Music Education, a staple of the Los Angeles Unified School District curriculum that inspired tens of thousands of students to pursue a career in the performing arts, died yesterday after a long battle with financial anemia. It was 159 years old. It’s the beginning of an obituary that almost had to be written this year … Continue reading The Day the Music Died
I Speak Cello
Brian Lauritzen isn't just a familiar voice on KUSC, he's also a cellist. His two worlds collide Friday, March 9 at 7:30 PM when KUSC broadcasts live from the opening night concert of the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. But before the festival starts, how about some... FUN CELLO FACTS FROM BRIAN LAURITZEN The most money … Continue reading I Speak Cello
The Joy of Music: A Skeptic’s Encounter
As a journalist, I am paid to be cynical. It's my job to voice skepticism and to demand truth in the face of spin. Having heard so much about the Venezuelan music education network known as El Sistema, it's tempting for me to be dismissive. Surely the PR machine has carefully scripted the narrative for … Continue reading The Joy of Music: A Skeptic’s Encounter
A Venezuelan Debut
Sunday, February 12th. Today is an off day for the musicians of the LA Philharmonic. Following their triumphant Venezuelan debut last night, LA Phil officials smartly decided to avoid any concert or educational activities on this day and Venezuelans will be headed to the polls for the opposition party’s primaries. Elections here in Venezuela have … Continue reading A Venezuelan Debut
¡Bienvenido LA Phil!
Greetings from Caracas, Venezuela! After a somewhat brutal travel day yesterday (I left my house at 7:15a and arrived at the hotel in Caracas after midnight), we’re all just sort of trying our best to relax a little bit before the buses arrive to take us to the concert hall this afternoon. The work begins … Continue reading ¡Bienvenido LA Phil!
On the Issue of Cell Phones in Concert Halls…Lessons from New York
I was in the cello section of an orchestra the first time I heard Mahler’s 9th Symphony. As our rehearsal wound down, the symphony’s closing moments had me in tears. Mahler’s 9th is an emotional portrait of a composer struggling with his own mortality. It begins with what Leonard Bernstein said is a sonic representation … Continue reading On the Issue of Cell Phones in Concert Halls…Lessons from New York
The Worst Classical Album Covers Of All Time. Ever. Really. (part 2)
Last week I shared with you a few of my favorite terrible album covers and I promised you more. Assuming you have sufficiently recovered from the first batch, let’s dive into part two. Appropriate album cover or the stuff of nightmares? Liszt Concertos … field of wheat. I get it. (I don’t) Maybe the photo … Continue reading The Worst Classical Album Covers Of All Time. Ever. Really. (part 2)
The Worst Classical Album Covers of All Time. Ever. Really. (part 1)
Recently I received a copy of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s latest CD, The Greatest Video Game Music, in the mail. The cover art features a soldier in full military garb playing a flaming cello against the backdrop of a vast war-torn wasteland. The inside photo is equally disturbing. This got us thinking. There are plenty … Continue reading The Worst Classical Album Covers of All Time. Ever. Really. (part 1)
Dudamel x3
I have no idea why Deutsche Grammophon published its latest album from Gustavo Dudamel as a three-CD box set. Sibelius, Bruckner, and Nielsen are strange bedfellows indeed. Each CD could stand on its own, but DG has it packaged such that if you want the Bruckner Ninth Symphony, you also get two Nielsen Symphonies and … Continue reading Dudamel x3
Night on Beard Mountain
If you’re like me, when you think of classical composers who have great beards you think first of Johannes Brahms. It certainly is legendary, both for its bushiness and its artful presentation. But a great number of composers have sported abundant facial hair at one time or another…and I think it’s time for some awards.Most … Continue reading Night on Beard Mountain
Brian Lauritzen 