How else does one explain the powerful yet easy-going and relaxed music making I experienced?  This is the way all concerts should be.  Details were attended to without any fussiness.  Technical hurdles were overcome with more than sufficient aplomb, and Mr. Robertson had his orchestra turning on a dime with no problems.  Smiles were everywhere.  There was much to love, and there was much rejoicing to be had by all.

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Filed under All Reviews, Music (News & Reviews), Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Reviews 2012/2013 Tagged with , , , , ,

The inaugural edition of “All is Yar’s Most Favorite and Noteworthy Classical Music Stuff of the Year”

December 31, 2012 Leave a comment

clapAs we reach the end of December, it’s traditionally time for a retrospective look at the year that is just completed.  Since 2012 was the first full calendar year of All is Yar‘s existence, it’s an especially important one for me.  I’ve been fortunate — dare I say “blessed” — to have been able to experience more performances than I would’ve guessed at the beginning of the year — most of them somewhere between really good and truly awesome.

After some very detailed number-crunching,  extremely scientific analysis, and deeply meditative internal reflection (OK, maybe more like some quality time with a green tea and some scotch), I decided to follow tradition and write-up a list of stuff I thought was worth mentioning.  So cozy up to a loved one, grab a glass of your favorite beverage, and get yourself ready for  . . . (cue trumpet fanfare) . . . the first-ever  ”All is Yar‘s Most Favorite and Noteworthy Classical Music Stuff of the Year”.

Best Orchestral Performance:  Simon Rattle conducting the LA Phil in works by Ligeti, Wagner, and Bruckner

  • Sir Simon led a performance so gripping, so absolutely awesome, it didn’t even matter that the concert featured three of my least favorite composers.

Favorite Concert(s) of the Year:  The Rite of Spring, a new Symphony from Steven Stucky, and some Bernstein to boot (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting)

  • First of all, we’re a talking Le Sacre du Printemps here, pretty much my favorite orchestral work ever.  Secondly, the performance by the Mr. Dudamel and the LA Phil was as good as I’ve heard from that combination, so good in fact that I had to see it twice (hence the parenthetical plural “Concert(s)” above).  Third, we got the added bonus of a bright new work from Mr. Stucky.  Fourth, did I mention the concert included Stravinsky’s  The Rite of Spring, which is pretty much my favorite orchestral work ever?

Best Performance of a Work I Don’t Need to Hear Again for a Long, Long Time:  Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony do Franck’s Symphony

  • Really, CSO??  You don’t come to Southern California for more than a generation, and this is what you bring along?!!  I mean, it sounded great and all, but . . . come on, man!

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Filed under All Reviews, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Music (News & Reviews), Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond), Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Reviews 2011/2012, Reviews 2012/2013, Southwest Chamber Music, Uncategorized

April is full of cool — not cruel — stuff to do

April 3, 2012 Leave a comment

One of the 30 pianos that will be part of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" art exhibit spread across LA County.

Long before Madonna was the most famous American in self-imposed exile in the UK, another noteworthy American-turned-Brit wrote some unkind words about April (or at least that’s what the Thunder said). Whatever.   Don’t believe the hype — April is a kick-ass month, and this one in particular is full of all kinds of stuff for a music-loving Southern Californian to do:

Pianos, pianos, everywhere, thanks to the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

  • The art installation, Play Me, I’m Yours, featuring 30 pianos spread across Los Angeles County for the public to play and enjoy, officially launches on April 12th with simultaneous performances of Preludes from Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, on all 30 pianos.   Many thanks to LACO for bringing it to Southern California.  More details in a later post, but if you want a head start on deciding which pianos you want to visit, click HERE.

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Filed under Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Music (News & Reviews), Philharmonic Society of Orange County Tagged with , , , , , ,

Chicago Symphony barrels its way through Orange County

February 22, 2012 1 Comment

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. Muti giving a compact “bye-bye” wave from the podium before the orchestra walked off the stage mid-applause without playing an encore.  There were smiles on many  of the musicians faces, including the maestro, but they seemed to reflect merely  polite contentment, without much indication that anyone on stage was having much fun.  It all seemed to coincide with Mr. Muti’s declarations that orchestral performances are art, NOT entertainment — as if they cannot be both.

Thankfully, the music-making itself was uniformly excellent.  If the three pieces being performed weren’t familiar, they were accessible.  More importantly, they provided the CSO an opportunity to flex their muscles, and the orchestra responded by playing with the power and panache for which they are famous.  You’d probably expect this from the brass, but it was present throughout the ensemble, most especially in the unanimity of the strings from top to bottom.  This was orchestra as monolith, and even if that meant individual sections or players lacked their own personality,  one still couldn’t help but be impressed with the sound.

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Filed under All Reviews, Music (News & Reviews), Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond), Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Reviews 2011/2012 Tagged with , , , , ,

Philharmonic Society of Orange County announces 2012-2013 season

January 28, 2012 Leave a comment

Reblogged from Classical Life:

Click to visit the original post

Click here to see my article on the 2010-2013 season of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, announced today.

photo: Clive Barda, courtesy of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

WordPress has a new "Reblog" button. I thought I'd give it a try. Here's the latest 2012/2013 Season Announcement -- this one from the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, care of Tim Mangan's blog, Classical Life. UPDATE:  I just realized that the "click here" link in Tim's original post isn't functional after I reblogged (need to remember that little tidbit the next time I feel like reblogging).  So instead, click HERE  (no, really) to be redirected to the details of the announcement on OCRegister.com.

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Timeless like a broken watch: Marino Formenti in recital

January 9, 2012 2 Comments

“I always hated the Diabelli Variations,” writes Marino Formenti.  Coming from any other pianist, this would sound like a confession.

Marino Formenti is not “any other pianist.”

The Italian-born musician only began studying Beethoven’s meandering piano work at the recent request of Dean Corey, President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.  The organization is in the midst of presenting all of Beethoven’s late works, and Mr. Corey is very familiar  with Mr. Formenti’s ouvre, going back to the late lamented Eclectic Orange Festival.  By bringing the new music specialist to Segerstrom Concert Hall to play this particular touchstone of Beethoven’s late period, Mr. Corey was clearly going for something a bit unexpected.

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Filed under All Reviews, Music (News & Reviews), Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond), Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Reviews 2011/2012 Tagged with , ,

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