On this date in 1865, Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer and nationalist, was born. In his honor, below is a brief excerpt of his Second Symphony played by the Gothenburg Symphony, conducted by their Music Director, Gustavo Dudamel. If you want to hear the whole thing, here’s also a live recording of the whole Second Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Esa-Pekka Salonen
Fashionably late: Salonen and the LA Phil take on lost-and-found Shostakovich
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 With a world premiere of the abandoned opera, Orango, paired with the withdrawn-for-25-years Symphony No. 4, his all-Shostakovich concerts were a study of two contrasting works that had both been hidden and eventually brought to new light.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
Gustavo Dudamel and new music: some comparisons to Salonen (Part Two of an ongoing series)
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
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Listening to “Sirens” without being tied to a mast: Salonen and the LA Phil with Ax, Hillborg, and Beethoven
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
Quick hits on a Tuesday
First and foremost, many thanks to Timothy Mangan, esteemed music critic and muppet fan extraordinaire, for adding “All is Yar” to the blogroll of ClassicalLife.net. As much as I appreciate his wry sense of humor when covering popular culture, I continue to hold out hope that the editors and publishers of the Orange County Register … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Esa-Pekka!
As we await the final results from the XIV Tchaikovsky International Competition, let me take a moment and wish Esa-Pekka Salonen a very happy birthday. The Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic turns 53 today. Continue reading
Orchestra programming: some are just better at it than others
After spending some time chatting on Tim Mangan’s blog about how the Pacific Symphony chose to put together its 2011-2012 season, I was reminded of a little contest that Sam Bergman and Sarah Hicks of the Minnesota Orchestra decided to hold a couple of years ago. The concept, in short, was to “put yourself in … Continue reading
Dawn Upshaw leads Ojai Festival 2011
I remember June 1999, the first time I went to Ojai for its annual Music Festival: Esa-Pekka Salonen was festival Music Director that year and was being joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and many of his famous friends, including fellow Finns Anssi Kartunnen, Magnus Lindberg, and Olli Mustonen. While those folks represented many good … Continue reading
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