I’m not able to make any concerts this week due to various conflicts, but that shouldn’t keep any of you from going, nor should it keep me from talking about them. . . . Hollywood Bowl, Week 2 The Los Angeles Philharmonic second week of summer classical concerts were programmed similarly to the way Week … Continue reading
Category Archives: Music News & Info: Classical
Of wine and white jackets, composing women and killer whales: the start of the 2012 Hollywood Bowl season
It was time for musicians to break out their summer whites and for the audiences to try to not roll empty bottles of wine down concrete steps. That’s right: I’m talking about summer at the Hollywood Bowl. After a few concerts of playing back-up band to Barry Manilow, the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened the classical … Continue reading
LA Phil is gonna need a new Principal Flute — again
In May 2010, a few months after Mathieu Dufour decided to return to his old chair in Chicago, the Los Angeles Philharmonic held auditions for a new Principal Flute to replace him. They ended up offering the position to David Buck, then principal with the Oregon Symphony, without requiring any kind of trial period. Fast … Continue reading
Musical and visual delights for your Independence Day
Happy Birthday, United States of America! The typical celebratory music for the occasion would be a march by John Philip Sousa. Certainly, Sousa marches such as The Stars and Stripes Forever, The Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis, are the very definition of patriotic marches for most Americans. Of course, there are other American marches by … Continue reading
Appointments / Auditions & Appointments / Music News & Info: Classical / Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond)
A tale of two percussionists and the Boston Symphony (updated)
An article in Boston magazine recently posted on their website tells the tale of two percussionists and their attempts to join the Boston Symphony. The bulk of the story follows Michael Tetreault, a Colorado musician who is trying to fill one of the two vacancies in the BSO’s percussion section. There is also time spent with Lee Vinson, … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, “All is Yar”
Exactly one year ago today, All is Yar was born. Many heartfelt thanks to the musicians, writers, composers, music fans, wine drinkers, mixology enthusiasts, and all of you who have read and continue to read my reviews and musings. In the past year, this blog has grown bigger and faster than I would have imagined. It’s … Continue reading
Results from LA Phil’s recent 2nd Horn audition
No official announcement from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but it looks like their recent Second Horn audition was won by Gregory Roosa. Mr. Roosa is currently horn player with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He joined that orchestra in 2003 after having held similar positions with the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra and the Colorado Symphony. … Continue reading
Happy Birthday to the great Martha Argerich
“Great” is an often overused and mis-applied word, but is unquestionably appropriate in describing Martha Argerich. The great Argentinian pianist was born on June 5, 1941, which makes her 71 years old today. Her appearances are always events, partly because they are relatively rare. Every few years, her name comes up on a local program, … Continue reading
RIP, Eduard Khil (aka Mr. Trololo)
The sad news has come from St. Petersburg, Russia, that Eduard Khil has died. He had suffered a stroke in late May and been in critical condition since then. He was 77 years old. The Soviet baritone is best known in the West as “Mr. Trololo” after a video he filmed in 1976 went viral … Continue reading
All Reviews / Los Angeles Master Chorale / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2011/2012
Forgive them for they know not what they do: Adams & Sellars over-reach with “The Gospel According to the Other Mary”
For their season finale, the Los Angeles Philharmonic ordered up a world premiere of a major new work from John Adams, their Creative Chair and one of the most prominent American composers currently living. Once again, the orchestra was thinking big and taking risks. You’ve gotta appreciate their moxy. Audentes fortuna juvat — “Fortune favors the … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Richard Goode
The distinguished American pianist turns 69 years old today. Click HERE to read my review of his performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic earlier this season, and watch the video excerpt below of him giving a master class at Bard College Conservatory in 2009. RELATED POST: The world we live in, and life in general: … Continue reading
Is “The Gospel According to the Other Mary” mis-named?
I’m killing time before this evening’s Los Angeles Philharmonic concert by drinking an old fashioned — a really good one, BTW, care of the bartender at the Omni Hotel near Walt Disney Concert Hall. Anyways, I started thinking about tonight’s world premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a modern bit of social … Continue reading
Who’ll be the next LA Phil Principal Cello? Two finalists emerge
The Los Angeles Philharmonic recently held auditions to find a new Principal Cello to replace Peter Stumpf, whose name still appears on their roster as being “On Leave” but who hasn’t been with the orchestra all season. The required repertoire list for the audition included some excerpts that would be expected (Haydn Concerto, Don Quixote, La … Continue reading
On Memorial Day, a musical tribute to those who died wearing the uniform
Twenty-four notes. Among the most recognizable twenty-four notes in America, regardless of genre of music one usually listens to. The history for this bugle call goes back to the Civil War. If one has spent time in any branch of the United States military, you’d most commonly hear Taps played to signal the end of … Continue reading
LA Phil’s history with Mozart’s Posthorn Serenade
Following up regarding my last post about Friday night’s Los Angeles Philharmonic concert, here’s one extra little tidbit about Mozart’s Posthorn Serenade and the orchestra: As stated in both printed and online version of the program notes, the first performance was March 26, 1942, with George Szell conducting. Until this season, the most recent performance … Continue reading
All is Yar 