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Music Review: SIBELIUS AND SWAN LAKE (LA Phil; Hilary Hahn, violinist; Alpesh Chauhan, conductor)
Yesterday at Walt Disney Concert Hall conductor Alpesh Chauhan, making his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut, began with Saad Haddad’s new piece, Aysheen (عايشين), or “living” in Arabic, an LA Phil commission which received its first performances over the weekend. Aysheen begins with the bass drum thumping a soft heartbeat, soon joined by droning cellos and basses,…
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Opera Review: STAR CHOIR (World Premiere by The Industry at Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles)
WHAT’S NEXT, TURANDOT AT THE SPHINX? Space pageantry reaches new heights inside Mt. Wilson Observatory’s 100-inch telescope. The experimental opera company The Industry is known for their innovative productions, held in unconventional locations. There was Hopscotch — a “mobile opera” that ferried audience members between the LA River, Bradbury building, an Airstream, and in…
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Music Review: STRAVINSKY AND SHOSTAKOVICH WITH DUDAMEL (Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason; Conductor Gustavo Dudamel; LA Phil at Disney Hall)
AN UNEQUIVACABLE TRIUMPH FOR LA PHIL… AND MY MOTHER The strains of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 have forever held a special place in my heart. It is a sentimentality rooted in a rather extraordinary moment of my own origin, an occurrence forever entwined with the ethereal melodies of this masterpiece. On that fateful December…
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Event | Music Review: 66th MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL (September 22-24, 2023)
With five stages going strong, the 66th Monterey Jazz Festival was in full swing September 22-24, 2023. And I do mean “swing”! As if to celebrate Artistic Director Tim Jackson, who steps down as artistic director after 33 years, the crowd socialized like it was a block party. With a superb combination of old-school pros…
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Highly Recommended Concert: BEETHOVEN’S NINTH (Boston Baroque)
Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9 is not only Beethoven’s final complete symphony but also one of his most well-known works. The piece’s fourth movement includes adapted text from “Ode to Joy,” a poem by Friedrich Schiller, and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” melody has become a popular humanist anthem (so catchy it was used as the theme for…
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Opera Interview: ANTHONY LEÒN (Now Appearing in LA Opera’s “Don Giovanni”)
Anthony Leòn, a 27-year-old tenor of American-Cuban and Columbian descent, hails from Riverside, California. His journey into the world of opera is nothing short of remarkable, marked by a childhood infused with musical influences. Leòn’s early connection with music blossomed when, at the tender age of two, he memorized Luciano Pavarotti’s iconic aria “La Donna…
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Chicago Opera Review: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (Lyric Opera)
HAUNTED DUTCHMAN HERALDS HALLOWEEN SEASON A bold choice with which to open the opera and Halloween seasons, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman hits all the right notes and sets a spooky tone. From the composer’s magnificent and moody overture to the opera’s mythological subject (inspired by the Wandering Jew of legend), this Lyric production packs a…
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Recommended Jazz Music: BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB AND THEATER (October, 2023)
WHERE THE RHYTHM SWOOPS AND SWIRLS, THIS IS THE JAZZ CORNER OF THE WORLD There is so much excitement this month at Birdland Jazz Club on 44th near Times Square — it’s becoming even more of a hotspot than it used to be. Now when I attend, shows are PACKED. This sophisticated, intimate club hosts…
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Opera Interview: GUANQUN YU, SOPRANO (Now Appearing in LA Opera’s Don Giovanni)
Renowned Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu has firmly established herself as a frequent guest performer on the grand stages of opera houses across Europe and America. Her remarkable journey from studying the accordion and aspiring to become a music teacher in her homeland of China to gracing the world’s most prestigious opera venues is nothing short of…
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Opera Interview: LUCAS MEACHEM (Now Appearing in LA Opera’s DON GIOVANNI)
HE’S SMOOTH. HE’S A BARIHUNK. HE’S DON JUAN. MEET LUCAS MEACHEM. Baritone Lucas Meachem, now appearing in LA Opera’s Don Giovanni, was born on June 11, 1978, in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. He initially pursued his passion for singing through Karaoke before venturing into the world of opera. Meachem’s educational journey in music took him…
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Music: SETTING THE STAGE: SPEAKER PLACEMENT AND ACOUSTICS FOR KARAOKE
