Areas We Cover
Categories
Music
-
Music Concert Review: MAGIC HOUR IN LOS ANGELES: AMERICA’S CULTURAL RENAISSANCE OF 1974 (MUSE/IQUE at the Mark Taper Forum)
1974: THE YEAR THAT WAS Still haven’t heard of MUSE/IQUE, Los Angeles? I first discovered this prestigious outfit in 2012 on stage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in a program called Ebony Meets Ivory, a celebration of the piano. Since then, I have thrilled at dozens of MUSE/IQUE events, and they just get more and…
-
Music Review: BERNSTEIN AND WOOTEN (LA Phil; Thomas Wilkins, conductor; Victor Wooten, bass)
WOO-HOO, WOOTEN The idea behind this past weekend’s program at the Los Angeles Philharmonic was the influence of jazz on the orchestra, featuring three pieces that cover a span of nearly 125 years. For these two performances, the Phil brought in Thomas Wilkins, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, to conduct. First up was…
-
Music Review: PHILIP GLASS: THE PIANO ETUDES (Timo Andres, Maki Namekawa, Anton Batagov, Lara Downes, Jenny Lin at Disney Hall)
FOR SOME, THIS GLASS IS HALF-EMPTY. MINE OVERFLOWETH. Although Philip Glass‘s works can be described as minimalist, he prefers to describe himself as a composer of “music with repetitive structures.” He also noted, “If I’m to be remembered for anything, it will probably be for the piano music, because people can play it.” He conceived…
-
Concert Series Review: STAVE SESSIONS (Celebrity Series of Boston at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville)
LIGHTS! SOUND! MUSIC! Now in its eighth season, Celebrity Series of Boston offered four nights of innovative music in Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom with the Stave Sessions. Each evening offered a single intermission-free ninety minute performance. The first three evenings included virtuoso real-time performances of singing, flute, guitar, and keyboards mixed with impressive light shows, electronic…
-
Cabaret Review: MAX RAABE & PALAST ORCHESTER (“Dream a Little Dream” Tour at Symphony Hall, Boston & Carnegie Hall NY)
SMOOTH AS SILK Max Raabe & Palast Orchester brought its “Dream a Little Dream” tour to Boston last night, transporting the Symphony Hall audience to an era of Big Band swing and “hot jazz” in the Berlin and beyond of the 1920s and 1930s. (The show hits Carnegie Hall on March 21.) Bandleader Raabe, who…
-
Music Review: LEGACY: DEBUSSY + HAMELIN (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at The Wallis in Beverly Hills)
WHAT’S ON THE MENU? FRANCK AND HAMELIN Finally, I got to see pianist Marc-André Hamelin in person, thanks to the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which presented him in two of four salon pieces that made up Legacy: Debussy + Hamelin — a program which which played last Saturday at The Wallis, a great venue for LACO’s…
-
Highly Recommended Jazz Music: BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB AND THEATER (March, 2024)
WHERE THE RHYTHM SWOOPS AND SWIRLS, THIS REALLY IS THE JAZZ CORNER OF THE WORLD From bands like The Hot Sardines, Hot Club of Cowtown and Maria Schneider Orchestra to cabaret stalwarts such as Karen Mason and Tedd Firth, there is nothing but excitement this month, March 2024, at Birdland Jazz Club — named after…
-
Music Review: Mí„LKKI CONDUCTS BRAHMS (Susanna Målkki, conductor | Daniil Trifonov, piano | LA Phil at Disney Hall)
A NIGHT OF ELEGANCE AND VIRTUOSITY The February 23, 2024 Los Angeles Philharmonic concert at the Walt Disney Hall was an opportunity to see two renowned classical musicians, conductor Susana Målkki and pianist Daniil Trifonov. Witnessing Målkki’s conducting is a captivating experience. Her technique is characterized by swift arm movements that allow her to maintain…
-
Extras | Music: THE ELECTRIC GUITAR AS A SOLO INSTRUMENT: CRAFTING COMPLETE ARRANGEMENTS
Revealing the Symphony of a Solo Electric Guitar In a modern world where bands and orchestras rule, the electric guitar steps in to fill a brand-new open space: solo performances. With the help of this instrument, considered versatile in the music industry, musicians can freely produce musical and descriptive sounds. We will look into several…
-
Opera Reviews: THE DWARF & HIGHWAY 1, USA (LA Opera)
AN OPERATIC RARITY DOUBLE-BILL ONE FASCINATING FAILURE AND ONE MASTERPIECE LA opera presented a unique double bill of relative rarities, Alexander Zemlinski’s Der Zwerg and William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA. Zwerg’s Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) was suppressed by the Nazis due to his Judaism, and Still’s opera Highway 1, USA is little known due…
-
Opera Review: ISOLA (Long Beach Opera)
MUST ALL NEW OPERAS HAVE TO BE PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL AND JOYLESS? I was in no shape to see Isola, by composer Alyssa Weinberg and poet J. Mae Barizo, presented by Long Beach Opera in its world-premiere run. My apartment had been burglarized the night before and I just wanted to stay home and lick my wounds….
