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.
Latest Entries
The LA Phil returns with a Hollywood Bowl season-opening night to savor
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic returned to the Hollywood Bowl this past Thursday, their first subscription concert since pandemic restrictions had been instituted and subsequently lifted. There was a paying audience in the seats, none of whom were required to wear masks or to socially distance. Ditto for the orchestra members on stage, … Continue reading
VIDEO: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the US Army Field Band
Happy 4th of July, everyone! Enjoy this excellent rendition of my favorite arrangement (by James Neilson). 1st Lt. Alexandra Borza conducts. RELATED POSTS Musical “Fourth of July plumes” for Independence Day 2020 “Bravura,” a classic American march for July 4, 2016 For your 4th of July, music by the other American march king: Karl King Free patriotic music … Continue reading
Jaime Martin and LA Chamber Orchestra dazzle and inspire in their two-concert return
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra finally returned to the stage this past week. And there was much rejoicing (yaaaaay). These weren’t the first classical music concerts in Southern California since the US began emerging from the haze of the Covid-19 crisis. The Los Angeles Philharmonic made that happen, playing two orchestral concerts at the Hollywood … Continue reading
LA Phil extends contracts of Herbie Hancock and Thomas Wilkins
Two important artistic leaders at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association will be around for a few more years. Herbie Hancock and Thomas Wilkins both signed contract extensions with the organization. Legendary jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock will continue as Creative Chair for Jazz until at least 2023. His tenure had been set to expire at the … Continue reading
Things are looking up: LA Chamber Orchestra to re-open Walt Disney Concert Hall with free concert, extend Jaime Martin’s contract, and more
Big news from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: First, the orchestra, led by Music Director Jaime Martin, will begin playing again this summer The initial concert on Saturday, June 26, will be at Walt Disney Concert Hall It will be the first performance for a live audience at WDCH since the venue closed for the … Continue reading
REVIEW: LA Phil livestreams opening concert of 2021 Hollywood Bowl Season
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic launched its 2021 Hollywood Bowl season last night with a free concert for frontline and essential workers, their first performance for a live audience in over 14 months. Those unable or unqualified to be one of the 4,000+ in attendance could enjoy a livestream of the program via … Continue reading
LA Phil releases full details of 2021 Hollywood Bowl summer season
The other shoe has dropped. The Los Angeles Philharmonic sent an email to subscribers this morning inviting them to go to their website to view details of the 2021 summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. The full press release came about 30 minutes later. This comes a month after they announced that (a) there actually … Continue reading
A 2020 chat with Norman Pearson: the tuba player talks about his career & influences, the evolution of the LA Phil’s brass section, his preferred place to play on the Disney Hall stage, and much more
Norman Pearson played his first concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1982 as a substitute on 2nd tuba. Simon Rattle conducted The Rite of Spring. Not a bad start. He’d go on to spend most of his professional career with the LA Phil, including many more concerts as a substitute before becoming an official … Continue reading
The lost (and found?) All is Yar interviews of 2020: an open letter and prologue
Dear Reader (including those of you who’d normally only come here for orchestra audition repertoire lists, the rare operatic April Fools’ joke, or military music freebies, and especially anyone who recognizes that I’m apolitically stealing this “Dear Reader” gag from Jonah Goldberg): In the heady pre-pandemic days of February 2020, I was preparing to chat … Continue reading
Hollywood Bowl to re-open in May 2021; Dudamel/LA Phil, Thundercat & Flying Lotus, and La Santa Cecilia headline free concerts for critical workers
In the latest sign that the beginning of the end of the pandemic is in sight, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced today that the Hollywood Bowl will once again host audiences for live concerts this summer. Capacity will initially be limited to 4,000 audience members, with hopes/plans to expand that number as the summer … Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Summer 2020 edition): retirements in the time of Covid-19
Life can seem frozen during this strangest, most turbulent of years. There’s a desire to rewind and redo the past, or to fast-forward to a post-pandemic future that hopefully looks and feels like the underappreciated 2019 (or 2015 or 2000 or . . . ) of our memory. Yet time — and life — trudges … Continue reading
Musical “Fourth of July plumes” for Independence Day 2020
Happy Independence Day, everyone. I usually spend this most patriotic of American holidays immersed in the kind of music that reminds me of time spent in uniform: standing in formation, marching in parades, and passing in review. Famous cadences by Henry Filmore, E. E. Bagley, Karl King, and of course, John Philip Sousa bring up … Continue reading
2020 Hollywood Bowl summer season is officially cancelled
The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced that this summer’s Hollywood Bowl season is now officially cancelled. In an email sent to donors, LA Phil CEO Chad Smith noted that “for the first time in its almost century-long history, the Hollywood Bowl will be silent this summer.” Continue reading
Watch tonight — or stream online right now: LA Phil’s 100th Anniversary Concert on PBS “Great Performances”
Hello everyone. Long time no chat. Hope you’re all safe, healthy, and in good spirits during these challenging times. I know I’ve been mostly incommunicado, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic went full-bore crazy; alas, my other non-CKDH personae have required my attention lately. That said, I’ve been working on writing more (again). I’ve started multiple … Continue reading
My $0.02 on Gustavo Dudamel extending his LA Phil contract to 2025/26 season
It looks like “The Dude” is gonna be sticking around for a little while longer. The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced earlier today that Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra’s Music & Artistic Director, will continue in that capacity through at least the 2025/26 season. His current contract was to expire at the end of the 2021/22 season. … Continue reading
All is Yar 