Last Thursday, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel trotted out the first of two programs they’ll be taking on their upcoming tour of Asia. On the bill: ballet music by Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version) and The Rite of Spring — along with the U.S. premiere of Frenzy: a short symphony … Continue reading
Earlier this year, when the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced auditions for Assistant Principal and Section Percussion, I thought two things were possible: The auditions were for a single open position to replace Perry Dreiman, section percussionist who retired last year and who often played as acting principal. The auditions were for two separate positions, meaning … Continue reading
This past weekend marked the beginning of the end of the Gustavo Dudamel era at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestra’s outgoing Music & Artistic Director kicked off his final season at Walt Disney Concert Hall with a banger of a pairing: An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss and world premiere performances of Earth Between … Continue reading
Yesterday, in Part 1 of the latest edition of this ongoing series, I discussed efforts to fill double-digit openings in the strings sections of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. While the sheer number of strings vacancies is more than double those in the rest of the orchestra, the absence of single woodwind, brass, or percussion players … Continue reading
The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2025/26 indoor season kicks off tonight at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the final one of Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure before he decamps for New York. The program includes the world premiere of Ellen Reid’s Earth Between Oceans and Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony (which of course is actually a tone poem, not a … Continue reading
Last Friday, the San Francisco Symphony announced a new 3-year contract with their musicians, featuring a retroactive start date of November 24, 2024. In doing so, they averted a potential strike and gave all of their stakeholders some much needed good news mere hours before their season-opening gala was to begin. The full SFS press … Continue reading
There has not been an official announcement (yet), but multiple reliable sources have confirmed with All is Yar that Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians have ratified a new 4-year contract. Words like “excellent” and “amazing” among other compliments were used to describe it. Just some of the noteworthy details: Continue reading
Last year, when I wrote this piece about the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s search for a new Music Director once Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure ends in 2026, I said, “If I ruled the world, I’d put Esa-Pekka Salonen mostly in charge while I took my time to find the right permanent replacement.” Turns out, I’m not the … Continue reading
This is part 2 of my conversation from Tuesday, May 28, with Matthew Howard, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Principal Percussion (part 1 is HERE). We continue our discussion about Naru, the percussion concerto Joseph Pereira wrote for him and the LA Phil receiving it’s premiere this week (Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in Walt Disney Concert … Continue reading
Almost all classical musicians start playing their instrument in their youth, usually when their age is still in single digits — some as young as 2-years old are bowing cardboard violins. They spend two decades refining their craft to take multiple auditions, hoping to get paid to play music. Most of them play in a … Continue reading
Last Sunday, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic closed their curiously-named “Mahler Grooves Festival” with a fourth and final performance of a his-and-hers program: Gustav’s Symphony No. 5 and Alma’s Five Songs. The concert proved to be a thrilling way to cap Mr. Dudamel’s latest exploration of the Mahler oeuvre. The Venezuelan conductor has … Continue reading
Sad news coming from the Los Angeles Master Chorale: Marshall Rutter, long-time supporter of Southern California classical music, choral music in general, and the LAMC specifically, passed away yesterday. He was 93. His best known commission was Morten Lauridsen‘s O Magnum Mysterium, dedicated to his wife Terry Knowles and premiered by the Master Chorale conducted … Continue reading
One of the Southern California orchestras looking for a new leader found their person. This past Wednesday at Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Pacific Symphony officially introduced Alexander Shelley as their next Artistic & Music Director. He will serve as Music Director Designate for the 2025-26 season and officially take the post in Fall of 2026, … Continue reading
Carlos Miguel Prieto’s recent appearance conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl showcased the breadth of music by Mexican composers and his intimate knowledge of all of it. The program combined familiar works with three pieces the orchestra had not previously played, including two by living composers. Significant contributions by the Ballet Folklórico … Continue reading
Gershwin night at the Hollywood Bowl is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. There’s so much high quality material to work with that even average interpretations can bring joy to a listener’s heart. Fortunately for attendees at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recent Gershwin concert, the performances were well above-average, with the soloists — pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, mezzo-soprano … Continue reading
All is Yar 