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
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
The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s all-Gershwin season opening gala may have occured many months ago, but PBS’s “Great Performances” is only now getting around to broadcasting the video from the concert — most of it, anyway. Better late (and abridged) than never. The first broadcast is this evening at 6pm Pacific Time (on KPBS and PBS … Continue reading
An interesting, if not deeply revelatory, article in the Wall Street Journal was posted about how orchestras cope when conductors or soloists cancel due to illness. Chad Smith, Los Angeles Philharmonic Vice President for Artistic Planning, is quoted liberally throughout. The article makes a point of mentioning that replacements are often harder to find for … Continue reading
The great German composer was born on this date in 1770. In his honor, please enjoy the iconic first movement from his Fifth Symphony, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by the incomparable Carlo Maria Giulini. If you typically associate Maestro Giulini with interpretations that lean towards the broad and spacious, you may be … Continue reading
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
All is Yar 