Category Archives: Los Angeles Opera

The inaugural edition of “All is Yar’s Most Favorite and Noteworthy Classical Music Stuff of the Year”
All Reviews / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Los Angeles Master Chorale / Los Angeles Opera / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / 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

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

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As 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 … Continue reading →

The latest from LA Opera: an enjoyable “Madame Butterfly,” a spectacular Pinkerton
Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2012/2013

The latest from LA Opera: an enjoyable “Madame Butterfly,” a spectacular Pinkerton

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Full disclosure:  Madame Butterfly is not one of my favorite operas.  I understand its popularity and appreciate its usual appeal to most of its fans (sweeping melodies, exotic locales, an easy-to-feel-sorry-for heroine, etc.), but no matter how many chances I give it, I’m never drawn into the music or the drama. Count me in the … Continue reading →

Angela Meade brings added punch to LA Opera’s cast of Don Giovanni for final two shows
Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2012/2013

Angela Meade brings added punch to LA Opera’s cast of Don Giovanni for final two shows

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Los Angeles Opera made some cast changes for the last two performances of Don Giovanni, the most noteworthy being the addition of Angela Meade as Donna Anna (Julianna Di Giacomo played the role for the first five performances).  The winner of the 2011 Richard Tucker Award and the Met’s 2012 Beverly Sills Artist Award, Ms. … Continue reading →

An old-school Don Giovanni: Ildebrando D’Arcangelo stars in LA Opera’s latest production
All Reviews / Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2012/2013

An old-school Don Giovanni: Ildebrando D’Arcangelo stars in LA Opera’s latest production

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Last May, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented Don Giovanni with a vocally and visually strong baritone leading a solid cast in a thoroughly avant-garde production.  Beginning tonight, Los Angeles Opera presents the same opera, with another hunky baritone leading a another solid cast, this time in an unapologetically traditional production. Judging by Wednesday’s final dress … Continue reading →

Back so soon? Live tweeting Don Giovanni at LA Opera tonight
Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical

Back so soon? Live tweeting Don Giovanni at LA Opera tonight

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Opening night for Los Angeles Opera’s latest production of Don Giovanni isn’t until this coming Saturday, Sept 22nd, but I’ll be back at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion tonight, live tweeting the final dress rehearsal.  Unlike last Saturday’s gala opening of I Due Foscari (The Two Foscari), this time I’ll be in the front of the … Continue reading →

Tweeting live from backstage at tonight’s LA Opera season opener of “The Two Foscari” starring Plácido Domingo
Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical

Tweeting live from backstage at tonight’s LA Opera season opener of “The Two Foscari” starring Plácido Domingo

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Tonight marks the opening of Los Angeles Opera’s 2012/2013 season with a new production of Verdi’s rarely performed I Due Foscari (The Two Foscari).  Plácido Domingo takes on the role of Francesco Foscari, his latest foray into the baritone repertoire and 140th role overall (give or take) in his illustrious career. I’ll be there tonight, … Continue reading →

“The Doge of Los Angeles:” Plácido Domingo is feted at LA Opera presser
Los Angeles Opera

“The Doge of Los Angeles:” Plácido Domingo is feted at LA Opera presser

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Wednesday’s Los Angeles Opera press conference centered around celebrating Plácido Domingo.  Board members and politicians were on hand to offer their praises, stories, and tokens of appreciation to the organization’s General Director and probably the world’s most famous living opera singer.  The reason for this latest round of adulation?  Three things: Continue reading →

A familiar voice expands his reach
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Los Angeles Opera / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

A familiar voice expands his reach

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Brian Lauritzen — radio personality extraordinaire, under-appreciated cellist, and friend of All is Yar — is known primarily for his smooth, easy-going voice on Classical KUSC (that’d be 91.5FM for all of you who still listen to terrestrial radio in Southern California), as well as podcasts for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, … Continue reading →

Justifiably popular: the latest vibrant young cast inhabits Los Angeles Opera’s classic “La Bohème”
All Reviews / Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2011/2012

Justifiably popular: the latest vibrant young cast inhabits Los Angeles Opera’s classic “La Bohème”

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Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème is as popular and reliable a seat-filler as you can get in opera.  In Southern California alone, it has been programmed by both the Pacific Symphony and Los Angeles Opera within weeks of each other this spring.   It shows up so often that opera-going veterans see La Bohème on the calendar and grumble and moan … Continue reading →

LA Opera’s <i>Albert Herring</i> is a light-hearted king of a comedy
All Reviews / Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2011/2012

LA Opera’s Albert Herring is a light-hearted king of a comedy

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Quick — imagine an opera, any opera, in your head.  I’ll wait. . . . I’m guessing that you probably came up with large-bodied singers standing in one place belting out big arias in a foreign language (probably Italian, German, or French) over the strains of a big orchestra; lots of murder, suicide, rape, and … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical

Back in the LA Opera Tweet Seat saddle tonight

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I’m headed back to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion tonight to tweet-up Los Angeles Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s comedy, Albert Herring.  Things are pretty much the same as they were for Simon Boccanegra, except for two notable differences: The evening begins with a back stage, behind-the-scenes tour Photography will no longer be permitted The hashtag for … Continue reading →

LA Opera’s <i>Simon Boccanegra</i>: the view from — and of — the Tweet Seats
All Reviews / Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2011/2012

LA Opera’s Simon Boccanegra: the view from — and of — the Tweet Seats

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Los Angeles Opera’s production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra opens today, with Placido Domingo in the title role of pirate turned Doge of Genoa.   As previously mentioned, I was offered one of LA Opera’s inaugural “tweet seats” for last Wednesday’s final dress rehearsal.  Normally, I wouldn’t be writing about a rehearsal at all, let alone doing … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Opera / Music News & Info: Classical

Warming up the thumbs: LA Opera Tweet Seat, here I come

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In about two-and-a-half hours, I’ll be sitting in the Loge section of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion watching the final Los Angeles Opera dress rehearsal of Simon Boccanegra, sharing my thoughts in real time with the world, 140 characters at a time. The easiest way to follow along is to go to my twitter page:  https://twitter.com/#!/MrCKDH … Continue reading →