REVIEW: Paavo Järvi opens eyes and ears with latest LA Phil appearance
You still pondering who could be the next Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic? Paavo Järvi has entered the chat.
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My $0.02 on the LA Phil’s 2014-15 Walt Disney Concert Hall season and 2014 Hollywood Bowl season
Yesterday, the good folks at the Los Angeles Philharmonic made public the plans for the upcoming 2014-15 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall (details available HERE). This comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of the coming 2014 summer season at the Hollywood Bowl (HERE are details of that). Unlike last year, there was … Continue reading
Frank Almond, Milwaukee Symphony Concertmaster, recovering after being assaulted and robbed of “Lipinski” Stradivarius
Violinist Frank Almond, Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, was assaulted late Monday evening, Jan 27, following a performance at Wisconsin Lutheran College. According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn stated at a news conference Tuesday that Mr. Almond was attacked with a stun gun and robbed of the instrument he … Continue reading
Ojai Music Festival announces Music Directors for next three seasons
Ojai Music Festival Artistic Director Tom Morris and the other good folks on his team are still ramping up for this summer’s fun, featuring pianist (and blogger) Jeremy Denk as Music Director. But that didn’t stop them from giving us a little advanced notice about who’ll be taking the reigns in the future. According to the … Continue reading
Spending time with Grant Gershon (Part 1 of 2): how a pianist and conducting skeptic became a choral maestro
“Bach’s B-minor Mass? Wow. That is the mountaintop,” says Grant Gershon. He should know. When it comes to choral music in Southern California, likely even the entire country, there isn’t a more prominent musician than the man who is both Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Resident Conductor & Chorus Master of … Continue reading
Trading (perhaps treading?) on the family name: Alexis Gershwin releases a new CD
George Gershwin is one of my favorite composers, easily in my top three if not my absolute favorite of all time. His classical music compositions, harmonically and rhythmically complex yet thoroughly lyrical and organic-sounding, were so inimitable and uniquely formed that both Maurice Ravel and Arnold Schoenberg refused to give him composition lessons on … Continue reading
LA Opera announces 2014/2015 season (UPDATED): Conlon leads “Figaro” trilogy; Domingo to play “Germont” in La Traviata
Los Angeles Opera announced their 2014/2015 season today. After browsing the press release (seen in its entirety below), here are my top of mind thoughts and observations: A little surprised that the number of main stage productions is still at six (well, seven productions if you count the double bill as two separate operas). That … Continue reading
All Reviews / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Los Angeles Master Chorale / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond) / Reviews 2013/2014
Four musical gifts you should give yourself if you didn’t get them during the holidays
Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and Festivus — all of their latest editions are now a distant memory. Perhaps it passed by and you didn’t get the CD you had secretly hoped for. Or maybe you’ve got an Amazon gift card and you’ve decided that you should really stop accumulating novels about forlorn vampires that … Continue reading
Video of Air Force Band’s holiday music flash mob at The Smithsonian
Visitors to The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum last Tuesday, December 3rd, were given a surprise holiday musical treat, care of the excellent musicians of The Air Force Band. Fortunately for us, it was captured on video so we can all enjoy it (watch it below). You’re welcome. http://mrc-tv.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/default/files/videos/converted/125668.mp4 Continue reading
Dave Brubeck’s birthday
David Warren Brubeck, legendary jazz pianist/composer and native Californian known better to the world as “Dave,” was born on December 6, 1920. If he were still with us, he would have turned 93 years old today. Sadly, he passed away last year just one day shy of his 92nd birthday. Earlier in 2013, an all-star … Continue reading
More photos from Invisible Cities at Union Station
A gallery of photos (all taken by yours truly) from the November 5th performance of Invisible Cities (composed by Chris Cerrone, directed by Yuval Sharon, and presented by The Industry.) My review of the performance is HERE. As always, click on any of the thumbnails below to open up a full screen version of the image. … Continue reading
All Reviews / Architecture / Music News & Info: Classical / Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond) / Reviews 2013/2014
A million miles away, everywhere at once: Invisible Cities is an opera that embodies the LA experience
Yuval Sharon and the intrepid team at “The Industry” have done it again. Last year, they raised operatic hell with their innovative conceptualization of Anne LeBaron’s Crescent City. This year, their take on Chris Cerrone’s Invisible Cities has an entirely different vibe, but is innovative in its own way. Invisible Cities is one of those artistic … Continue reading
David Bilger on audition prep & what made the difference when he got Philly’s Principal Trumpet chair
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal trumpet, David Bilger, has many outlets for sharing his experience and wisdom with other musicians: he has his own blog, he has teaching positions at The Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University, and he just wrapped up a two-year stint as “William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professor in the … Continue reading
Today’s schedule for my #DaywithConlon filled with FREE Britten 100th Birthday fun
Happy 100th birthday, Benjamin Britten!! As I mentioned yesterday, photographer Brandise Danesewich and I will be spending the whole day with James Conlon, Los Angeles Opera’s Music Director, as he prepares to rehearse, then conduct, two different FREE concerts today. Follow along #DaywithConlon via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram — or just check the new widget I … Continue reading
I’ll be celebrating Britten’s 100th b-day all day Friday with James Conlon — seriously #DaywithConlon
This entire year, Los Angeles Opera has been spearheading a city-wide celebration of Benjamin Britten’s centenary: “Britten 100/LA.” Front and center at many concerts, presentations, and events has been their Music Director, James Conlon. Britten’s actual 100th birthday is tomorrow: Friday, Nov 22, 2013. Mr. Conlon will be spending the day scooting across the city: running … Continue reading
Wafna! LA Master Chorale’s fortunes remain high with grand renditions of Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Te Deum
After the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s rousing season opening gala, Music Director Grant Gershon decided to trot out a familiar crowd-pleaser for its second weekend of concerts: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. For some, the cantata has worn out its welcome long ago, but for others — myself included — it remains an entertainingly addictive thrill-ride … Continue reading
All is Yar 