Last Friday, Carl St.Clair and the Pacific Symphony took on two seemingly disparate giants of the orchestral repertoire, Johann Sebastian Bach and Gustav Mahler. The program notes mentioned Mahler’s interest in Bach’s counterpoint during the time he wrote his Fifth Symphony, spurring the creation of some contrapuntal elements of the score. It made sense in … Continue reading
Los Angeles Opera’s latest production of Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola) which debuted this past Saturday has everything you’d want in a comic opera: an excellent cast that can sing and act well, a clever production, and a great sense of humor. The story might not be told exactly the way you know it — the evil step-mother … Continue reading
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is in the midst of the continental European leg of its tour to London, Lucerne, Paris, and New York. Reviews of concerts in London have been consistent in their high praise of the orchestra’s performance and sound in the fairly adventurous repertoire they have taken on the road. On balance, they … Continue reading
Good chemistry between a conductor and orchestra is a difficult thing to predict or explain, but as former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart might say, I know it when I see it. And I know I saw — and heard — it this past Monday night when David Robertson brought the St. Louis Symphony into … Continue reading
Just got the announcement from our friends at Southwest Chamber Music detailing the four concert Summer Season they’ll be offering at The Huntington. I like it. A nice mix of old and new, rare and familiar. Stravinsky under the stars? Check. Britten Anniversary? Check. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik? Check Works by living composers Oliver Knussen and … Continue reading
In an ideal world, I would have been able to see all four concerts that formed the “LA International New Music Festival 2013” presented by Southwest Chamber Music; alas, life often gets in the way. Thankfully, after multiple thwarted attempts to make my way out to The Colburn School for the festival, I was able … Continue reading
I was very happy to see this very promising information show up in my inbox this afternoon: The Los Angeles Master Chorale announced their 2013/2014 season, a year which celebrates a pair of anniversaries: 50 years since it’s founding by the legendary Roger Wagner as one of the Los Angeles Music Center’s resident companies. 10 … Continue reading
“I think that Debussy is, perhaps, the most important composer of this century. I also happen to think that today, the future of classical music has a lot to do with Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and less to do with Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. The relationship between Debussy and Stravinsky is particularly interesting. First of all, … Continue reading
Once again, the nice folks at Los Angeles Opera have invited me and the rest of the distinguished usual suspects to share our insightful observations, witty opinions, and occasional double entendres at the final dress rehearsal of one of their productions — 140 characters at a time. Tonight’s fun: The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner. … Continue reading
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has begun presenting to local audiences the programs they will be taking on tour, all of which include music exclusively from the 20th and 21st Century. London, Lucerne, Paris, and New York get the two big programs: one featuring works by Vivier, Debussy, and Stravinsky; the other with John Adams’s massive oratorio, The … Continue reading
The folks at “Jacaranda, Music on the Edge” are on a bit of a roll. The seats at Santa Monica’s First Presbyterian Church (AKA “First Preb”) were almost all full and the crowd was enthusiastic. The program, billed as “Thresholds: The Scandals of 1912-13” was chock-a-block with works from the Second Viennese School; however, in … Continue reading
Gustavo Dudamel returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic podium for the first time since October 14, 2012. Most of the next few weeks will be devoted to preparing programs for the orchestra’s upcoming tour to Europe and New York, but this past weekend’s concerts were not going to be played out of town. On paper, … Continue reading
Sad news comes that pianist Van Cliburn has passed away this morning in Fort Worth, TX. He was 78 years old. I was a Van Cliburn fan from an early age. He was the first world-class pianist I ever knew by name, thanks to my parents owning his LP (yes, vinyl 33-1/3) of Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody … Continue reading
Charles Dutoit’s annual visits to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic have become a highlight of every season, and his residency this year was more of the glorious same. Adding to the joy was the chance to see and hear him conduct something other than the FrancoRussian rut he has been in during the past seven … Continue reading
As promised, I did my best to tweet details of the upcoming Los Angeles Philharmonic 2013/2014 season. That said, I’m sure there are those among you who didn’t follow along for whatever reason — perhaps you were otherwise occupied, or maybe you just don’t do that newfangled Twitter thing, or the dog ate your homework. … Continue reading
All is Yar 