At first, "conversations" seems like too hopeful of a moniker for this album. A bold juxtaposition of such disparate artists as Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Morton Feldman, Roy Lichtenstein, Arthur Rimbaud, and Gabriel García Márquez, "collision" might be a more apt description. But in the mind--and the hands--of Jerusalem-born pianist David Greilsammer, the worlds of Baroque … Continue reading CD Review: David Greilsammer’s “Baroque Conversations”
A Conversation With Gustavo Dudamel: “Classical Music Really Is Changing”
Tens of thousands of classical music fans have been streaming to the Hollywood Bowl this week as LA Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel has set up shop there for his annual summer residency. And the crowds are only expected to get larger in the week ahead, as Dudamel conducts a concert performance of Verdi’s opera … Continue reading A Conversation With Gustavo Dudamel: “Classical Music Really Is Changing”
At Home on the Prairie: Happy 70th, GK!
I suppose I’m predisposed to either love or hate the public radio program A Prairie Home Companion. There’s no middle ground for me because, growing up, I was held captive in the back seat of my family’s Oldsmobile on interminable road trips as my dad popped cassette tape after cassette tape of A Prairie Home … Continue reading At Home on the Prairie: Happy 70th, GK!
One Singular Sensation: Marvin Hamlisch, 1944-2012
"Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I remember the beauty and thrill of being moved by Broadway musicals — particularly the endings of shows. The end of 'West Side Story,' where audiences cried their eyes out. The last few chords of 'My Fair Lady.' Just great." Tributes are pouring in this morning for composer and conductor Marvin … Continue reading One Singular Sensation: Marvin Hamlisch, 1944-2012
LA Phil/KUSC Hollywood Bowl Broadcasts
I'm proud to announce this summer's roster of radio broadcasts of the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Concerts will air in their entirety, Saturday afternoons at 2:00, beginning August 11th on Classical KUSC. Yours truly hosts. Some of the series highlights for me: -every classical concert conducted by Gustavo Dudamel -Edgar Meyer's new Double … Continue reading LA Phil/KUSC Hollywood Bowl Broadcasts
A Symphony With Many Composers
A truly collaborative new symphony is set for its world premiere this Friday night in Downtown Los Angeles. The work, called A Symphony of Hope: The Haiti Project, is the work of 25 different Hollywood composers and will be performed by an orchestra of movie studio musicians, conducted by Lucas Richman, August 3rd at California … Continue reading A Symphony With Many Composers
In Defense of John Williams
Yesterday, NPR ran this feature on All Things Considered. It is mostly an amusing little jaunt through various pieces of music written for the Olympic Games. The story hits many of the genre's highlights, including Spyridon Samaras' Olympic Hymn (1896, Athens), Josef Suk's Toward a New Life (1932, Los Angeles), Mikis Theodorakis' Canto Olympico (1992, … Continue reading In Defense of John Williams
Deitch Has Spoken
But he hasn't said much. In what was billed by the LA Times as a "wide-ranging" interview about the mess at MOCA, Deitch didn't stray too far from the party line. Among the subjects he addressed: -How great Eli Broad is. ("Eli has been an absolutely great patron with us. He's so totally supportive.") -How … Continue reading Deitch Has Spoken
Ace of Bass: A Conversation with Edgar Meyer
Tomorrow marks the second performance for Joshua Bell and Edgar Meyer with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. On Monday, I caught up with Bell at the Bowl. Today, I met Meyer in West Hollywood for a conversation about his new Double Concerto. The Nashville-based double-bassist is a leading performer in lots of different … Continue reading Ace of Bass: A Conversation with Edgar Meyer
Bell of the Bowl: A Conversation with Joshua Bell
Superstar violinist Joshua Bell is in town this week for two marathon performances at the Hollywood Bowl. I say marathon, not because the concerts will be extra long--there's curfew at the Bowl, after all--but because the program includes not one, but TWO concerti featuring Bell as soloist. From the standard repertoire, the Mendelssohn e-minor Violin … Continue reading Bell of the Bowl: A Conversation with Joshua Bell
Brian Lauritzen 