As I make my way through the piles of new CDs on my desk at work, from time to time I'll also share some rapid-fire reviews of said albums...in haiku form. Because: Sometimes the best way to quickly review CDs is to use haiku. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Cantatas arranged as Brandenburg Concerti. Interesting, but why? … Continue reading The Haiku Reviews: A 400-Year-Old Premiere, Some Beethoven, and Plucked-Up Bach
Got 10 Bucks? Want Sibelius Symphonies?
Hat tip to Nico Muhly of all people for this one. The other day he tweeted: As a huge fan of the Osmo Vänskä cycle of Sibelius symphonies with the Lahti Symphony recorded in 1996-97, I checked the link. "Like free," turns out to be $9.99, but I see Muhly's point. Less than 10 bucks … Continue reading Got 10 Bucks? Want Sibelius Symphonies?
Rock Music: LACMA-style
Like a lot of Angelenos I've been completely captivated by the journey and now the installation of Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass at LACMA. (After all, it's not every day that art weighs in at 340 tons and the installation presents an element of danger.) I guess my creation of a Levitated Mass playlist was inevitable.
You Must Hear This: A Human-Ape Hybrid & Drowning Witches
Two very different recordings came out this week that I highly recommend. I previously wrote about both of them for The Music Issue of the very cool lit-quarterly The Aviary. More of my summer music picks are posted there, as well as those of such writerly folks as Amy Gerstler, Katy Henriksen, Mathias Svalina, and … Continue reading You Must Hear This: A Human-Ape Hybrid & Drowning Witches
Beethoven is not Enough…Apparently
Growing up, when my sister and I would fight, my mother would trot out the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So when this bizarre and inexplicable recording of the Beethoven 9th Symphony + narration landed on my desk a couple of weeks ago, my first … Continue reading Beethoven is not Enough…Apparently
A Visit to the Valley…not THAT Valley
Back from vacation with a pile of work awaiting me. Production on the 2011-2012 LA Philharmonic concert broadcast series is complete--the final broadcasts are this Sunday and next. They are great ones: Sir Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kožená performing music of Ligeti, Wagner, Mahler, and Bruckner; and Gustavo Dudamel leading a cast of about 1,400 … Continue reading A Visit to the Valley…not THAT Valley
And the Canned Band Plays On
Nearly eight weeks out, and the London Symphony Orchestra has already performed at the opening ceremonies of this summer's Olympic Games. How can something that is scheduled for July 27th, 2012, already have happened? The LSO, apparently under great protest from its musicians and opening ceremonies artistic director Danny Boyle, recently pre-recorded their performance and … Continue reading And the Canned Band Plays On
A Gospel of Social Justice: The Premiere of John Adams’ “The Other Mary”
If it walks like a Passion and talks like a Passion, chances are it's a Passion. But composer John Adams chose not call his most recent work, The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a Passion. "I just avoided using the word 'Passion,'" Adams told me earlier this week in a conversation backstage at Walt … Continue reading A Gospel of Social Justice: The Premiere of John Adams’ “The Other Mary”
A Conversation with John Adams: “I’m not sure what art does.”
The world premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary, by John Adams, takes place tonight. Gustavo Dudamel conducting the LA Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale, and soloists in this evening-length oratorio (135 minutes, in two acts) about the final days of Jesus' life. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with John Adams, … Continue reading A Conversation with John Adams: “I’m not sure what art does.”
I’ll Pick Your Burgers
Yesterday my neighborhood smelled terrific! The aromas of charcoal and grilled meat wafting down the block as the Memorial Day holiday unofficially ushered in summer. As the month of May winds down and our grills heat up...the following is a tribute to the mighty hamburger. May is National Hamburger Month here in the United States. … Continue reading I’ll Pick Your Burgers
Brian Lauritzen 