-
Highly Recommended Album: GODSPELL EL MUSICAL (Original Spanish Cast Recording; Produced by Antonio Banderas)
The Concord Theatricals Recordings cast album of the acclaimed Spanish production of Godspell is now available. This is the first Spanish language recording of John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz’s iconic musical. Now available for streaming or download, CDs are available for purchase in Spain. Check out the booklet with Spanish lyrics HERE. And it’s a blast. I have been…
-
Album Review: THE TONY BENNETT / BILL EVANS ALBUM (Remastered; Craft Recordings Original Jazz Classics)
This collection, a triumph in the careers of both Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, was made at a time when these masters each seemed in relative decline. Bennett, considered of limited audience appeal in the heady adolescence of rock, was without a major-label contract while Evans, then well into his second decade of leading a…
-
Music Review: SCHUBERT & BEETHOVEN (Jukka-Pekka Saraste with the Los Angeles Philharmonic)
GOOD MORNING, L.A! As part of its popular Friday Middays series in a program that plays until Sunday, the Los Angeles Philharmonic brought over Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Artistic Director, for two favorites: Schubert’s 6th and Beethoven’s 7th. Franz Schubert began writing his Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D. 589…
-
Album Review: SIGNATURE PHILIP GLASS (Angí¨le Dubeau and La Pietí on Analekta)
GLASSCADING DELIGHT Sublime, emotional, inspiring, captivating, magical and dramatic, Canadian violinist Angèle Dubeau with her ensemble La Pietí has released SIGNATURE Philip Glass on Analekta. This 16-track sensation is no mere tribute to the great minimalist composer, but a re-arranging for La Pietí , an all-female string ensemble featuring some of Canada’s best musicians, founded in…
-
Concert Review: JAZZ, LOVE AND GERSHWIN: A CENTURY OF RHAPSODY IN BLUE (The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall)
IT’S VERY CLEAR: GERSHWIN IS HERE TO STAY The centerpiece of The New York Pops‘ Jazz, Love, and Gershwin: A Century of Rhapsody in Blue was quite obviously Gershwin’s iconic orchestral piece. And at the top of the evening, Musical Director Steven Reineke told the audience it would be “a thrilling performance, I promise you.” If…
-
Music Recommendation: ENSEMBLE CONNECT (Carnegie Hall)
Ensemble Connect is made up of extraordinary young professional classical musicians residing in the US who take part in a two-year fellowship program created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. The program prepares fellows for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership by…
-
Album Review: HARMONY (Original Broadway Cast)
While I’m wrecked that Harmony is closing on Broadway February 5, 2024 after only 96 performances, the music, fortunately, still lives on with the Original Cast recording from Ghostlight Records, available on CD today, Friday, January 26 (also available on digital platforms). A special bonus track exclusive to the CD, “Where Does the Time Go?,” performed by Barry Manilow,…
-
Recommended Album: PHILIP GLASS SOLO (Philip Glass Revisits His Classic Works via Orange Mountain Music.)
Philip Glass takes a new look at some of his most enduring and beloved piano works in Philip Glass Solo, recorded at a time when the world was undergoing a major shift; for Glass, that shift manifested in going from a busy tour and premiere schedule to time spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic….
-
Highly Recommended Concert: MARTIN CHALIFOUR AND FRIENDS FROM THE LA PHIL (St. Alban’s Episcopal Church)
Martin Chalifour (violin) is the Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1995. Apart from his LA Phil duties, he maintains an active solo career, playing a diverse repertoire of more than 60 concertos. And rare is the opportunity to see him in such an intimate space as St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, where he…
Search Articles
Please help keep
Stage and Cinema going!
