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
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
Last week, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2024 classical music summer season officially kicked off at the Hollywood Bowl with visits by conductor Elim Chan and violinist Augustin Hadelich. They brought along works by Unsuk Chin, Prokofiev, and Rimsky-Korsakov which can be challenging for any orchestra, particularly one that was barely back from a multi-week break. … Continue reading
Welcome back, dear friends. I hope the last year has treated you well. It’s good to be with you again. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic back at the Hollywood Bowl and their summer classical music subscription season officially kicking off tonight, I wanted to start the latest edition of this regular “Comings and Goings” series … Continue reading
All is Yar 