All season long, the LA Philharmonic has been on Principal Trumpet Watch. Current principal, Donald Green, retires at the end of this Hollywood Bowl season. The LA Phil actually offered the position to Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony, and probably the most highly sought after orchestral trumpeter in the world. But the … Continue reading Sound the (Principal) Trumpet: It’s Thomas Hooten
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
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
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.
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 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.”
Brian Lauritzen 