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
Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and Festivus — all of their latest editions are now a distant memory. Perhaps it passed by and you didn’t get the CD you had secretly hoped for. Or maybe you’ve got an Amazon gift card and you’ve decided that you should really stop accumulating novels about forlorn vampires that … Continue reading
Visitors to The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum last Tuesday, December 3rd, were given a surprise holiday musical treat, care of the excellent musicians of The Air Force Band. Fortunately for us, it was captured on video so we can all enjoy it (watch it below). You’re welcome. http://mrc-tv.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/default/files/videos/converted/125668.mp4 Continue reading
A gallery of photos (all taken by yours truly) from the November 5th performance of Invisible Cities (composed by Chris Cerrone, directed by Yuval Sharon, and presented by The Industry.) My review of the performance is HERE. As always, click on any of the thumbnails below to open up a full screen version of the image. … Continue reading
Yuval Sharon and the intrepid team at “The Industry” have done it again. Last year, they raised operatic hell with their innovative conceptualization of Anne LeBaron’s Crescent City. This year, their take on Chris Cerrone’s Invisible Cities has an entirely different vibe, but is innovative in its own way. Invisible Cities is one of those artistic … Continue reading
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal trumpet, David Bilger, has many outlets for sharing his experience and wisdom with other musicians: he has his own blog, he has teaching positions at The Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University, and he just wrapped up a two-year stint as “William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professor in the … Continue reading
Happy 100th birthday, Benjamin Britten!! As I mentioned yesterday, photographer Brandise Danesewich and I will be spending the whole day with James Conlon, Los Angeles Opera’s Music Director, as he prepares to rehearse, then conduct, two different FREE concerts today. Follow along #DaywithConlon via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram — or just check the new widget I … Continue reading
This entire year, Los Angeles Opera has been spearheading a city-wide celebration of Benjamin Britten’s centenary: “Britten 100/LA.” Front and center at many concerts, presentations, and events has been their Music Director, James Conlon. Britten’s actual 100th birthday is tomorrow: Friday, Nov 22, 2013. Mr. Conlon will be spending the day scooting across the city: running … Continue reading
After the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s rousing season opening gala, Music Director Grant Gershon decided to trot out a familiar crowd-pleaser for its second weekend of concerts: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. For some, the cantata has worn out its welcome long ago, but for others — myself included — it remains an entertainingly addictive thrill-ride … Continue reading
On this Veteran’s Day, I share with you music appropriate for Veteran’s Day by a group that is near and dear to my heart: the Cadet Chorale of the United States Air Force Academy. This video is circa 1989/1990. The whole thing is relatively short and worth watching, but I’d recommend skipping to 6:27 (click … Continue reading
James Conlon, Los Angeles Opera’s esteemed Music Director, makes his first appearance of the season this coming Saturday with a revival of Verdi’s Falstaff. Italian baritone Roberto Frontali plays the portly Sir John, joined by many others in this new/revamped production. The final dress rehearsal is tonight, and as has become the norm, I’ll be … Continue reading
The second set of concerts in this Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra season featured the group’s typically interesting mix of old and new, familiar and unexpected. Music Director Jeffrey Kahane crafted a program featuring orchestral works by Britten and Mozart, and also generously invited two musicians to make their LACO debuts in a pair of divergent … Continue reading
Walt Disney Concert Hall is now officially ten years old. Within that decade, a lot has happened, and off and on during the past few weeks, I’ve been pondering the impact — both profound and innocuous — of the hall’s addition to the cultural landscape of the city and beyond. I figure I’d share them … Continue reading
Let’s see . . . how best to put this . . . Einstein on the Beach is like ice cream. Or sex. Or Yosemite. Or that famously stinky flower that blooms at The Huntington. You can read or hear descriptions, see pictures, even watch videos, but none of these come anywhere close to experiencing … Continue reading
With the start of the new Los Angeles Philharmonic season, it’s time once again to examine the current personnel situation at the orchestra. The first thing worth mentioning is that there isn’t much to mention, especially compared to previous seasons. Just eyeballing it, but it looks like the orchestra has the fewest empty chairs to … Continue reading
All is Yar 