The late Carlo Maria Giulini, iconic Italian conductor and former Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was born 100 years ago today (May 9, 1914). In celebration, the good folks at Deutsche Grammophon are giving away a FREE download (click HERE) of the third movement of Bruckner’s 7th Symphony with Signor Giulini conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in a … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, United States of America! The typical celebratory music for the occasion would be a march by John Philip Sousa. Certainly, Sousa marches such as The Stars and Stripes Forever, The Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis, are the very definition of patriotic marches for most Americans. Of course, there are other American marches by … Continue reading
Twenty-four notes. Among the most recognizable twenty-four notes in America, regardless of genre of music one usually listens to. The history for this bugle call goes back to the Civil War. If one has spent time in any branch of the United States military, you’d most commonly hear Taps played to signal the end of … Continue reading
The mighty Chicago Symphony Orchestra is coming to California next week, their first West Coast visit in decades. The impetus for their visit is to help the San Francisco Symphony celebrate their centennial, and since they made it this far, they’re making additional stops in Costa Mesa, Palm Desert, and San Diego. The CSO Brass … Continue reading
A near-capacity crowd filled the Hollywood Bowl to the brim this past Saturday night. Gustavo Dudamel was in the house, along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and some other folks. But for once, the crowd was not really there to see The Dude. Sure, there were a few screams of “We love you, Gustavo!” but … Continue reading
It’s very easy to make fun of the French because . . . well, because they are so very French. You don’t get saddled with a nickname like “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” without having deserved it in some way, shape, or form. Still, they helped us win our nation’s independence, they shipped a nice big copper … Continue reading
Happy Independence Day, everyone! What better way to celebrate the 235th birthday of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave than with a little bit of FREE patriotic music, care of the USAF Bands [updated] . Their website offers free downloads HERE and HERE, which can come in handy if you: Are you a … Continue reading
All is Yar 