“The art of conducting lies, in my opinion, in the power of suggestion that a conductor exerts – on the audience as well as on the orchestra,” the conductor Otto Klemperer once observed. “A conductor must know how to hold attention. He must be able to lead the players with his eyes and the movements … Continue reading
Author Archives: CK Dexter Haven
Quick hits on a Tuesday
First and foremost, many thanks to Timothy Mangan, esteemed music critic and muppet fan extraordinaire, for adding “All is Yar” to the blogroll of ClassicalLife.net. As much as I appreciate his wry sense of humor when covering popular culture, I continue to hold out hope that the editors and publishers of the Orange County Register … Continue reading
All Reviews / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Music News & Info: Rock, Jazz, World Music, etc. / Reviews 2011/2012
Rodrigo y Gabriela (et al) at the Hollywood Bowl
A near-capacity crowd filled the Hollywood Bowl to the brim this past Saturday night. Gustavo Dudamel was in the house, along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and some other folks. But for once, the crowd was not really there to see The Dude. Sure, there were a few screams of “We love you, Gustavo!” but … Continue reading
Even eateries need their own Parsifal: Nickel Diner’s maple bacon donuts
Nickel Diner is just about three years old now. In that time, it has gone from gritty Downtown L.A. pioneer to hip Downtown L.A. legend, all while managing to stay true to its sense of both aesthetic and culinary style. Unlike the Main Street USA located in a certain Orange County theme park, this Main … Continue reading
Philly Principal Trumpet gets teaching job in Georgia, but is staying with orchestra (for now)
David Bilger, Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1995, has accepted a teaching position in Athens, GA. In a letter sent to Peter Dobrin of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr. Bilger confirms that: He will immediately become the “Visiting Professor of Music and William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professor in the Arts at the … Continue reading
News about many conductors; a comment about a critic, a pianist, and a dress
I am still trying to piece together the data for the next installment of my analysis of Gustavo Dudamel’s penchant for new music (as promised in my previous post); however, these things take time and the day job keeps getting in the way. In the meantime, it seems like every time you turned around recently, … Continue reading
Gustavo Dudamel and new music (Part One of an ongoing series)
“Gustavo Dudamel — new music conductor.” Or perhaps, “Gustavo Dudamel — new music proponent.” Really?? The young maestro is not necessarily known for conducting new music as much as others such as David Robertson or Kent Nagano, and he certainly does not have the reputation or gravitas that Esa-Pekka Salonen brings when conducting “new” or … Continue reading
Changing programs around a little
I received an email from the Los Angeles Philharmonic a couple of days ago informing me that there would be a slight change for their October 20 & 21 programs: instead of Tromba Lontana by John Adams, the curtain raiser will now be Short Ride on a Fast Machine (also by Adams) in a concert which also includes … Continue reading
Nostrovia! Vodka flights at Red Square
As mentioned in a previous post, I visited Red Square in Mandalay Bay as part of my latest Las Vegas misadventures. For those of you who may not be familiar, Red Square is a bar & restaurant with an ostensibly post-communist Muscovite flavor; a giant, headless, faux-guano adorned statue of Vladimir Lenin stands guard near … Continue reading
A Sibelius soundtrack for a Texas storm
I visited Texas a few months ago, driving from city to city as I made my way across the state. On the leg from Dallas to Houston, I found myself chasing one of those Texas-sized storms, the kind of which we just don’t get in California: lightning bolts flashing back and forth across the sky … Continue reading
Auditions & Appointments / Las Vegas / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Travel
News of Mr. Hooten and Miss December: how the LA Phil may have found a new Principal Trumpet and CKDH a new favorite blackjack dealer
Long before the closure of Interstate 405 allegedly threatened to end the world as we know it, I had planned to spend this past weekend with family and friends in Las Vegas. High temperatures were a surprisingly mellow 98-degrees in the shade, so days were spent outside at the Mandalay Bay lazy river with cold … Continue reading
Free French-related Fun for Bastille Day
It’s very easy to make fun of the French because . . . well, because they are so very French. You don’t get saddled with a nickname like “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” without having deserved it in some way, shape, or form. Still, they helped us win our nation’s independence, they shipped a nice big copper … Continue reading
Summer Whites in the great outdoors; avoiding Lang Lang
Though the Hollywood Bowl has been open for about a month, the Los Angeles Philharmonic play did not play in their white jackets (and blouses) under the venue’s iconic white arches until this past Friday and Saturday when they gave the word premiere performances of the full film score to West Side Story. They followed it … Continue reading
Writing Pseudonymously
My friend, Carmela Ciuraru (not a pseudonym), continues to gain much positive attention for her most recent book, Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms (Harper Collins). Carmela is a wonderful writer with an arrestingly dry sense of humor*, and she takes an interesting concept (which, not-so-shockingly, is near and dear to my heart) … Continue reading
LA Phil’s Peter Stumpf praised for Indiana recital
Peter Stumpf, Principal Cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, gave his first recital in Indiana since being announced as a new full-time professor of music at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The review of the Jun 29th concert in the Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) was unequivocally glowing, with Peter Jacobi calling Mr. Stumpf “a musician of … Continue reading
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