Esa-Pekka Salonen was back for his second week with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. With a world premiere of the abandoned opera, Orango, paired with the withdrawn-for-25-years Symphony No. 4, his all-Shostakovich concerts were a study of two contrasting works that had both been hidden and eventually brought to new light. To add to the lost-and-found theme, E-P himself … Continue reading
With Esa-Pekka Salonen returning for a second weekend to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s podium, and with me trying to kill an hour before tonight’s all-Shostakovich program begins at Walt Disney Concert Hall, I thought it was time to fulfill a promise I made in a prior discussion; namely, to compare Mr. Salonen’s penchant for conducting … Continue reading
Esa-Pekka Salonen is back, and there is much rejoicing. All the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Conductor Laureate had to do was merely walk on stage Sunday afternoon, and the applause was enthusiastic and loud cheers were already audible. He didn’t disappoint. The first series of his two week stint was vintage Salonen. Continue reading
Just a few months ago, the Los Angeles Philharmonic made a fairly big splash in the brass world by offering the soon-to-be-vacant (in 2012) Principal Trumpet chair to Thomas Hooten, currently principal of the Atlanta Symphony. Now it seems they’re doing it again, this time to fill the position of Principal Trombone. Multiple sources have … Continue reading
On paper, Sunday afternoon’s concerts belonged to conductor Emmanuelle Haïm. The reality was that and much more. Ms. Haïm dominated the concert. Many musicians had solo turns of one sort or another, and two — oboist Ariana Ghez and recorder player (or is it recordist?) Rotem Gilbert — even played front and center. Yet when it was … Continue reading
Irving Geller, former Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and first violin with the orchestra from 1951-1999, passed away on November 16, 2011. He was 85 years old. Mr. Geller joined the LA Phil as one of its youngest members after having served as Assistant Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony for three years. … Continue reading
If you think that the number of helicopters visiting the Hollywood Bowl mid-concert has been increasing, you’re not the only one. In today’s Los Angeles Times, Deborah Borda (Los Angeles Philharmonic President) says: “It’s always been a problem, but now it’s every concert. Not almost every concert, but every concert, multiple times. And it … Continue reading
Yuja Wang is the real deal. If there was any doubt that might have crept in as to whether or not she was a “serious” pianist and/or musician based on a spate of recent cancellations and a critic’s unfortunate comments about her attire at the Hollywood Bowl, let them be put to rest after this … Continue reading
I almost always go to classical music concerts because I feel I must see/hear something on the program: a certain composer or his work, a soloist, maybe even a conductor. Other times it’s because I’m curious about a world premiere of a new work or a performer I’ve never heard before. This past Sunday at … Continue reading
“Let’s rrrrock this place.” Gustavo Dudamel wasn’t talking about the Prokofiev 5th Symphony when he made that comment from the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall, but he could have been. In fact, he should have been. On a Friday night when the performance of a newly commisioned work for electric cello should have provided … Continue reading
Just got this email from the Los Angeles Philharmonic: Yefim Bronfman, who was scheduled to play with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall October 13th, 14th and 15th, has fractured a finger and been forced to withdraw from these performances. Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 will be replaced by Suite No. 2 … Continue reading
A smattering of things to bring up: Forgot to mention . . . I was remiss in leaving this weekend’s Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concerts off my previous post of less-publicized upcoming concerts. Jeffrey Kahane and crew will be doing the Beethoven 3rd Symphony (“Eroica”) along with the Dvořák Nocturne in B major. Adding to the … Continue reading
After Friday night’s Los Angeles Philharmonic concert, I had separate communications with two distinguished gentlemen about where that particular performance of Symphonie fantastique ranked among all of the others they had experienced. Interestingly enough, I realized I couldn’t name a single favorite – no individual performance of the Berlioz standard stood out in my mind, … Continue reading
For those of us unable to make the LA Phil’s all Gershwin gala last Tuesday, I thought I’d share this video clip of that night’s guest Principal Trumpet, Thomas Hooten, playing one of the famous solos from An American in Paris. (LINK TO THE VIDEO) Oh, wait . . . you wanted something different, perhaps … Continue reading
There is a point in the last movement of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique when funeral bells loudly toll and announce the beginning of a dance of witches. The ominous three note sequence repeats — forte, then piano — and continues on as the tubas begin playing the Dies Irae from the old Roman Catholic mass for … Continue reading
All is Yar 