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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Veteran’s Day music, care of the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale
On this Veteran’s Day, I share with you music appropriate for Veteran’s Day by a group that is near and dear to my heart: the Cadet Chorale of the United States Air Force Academy. This video is circa 1989/1990. The whole thing is relatively short and worth watching, but I’d recommend skipping to 6:27 (click … Continue reading
Live tweeting from tonight’s final dress rehearsal of LA Opera’s Falstaff
James Conlon, Los Angeles Opera’s esteemed Music Director, makes his first appearance of the season this coming Saturday with a revival of Verdi’s Falstaff. Italian baritone Roberto Frontali plays the portly Sir John, joined by many others in this new/revamped production. The final dress rehearsal is tonight, and as has become the norm, I’ll be … Continue reading
LA Chamber Orchestra offers a full musical spectrum in latest concert
The second set of concerts in this Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra season featured the group’s typically interesting mix of old and new, familiar and unexpected. Music Director Jeffrey Kahane crafted a program featuring orchestral works by Britten and Mozart, and also generously invited two musicians to make their LACO debuts in a pair of divergent … Continue reading
Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Other classical music concerts and recitals (in So Cal and beyond)
Random thoughts on Disney Hall’s 10th birthday (first of a series): If concert halls were cars
Walt Disney Concert Hall is now officially ten years old. Within that decade, a lot has happened, and off and on during the past few weeks, I’ve been pondering the impact — both profound and innocuous — of the hall’s addition to the cultural landscape of the city and beyond. I figure I’d share them … Continue reading
Of its own time and space: Einstein on the Beach alights onto the LA Opera stage in memorable fashion
Let’s see . . . how best to put this . . . Einstein on the Beach is like ice cream. Or sex. Or Yosemite. Or that famously stinky flower that blooms at The Huntington. You can read or hear descriptions, see pictures, even watch videos, but none of these come anywhere close to experiencing … Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Fall 2013 edition)
With the start of the new Los Angeles Philharmonic season, it’s time once again to examine the current personnel situation at the orchestra. The first thing worth mentioning is that there isn’t much to mention, especially compared to previous seasons. Just eyeballing it, but it looks like the orchestra has the fewest empty chairs to … Continue reading
Frank Gehry gets the hero treatment at LA Phil season opening gala
The names on the program — Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma — were impressive, the kind that transcend classical music into the popular consciousness. The musical offering — Cage, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Adès, Mahler, Saint-Saëns — was noteworthy, both for its eclecticism and its ability to offer a diverse showcase for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Walt … Continue reading
But first, the bad news
Here in Los Angeles, we are still in the midst of celebrating season opening night concerts at L.A. Opera, L.A. Chamber Orchestra, L.A. Master Chorale, and L.A. Philharmonic, among other fine institutions. While my review of last night’s LA Phil gala is forthcoming, two sad stories from other cities remind us just how fortunate — … Continue reading
The most notorious 4 minutes & 33 seconds of — er, well, “music” — ever: Cage stories from the pros
I am going to go out a relatively short limb and say that John Cage’s 4’33” is the most famous — even infamous — work in 20th-Century classical music despite the fact that only a few musicians have actually played — or “played” (said while making air quotes with fingers) — it. The three-movement work comes with … Continue reading
A golden celebration for golden voices: LA Master Chorale struts its considerable stuff in a living tour through its legacy
Of all the resident companies at The Music Center, the Los Angeles Master Chorale is the one that truly sets LA apart from other big metros. Orchestras, opera and theatre companies, even ballets, are a dime a dozen in other performing arts centers, but no one else can claim an independent choir of such high … Continue reading
Strong vocalists overcome some hurdles in LA Opera’s season opening Carmen
The mood at Los Angeles Opera leading up to the beginning of this new season has been thoroughly buoyant, the result of a confluence of good news: After successfully dealing with a pulmonary embolism that kept him off stages and podiums all over the world, Plácido Domingo — the company’s General Director, überbaritenor, and part-time conductor — triumphantly returned to … Continue reading
LA Chamber Orchestra & Benjamin Beilman dance their way through an impressive season opener
(Publisher’s note. I’m thrilled to introduce the first-ever guest writer on All is Yar: Fiona Bryan. Fiona has a BM & MM in Violin Performance from Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and University of Missouri, respectively, and has performed in various orchestras across the country. More recently, she’s been working in marketing, PR, and … Continue reading
Live tweeting from today’s closed final dress rehearsal of LA Opera’s Carmen
As I mentioned in my previous post, Los Angeles Opera’s 2013-2014 season opens this coming Saturday with a revival of Bizet’s Carmen. Irish mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon sings the title role, joined by the excellent male duo of Brandon Jovanovich (Don Jose) and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (Escamillo), with newcomer Pretty Yende as Micaëla. The final dress rehearsal … Continue reading
Behind the scenes: notes, pictures, and even a little video from a rehearsal of LA Opera’s Carmen
Yesterday afternoon, the good folks at Los Angeles Opera opened up their doors to the media for a behind-the-scenes peek at preparations for their season opening production of Bizet’s Carmen. Christopher Koelsch (President and CEO) gave a brief welcome before Rupert Hemmings (Senior Director, Production) led us onto the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion … Continue reading
Los Angeles Philharmonic Association & LA Phil musicians sign new 4-year contract
The management and musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic sent out a joint press-release today announcing that a new four-year contract has been ratified. High points of the agreement include: · annual increases to the musicians’ minimum weekly scale wages, which, in the final year of the contract, will increase to $2968.00. (NOTE: for you … Continue reading
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