"Achievements, seldom credited to their source, are the result of unspeakable drudgery and worries." -Richard Wagner Yesterday on Jeopardy!, this happened: Wrong, Alex. While the character of Jochanaan IS John the Baptist, the opera in which he appears is most definitely NOT by Richard Wagner. The opera is Salome, which of course is the work … Continue reading Wrong, Alex
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
I remember the first time I heard about "9 Beet Stretch". Sound artist Leif Inge took a recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and stretched to last 24 hours, with no change in pitch. That's a 70 minute symphony stretched out to 1,680 minutes. 9 Beet Stretch was featured on an episode of RadioLab all about … Continue reading Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
Peter’s Denial
Almost as quickly as it arrived, the ban on reviews of the Metropolitan Opera in Opera News has vanished. Chalk this up as a victory for free speech. Peter Gelb's recent attempted censorship of negative reviews both at WQXR and at Opera News prompted vicious, nearly unanimous backlash from critics and bloggers around the world … Continue reading Peter’s Denial
We Have Cover Art
The LA Philharmonic announced today its world premiere recording of the recently-discovered Prologue to the unfinished opera Orango, by Dmitri Shostakovich, will be released June 19th. The live recording also features conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen leading a searing performance of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 from the same concert earlier this season. Also today, Deutsche … Continue reading We Have Cover Art
A Very Gehry Don Giovanni
Even before the overture started at last night's LA Philharmonic performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni, it was clear this wasn't going to be Gustavo Dudamel's Don Giovanni. The 31-year-old music director seemed quite pleased to be taking a back seat to Walt Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry, who created the sets for the production, … Continue reading A Very Gehry Don Giovanni
Remembering Lorin Levee
The LA Philharmonic lost a dear member of its family earlier this season when co-principal clarinetist Lorin Levee passed away at the age of 61. On this week's LA Phil concert broadcast on Classical KUSC, some of the musicians in the orchestra remember their colleague of 35+ seasons. Above is visual representation of their words. … Continue reading Remembering Lorin Levee
More Free Music Alert: Beethoven Edition
Meet HJ Lim. The 25-year-old Korean pianist signed an exclusive contract with EMI and for her debut album has just recorded all of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas. I know, right? It's kind of like deciding to get into hiking and starting with Mt. Everest. Like Yuja Wang--who left her home in Beijing at age 14 … Continue reading More Free Music Alert: Beethoven Edition
A Name You Probably Can’t Pronounce But Should Know Anyway: Valgeir Sigurðsson
Fans of Björk will know the name Valgeir Sigurðsson. The Icelandic record producer and composer has been her engineer since 1998. But Sigurðsson is far from a one-trick pony. He's worked with Radiohead's Thom Yorke, film director Lars Von Trier, the Kronos Quartet, and Feist. (By the way, his name isn't that unpronounceable.) Next week, two … Continue reading A Name You Probably Can’t Pronounce But Should Know Anyway: Valgeir Sigurðsson
Magnetic Kožená
“I am dead to the bustle of the world And repose in tranquil realms. I live alone in my heaven, In my devotion, in my song.” -Freidrich Rückert When mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená sang those words a few weeks ago at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 2,000 people collectively held their breath. Spines tingled. Goosebumps abounded. Kožená … Continue reading Magnetic Kožená
Thirstiness: The Bourbon Infusion
Sometimes it's just serendipity. I've been wanting to experiment with infusing bourbon ever since fate found me sipping a "Spring Manhattan" at The Parlor in Phoenix a few weeks ago. Honeycomb and cherry-infused Woodford Reserve as the base of this cocktail PLUS anise-fennel vermouth...I was in heaven. (Though the heat on the patio seemed to … Continue reading Thirstiness: The Bourbon Infusion
Brian Lauritzen 