Of all the resident companies at The Music Center, the Los Angeles Master Chorale is the one that truly sets LA apart from other big metros. Orchestras, opera and theatre companies, even ballets, are a dime a dozen in other performing arts centers, but no one else can claim an independent choir of such high … Continue reading
The mood at Los Angeles Opera leading up to the beginning of this new season has been thoroughly buoyant, the result of a confluence of good news: After successfully dealing with a pulmonary embolism that kept him off stages and podiums all over the world, Plácido Domingo — the company’s General Director, überbaritenor, and part-time conductor — triumphantly returned to … Continue reading
As I mentioned in my previous post, Los Angeles Opera’s 2013-2014 season opens this coming Saturday with a revival of Bizet’s Carmen. Irish mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon sings the title role, joined by the excellent male duo of Brandon Jovanovich (Don Jose) and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (Escamillo), with newcomer Pretty Yende as Micaëla. The final dress rehearsal … Continue reading
Yesterday afternoon, the good folks at Los Angeles Opera opened up their doors to the media for a behind-the-scenes peek at preparations for their season opening production of Bizet’s Carmen. Christopher Koelsch (President and CEO) gave a brief welcome before Rupert Hemmings (Senior Director, Production) led us onto the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion … Continue reading
The management and musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic sent out a joint press-release today announcing that a new four-year contract has been ratified. High points of the agreement include: · annual increases to the musicians’ minimum weekly scale wages, which, in the final year of the contract, will increase to $2968.00. (NOTE: for you … Continue reading
As you may have noticed, I’ve been on hiatus — an unexpected and unintended hiatus. I’ll spare you the details; sometimes life just gets in the way. It’s a shame because I’ve missed the chance to comment on all sorts of noteworthy things (e.g. the Minnesota Orchestra’s continued perils, Vasily Petrenko‘s rather unfortunate comments about … Continue reading
When I was in college, I helped to resurrect the school’s defunct radio station and eventually became the station’s Music Director. It was the hardest I’d ever worked in my life — and the most fun I’d ever had too. I spent countless hours at the station, on air and off: studying, sleeping, listening to … Continue reading
Here are more pictures from last Tuesday’s concert at the Hollywood Bowl by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing Stravinsky’s Fireworks and The Rite of Spring and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich. All images are care of the incomparable Brandise Danesewich, exclusively for All is Yar. To read my review of the concert, click HERE. The … Continue reading
There have been so many performances this season of The Rite of Spring (AKA Le sacre du printemps in the original français) in celebration of the work’s centenary that some people have expressed concerns that the work was becoming over-exposed. You wouldn’t have known it by the number of seats filled Tuesday night at the Hollywood Bowl … Continue reading
Here are more pictures from last Sunday’s concert at the Hollywood Bowl by Rodrigo y Gabriela, DeVotchKa (with The Section Quartet), and Lord Huron. Once again, all images are care of my good friend and photographer extraordinaire, Tim Strempfer, exclusively for All is Yar. To read my review of the concert, click HERE. The usual reminder: if you … Continue reading
When last we saw Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero — AKA Rodrigo y Gabriela — at the Hollywood Bowl, it was for their 2011 debut at the legendary amphitheater when they played two nights backed up by the full forces of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Between then and now, they appeared locally at smaller venues … Continue reading
Here are more pictures from last Saturday’s first concert of Southwest Chamber Music’s 2013 Summer Festival, their 20th anniversary season. All images are care of my good friend and photographer extraordinaire, Tim Strempfer, exclusively for All is Yar. To read my review of the concert, click HERE. One reminder: folks who use Google Chrome as … Continue reading
Last Saturday night, Southwest Chamber Music opened the 20th anniversary season of their annual Summer Festival. Stravinsky’s Octet and Mozart’s Gran Partita provided the primary motivation for attending, especially if one happened to be a fan of wind instruments. But deep in the hundred acre woods of The Huntington where Jeff von der Schmidt and … Continue reading
The setting for last week’s first classical music concert of the 2013 Hollywood Bowl season couldn’t have been more perfect: the temperature was a picnic-perfect low 70’s, cooling down just a little as the sun set; the sky was clear and cloudless, and a very slight breeze blew through the amphitheater. It was, as the great … Continue reading
For many people, learning to drink scotch is a lot easier than learning how to pronounce the names on the bottles. Have you ever wondered whether “BAL-ven-ie” or “Bal-VEN-ie” is the correct way to say The Balvenie? Or perhaps you didn’t know Glenmorangie is supposed to be pronounced “Glen-MOR-an-gie.” Let’s not even get started attempting … Continue reading
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