Karaoke parties are a great way to have fun with friends or family! However, don’t let the excitement of singing along to your favorite songs overshadow the importance of setting up the perfect sound stage. From finding an appropriate spot to set up speakers to taking acoustics into consideration, there are plenty of important details…
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Opera Review: DON GIOVANNI (Los Angeles Opera)
A DON GIOVANNI FOR THE #METOO ERA Mozart‘s Don Giovanni — which opened last night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — is considered a masterpiece due to its exceptional musical composition, complex characters, well-crafted dramatic structure, emotional depth, cultural relevance, enduring themes, and its influence on subsequent operatic works. Its ability to engage audiences both…
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Jazz Concert Review: BUDDY GUY & CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM (The Hollywood Bowl)
BLUES NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL On a Wednesday night, the Hollywood Bowl showcased two giants of the blues, representing its storied past and its potential future. Buddy Guy, the last of the veteran greats, was the main attraction while Christone Ingram (known as Kingfish) showed that the blues will not run out of gas…
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Recommended: LONG BEACH OPERA (2024 Season)
THE 2024 LONG BEACH OPERA SEASON Season tickets now on sale at longbeachopera.org ISOLAMusic by Alyssa WeinbergPoetry by J. Mae BarizoWORLD PREMIERECompound, Long Beach1395 Coronado Ave, Long Beach, CA 90804February 3,10 and 11 2024All performances at 7:30 PMGeorge R. Miller, Director (LBO directorial debut)Lucy Yates, Music DirectorAriadne Greif, Soprano ISOLA is a prismatic meditation on time,…
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Music Preview: LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (Matthew Kraemer’s Inaugural Season)
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Matthew Kraemer begins Inaugural Season Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at lpomusic.com or by calling Patron Services at 504-523-6530. Kraemer’s Upcoming Season Highlights Thursday, September 14, 2023 | 7:30 PM Opening Night Matthew Kraemer, Conductor Stacy Garrop: Song of Orpheus Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber…
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Streaming Classical: YUJA WANG, DUDAMEL & LA PHIL (Rachmaninoff’s Four Piano Concertos & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini)
Amazing Performances of Rachmaninoff’s Four Piano Concertos & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Recorded Live at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Yuja Wang are now available streaming for free The Los Angeles Philharmonic today released a free Sound/Stage series — a six-episode online cycle of Rachmaninoff 150, performed by Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel and…
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Recommended Jazz Album: MORE THAN YOU KNOW (Silva & Steini)
A SOOTHING YET UPLIFTING COLLECTION OF STANDARDS IS LOVELY — MORE THAN YOU KNOW Peaceful, lush, lovely, luminous, unhurried, timeless, and distinct, the debut album from Icelandic duo Silva & Steini, More Than You Know is proof of the pure magic in truly inspired song interpretation. Over the course of eight spellbinding tracks, Reykjavík-based musicians…
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Opera Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (Pacific Opera Project at The Ford)
THE BARBER OF HOLLYWOOD Last Friday, a beautiful night at The Ford amphitheater in the Cahuenga pass, Pacific Opera Project presented a one-night-only performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. As with earlier productions, POP has given The Barber of Seville a decidedly local vibe, relocating the opera’s setting from 17th-century Spain to 1980s glam…
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Music Review: HIAISHI & LA MER (Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl)
The sold-out performance at the Hollywood Bowl, led by the multi-talented Joe Hisaishi, was an unforgettable evening that showcased the brilliance of Hisaishi’s compositions and the exceptional talent of the orchestra. As a composer known for his work on numerous film scores, particularly those in collaboration with renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, Hisaishi brought his distinct…
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Concert Review: BROADWAY ROMANCE (San Diego Symphony at the Rady Shell)
On Friday, August 25th, attendees were treated to Broadway Romance, a delightful evening filled with romantic Broadway melodies at the Rady Shell. Situated in the heart of San Diego, California, the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park stands as a cutting-edge open-air concert venue. Nestled within the expansive Embarcadero Marina Park South, it graces the waterfront,…
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