Areas We Cover
Categories
Music
-
Opera Review: THE CAMP (JACCC Aratani Theatre in L.A.)
A PROMISING AND AMBITIOUS THE CAMP Los Angeles has had a flurry of new operas within the past few years. Among the most promising and ambitious I’ve seen is The Camp, by Lionelle Hamanaka (libretto) and Daniel Kessner (music), which just had a two-weekend run at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center Aratani Theatre….
-
Concert Review: VIENNA PHILHARMONIC (Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Yefim Bronfman, pianist; Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa)
The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt. — Karl Kraus Of the world’s major orchestras, few are more traditional than the Vienna Philharmonic, which performed its first concert in 1842. It has had no music director for many years, another of its distinguishing features. The outcome is…
-
Concert Review: LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (Yunchan Lim, piano; Antonio Pappano, conductor; Philharmonic Society of Orange County)
A NIGHT OF THUNDER AND ELEGANCE Presented by Philharmonic Society of Orange County, the London Symphony Orchestra, among the most disciplined and savagely expressive classical orchestras in the world, arrived in Costa Mesa at Segerstrom Concert Hall on Feb. 19, 2024, with Antonio Pappano conducting and a young firebrand at the keyboard. Yunchan Lim, the…
-
Concert Review: SHOENBERG’S “PIERROT LUNAIRE” (Camerata Pacifica)
Camerata Pacifica began its February program at the Huntington Library with Lara Morciano’s Embedding Tangles, with flutist Sébastian Jacot, who premiered the piece in 2014. I don’t often get to hear works for solo flute, so this sounded promising. Alas, my initial excitement was instantly killed when we got attacked by a torrent of notes…
-
Opera Review: EL RELICARIO DE LOS ANIMALES (1979) (Long Beach Opera at Heritage Square Museum)
THE WHINE OF THE ANIMALS Long Beach Opera continued its season-long devotion to the work of Pauline Oliveros with El Relicario De Los Animales (The Shrine of the Animals), from 1979, with two performances last weekend at Heritage Square Museum, an open-air gem with eight Victorian-era buildings. Sara Andon and Sidney Hopson But before the…
-
Concert Review: BEETHOVEN & ROMANTICISM (Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 [Eroica]; Boston Symphony Orchestra)
THE PROGRESSION OF BEETHOVEN OVERCOMING ADVERSITY Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is seen as not only one of the world’s great composers but also a bridge from the classical musical traditions of Mozart and Haydn to the romanticism of successors such as Johannes Brahms. Andris Nelsons conducts Beethoven Symphony No. 1 with the BSO While never…
-
Album Review: THE OLD COUNTRY: MORE FROM THE DEER HEAD INN (Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian)
MORE DEER HEAD HIGHLIGHTS The Deer Head Inn is an historic jazz club in Pennsylvania’s Delaware Water Gap region, and it played a significant role in Jarrett’s early career. In the 1950s, pianist Keith Jarrett performed at Allentown, PA’s Deer Head Inn as a teenager, a venue pivotal to his musical growth. In 1961, it…
-
Highly Recommended Concert: FOUR SEASONS AND STRAUSS (Pacific Symphony at Segerstrom Concert Hall)
MORE STRAUSS, LESS STRESS, INDEED Pacific Symphony rings in the New Year January 9-11 at 8 with Four Seasons and Strauss, featuring two inspiring masterpieces that are sure to uplift and calm the spirit. First, Concertmaster Dennis Kim takes the virtuosic solo role playing plays the 1701 ex-Dushkin Stradivarius to lead Vivaldi’s 1720 composition of…
-
Highly Recommended Concerts: THE MUSIC GUILD (2025 Season at St Alban’s Church, Westwood)
GUILD TO PERFECTION There is an outstanding music outfit in Los Angeles which offers a series of chamber music concerts, introducing world renowned artists to Los Angeles audiences. Having seen presentations of repertoire played at its premier level by sparkling chamber musicians for over 10 years now, it seems unthinkable to me that The Music…
-
Concert Review: GURRELIEDER (LA Phil at Disney Hall)
In an era when orchestral programming often shies from excess, the Los Angeles Philharmonic last weekend plunged unapologetically into the extravagant labyrinth of Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. Under the baton of Zubin Mehta—paying homage to his tenure as the orchestra’s lionized music director emeritus—the performance resuscitated Schoenberg’s early, sprawling epic, a two-hour monument to the late-Romantic…
