Grant Gershon and the Los Angeles Master Chorale have spent the better part of a month helping the Los Angeles Philharmonic with their Mahler Project. With their Disney Hall roommates moving on to Venezuela for the rest of the “Project,” conductor and chorus have collectively moved on in their own way without having to leave … Continue reading
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
The mighty Chicago Symphony Orchestra is coming to California next week, their first West Coast visit in decades. The impetus for their visit is to help the San Francisco Symphony celebrate their centennial, and since they made it this far, they’re making additional stops in Costa Mesa, Palm Desert, and San Diego. The CSO Brass … Continue reading
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
I recently finished jury duty, and I’ve been in a bit of a jurisprudential kinda mood ever since. Given all of the recent brouhaha about SOPA (and yes, it was definitely a brouhaha — not a kerfuffle and much bigger than a hubbub), I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been more discussion in the classical … Continue reading
The symphony orchestras of both Chicago (HERE) and St. Louis (HERE) announced their respective 2012/2013 seasons. Each was interesting and noteworthy, but in very different ways. Continue reading
The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced their 2012/2013 season today. Details can be found HERE. I haven’t had the time to peruse it in detail yet, so the bulk of my commentary is forthcoming. I did notice that the first subscription concerts for the season include: Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel, conductor Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte … Continue reading
Clearly, Mahler was a guy who liked to think and compose about death. Musical allusions to it show up in all of his works being performed as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “Mahler Project” (some may quibble about Songs of the Wayfarer, but if you’re singing about putting a red-hot knife in your breast, … Continue reading
As I mentioned in late November 2011, Nitzan Haroz — Principal Trombone of the Philadelphia Orchestra — was offered the same job with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A little over two months later, he decided to take it. Late yesterday, Peter Dobrin of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Mr. Haroz has officially accepted the position. … Continue reading
My guesses on what we’re looking at: The big sketch in the middle has got to be the stage with various characters (I count 5 on the stage). Behind and above them are two more figures, whom I think are some combination of Giovanni, the Commendatore, and/or the conductor. On the bottom right is likely … Continue reading
New York’s Lincoln Center has announced the line-up for their “Great Performers” series in the coming 2012-2013 season. Their press release (available HERE) leads by mentioning a visit by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, specifically highlighting the New York premiere of John Adams’ oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary in a staged … Continue reading
Earlier today, I received notice from the folks at Los Angeles Opera that I’ve been given one of their “tweet seats.” Not sure what that means? Here’s how they described it on their online application: We are looking for a few awesome people who are active in social media to attend the final dress … Continue reading
Originally posted on Classical Life:
Click here to see my article on the 2010-2013 season of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, announced today. photo: Clive Barda, courtesy of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County
In case you haven’t been paying close attention to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s roster (and who does, really?), the orchestra’s Assistant Principal Viola chair that had been vacant since the beginning of the 2011/2012 winter season is now filled. Ben Ullery, a former Minnesota Orchestra player who joined the LA Phil viola section just last … Continue reading
It’s that fun time of year, a time full of hopes, dreams, and possibilities. Yes, I’m talking about 2012/2013 Season Announcement, um, season. Lisa Hirsch has been tracking rumors and reality for a few weeks on her blog, Iron Tongue of Midnight; up until now, it’s been limited to opera companies. The Los Angeles Philharmonic … Continue reading
All is Yar 