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 With a world premiere of the abandoned opera, Orango, paired with the withdrawn-for-25-years Symphony No. 4, his all-Shostakovich concerts were a study of two contrasting works that had both been hidden and eventually brought to new light.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
For those of us unable to make the LA Phil’s all Gershwin gala last Tuesday, I thought I’d share this video clip of that night’s guest Principal Trumpet, Thomas Hooten, playing one of the famous solos from An American in Paris. (LINK TO THE VIDEO) Oh, wait . . . you wanted something different, perhaps … Continue reading
You know, some things just don’t get old, especially when it involves the combination of two of my favorite things: orchestras and beer. Here’s a real 2007 Australian commercial for Victoria Bitter beer starring the Melbourne Symphony and Orchestra Victoria (playing as the “Victoria Bitter Orchestra”) in a performance of “The VB Stubby Symphony.” Also … 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
I visited Texas a few months ago, driving from city to city as I made my way across the state. On the leg from Dallas to Houston, I found myself chasing one of those Texas-sized storms, the kind of which we just don’t get in California: lightning bolts flashing back and forth across the sky … 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
All is Yar 