-
Music: THE ROLE OF STORYTELLING IN MUSIC: WHY VINTAGE SONGS CAPTURE OUR IMAGINATION
Music has always been more than just a combination of notes and rhythms—it’s a vessel for storytelling. The songs we cherish often tell compelling stories that resonate deeply with our experiences, dreams, and emotions. Vintage songs, in particular, have a unique ability to transport us through time, offering narratives that feel timeless and evocative. But…
-
Jazz Preview: BLUE NOTE JAZZ FESTIVAL (Hollywood Bowl)
LEGENDARY BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB TO OPEN IN L.A. ANNOUNCING THE BLUE NOTE JAZZ FESTIVAL AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN 2025 Well, if this isn’t the best news for all of us jazz fans. The iconic Blue Note Jazz Club is expanding to Los Angeles, bringing the legendary reputation of its renowned New York flagship…
-
Music | Extras: THE USE OF SINGING BOWLS IN YOGA AND MEDITATION
Singing bowls have played a major role in spiritual practices over the years, especially within the domains of Tibetan Buddhism. These are high-quality metal alloys gently struck or rubbed with a mallet to generate rich resonant tones. In yoga and meditation, they serve more than utilitarian ends, acting as channels transmitting individuals into deeper levels…
-
Extras | Music: THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC: HOW SINGING BOWLS PROMOTE WELLNESS AND RELAXATION
Music has always been a universal language and a vital source of unity among different people. Singing bowls, especially among musical instruments, take a special healing and relaxation function at all times. Originating from the Himalayan region, they are deeply integrated into the health routines of meditation, yoga, and sound treatments. Discover how singing bowls…
-
Opera Review: DON BUCEFALO (Pacific Opera Project at The Garibaldina in Los Angeles)
PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT UNEARTHS A TREASURE In the often unexplored corners of the operatic repertoire lie forgotten gems that, when rediscovered, shine brightly. Pacific Opera Project’s revival of Don Bucefalo by Antonio Cagnoni is one such treasure. Premiering in Milan in 1847, Don Bucefalo enjoyed considerable success in its time but has since slipped into…
-
Opera Review: ROMEO & JULIET [ROMÉO ET JULIETTE] (Los Angeles Opera)
The Los Angeles Opera‘s revival of Gounod‘s Roméo et Juliette dazzled in its opening performance last night, thanks to extraordinary vocal performances and masterful conducting. With Amina Edris and Duke Kim delivering passionate portrayals of the star-crossed lovers, and Domingo Hindoyan leading the orchestra in a lush, romantic interpretation of Gounod’s score, the evening was…
-
VINTAGE MEETS VIRAL: HOW PMJ HAS MASTERED THE ART OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN A RETRO STYLE
Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ) has carved out a unique corner of the internet, skillfully merging the sounds and aesthetics of bygone musical eras with the digital reach of modern-day social media. Founded in 2010 by jazz pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, PMJ began as a grassroots project in a basement apartment, reimagining contemporary pop hits in…
-
Highly Recommended Concert: WE ARE VERY BIZET (The Verdi Chorus Fall 2024 Concert Celebrating Verdi and Bizet)
“VOTRE TOAST” TO THE VERDI CHORUS The Verdi Chorus’s 41st season begins with its Fall 2024 show, We Are Verdi Bizet, led by Anne Marie Ketchum, who is has been, well, very busy as the Artistic Director for 41 consecutive years. The Verdi Chorus is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily…
-
Concert Review: T BONE BURNETT LIVE IN CONCERT (Tour at The Barns at Wolf Trap)
A BARE-BONE GIG Last night, October 28, a packed house at The Barns at Wolf Trap enjoyed a mellow and introspective concert as T Bone Burnett performed his latest album The Other Side, his first solo release in nearly 20 years. (Another show was added tonight, but that is sold-out.) Describing the evening as a…
-
Concert Review: FROM MEXICO TO HOLLYWOOD: GOLDEN AGE CINEMA (LA Phil at Disney Hall)
FROM MEXICO TO HOLLYWOOD TO DISNEY HALL, THIS PROGRAM OF FILM SCORES ENTHRALLED With John Williams’s name attached to the program that played last weekend at Disney Hall, I knew had to attend. From Mexico to Hollywood: Golden Age Cinema contained some of the most memorable scores from the best films of Mexico’s Época de…
Search Articles
Please help keep
Stage and Cinema going!
