Los Angeles Opera and Plácido Domingo, their General Director, issued a press release last week announcing details of their 2018/19 (full details are below). In short, here’s what we’ve got to look forward to: Mainstage (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) Six performances each of: Don Carlo (Verdi): September 22 through October 14, 2018; revival. James Conlon conducts. Ramón Vargas (Don … Continue reading
Folks, I’m generally an optimistic, positive-thinking kinda guy. I try to find the bright side of things and give people the benefit of the doubt, even when most others wouldn’t dream of it. So leave it to our good friends at Los Angeles Opera to test my ability to maintain a stiff upper lip and keep … Continue reading
The other shoe has dropped. Having already mentioned that Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice will be on the 2017/18 season docket, Los Angeles Opera announced the rest of next season’s schedule earlier this evening. As with the LACO 207/18 season announcement, I’ll give my $0.02 later this week. In the meantime, here are some noteworthy tidbits: Continue reading
This past weekend’s press release from Los Angeles Opera about Music Director James Conlon’s latest contract extension through the end of the 2020/2021 season included statements from General Director Plácido Domingo, Board Chair Marc Stern, and Mr. Conlon himself. One person who was not quoted was the company’s Resident Conductor, Grant Gershon, so I asked him for … Continue reading
Los Angeles Opera gets to keep James Conlon around for a little longer. Yesterday, the company announced that the New York-based conductor will remain as Music Director through the end of the 2020/2021 season. His current contract was to expire next year. Mr. Conlon took over the position from Kent Nagano in 2006 and has been a huge presence ever since. Plácido Domingo, … Continue reading
Los Angeles Opera announced today that Plácido Domingo will continue on as General Director through at least the end of the 2021/22 season. He has held the title since 2003. (The complete press release is below) The tenor/baritone cum conductor cum impresario has a long and storied history with the company, going back to 1984 … Continue reading
The good folks at Los Angeles Opera just announced their 2016/17 season (at the slightly curious time of 9pm-ish Pacific Time, midnight-ish Eastern, but no matter). There are six mainstage productions, one semi-staged musical, three “Off Grand” productions, plus the regular community performances of Britten’s Noah’s Flood. First, the details, with my general observations on the season … Continue reading
Shocking allegations have arisen at Los Angeles Opera overnight. I first caught wind of this yesterday via Twitter, and then the video below popped up. Are illegal and/or unauthorized substances rampant at the company? If so, for how long? Countertenor Darryl Taylor, one of the singers at the center of the controversy, admits to his involvement before angrily … Continue reading
(Publisher’s note: I’m proud to welcome Lauri D. Goldenhersh to the pages of All is Yar. By training and profession, she is a mezzo-soprano, active throughout Los Angeles and a veteran of many local ensembles, including the Los Angeles Master Chorale. She is also the publisher of Lauri’s List (laurislist.net), a website devoted to helping … Continue reading
Admit it: the first time you heard that Los Angeles Opera had decided to pair the Baroque charms of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with the expressionistic horrors of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle, you didn’t exactly say to yourself, “Oh yeah, that makes total sense.” No, at best, you probably thought, “Hmmmm — that’d be interesting.” If … Continue reading
This coming Sunday marks the final concert of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s landmark 50th Anniversary Season. For the occasion, Music Director Grant Gershon has put together a typically forward-looking program of works by Shawn Kirchner, David Lang, Francisco Núñez, Gabriela Lena Frank, and – last but certainly not least – Esa-Pekka Salonen. All … Continue reading
It’s quite been quite a week for Southern California opera fans: Los Angeles Opera just finished a three-show run of André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire starring soprano Renée Fleming as Blanche DuBois, a role she created in the original 1998 production for San Francisco Opera. Reviews have been mostly positive: Timothy Mangan (Los Angeles Register) generally liked it despite some … Continue reading
[This is the second of my four-part story, “The Space In-Between the Notes,” of me and photographer Brandise Danesewich spending Benjamin Britten’s 100th Birthday – Nov 22, 2013 – with conductor James Conlon as he rehearsed and conducted two separate community concerts in different parts of Southern California. “Part One: A Prelude,” is HERE.] 9:55am … Continue reading
James Conlon is in the midst of an early afternoon rehearsal when he pauses to fix a line that doesn’t sound quite right to him. “Don’t rush the staccato,” he tells the chorus. “Staccato is about the space in-between the notes.” Later that same day, in front of a chamber orchestra this time, he’s rehearsing … Continue reading
Los Angeles Opera announced their 2014/2015 season today. After browsing the press release (seen in its entirety below), here are my top of mind thoughts and observations: A little surprised that the number of main stage productions is still at six (well, seven productions if you count the double bill as two separate operas). That … Continue reading
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