Well, the KUSC Classical Top 100 has been fully revealed and with it, some predictable results...and more than a few surprises as well. To recap, we asked KUSC listeners to vote on their favorite pieces of classical music and then we counted down the top 100 vote-getters on the air. You can view the entire … Continue reading The KUSC Classical Top 100 Analyzed
Number 9, Number 9, Number 9…A Symphonic Revolution
What if there were only nine symphonies? That's the question CK Dexter Haven over at All is Yar asked himself over the holiday season, while on his way to Santa Barbara wine country. (Ah, the things we ponder while pursuing wine...) "Nine has been a magical number of sorts for symphonies ever since Beethoven wrote that … Continue reading Number 9, Number 9, Number 9…A Symphonic Revolution
Concert-going for the Affluent: A Takedown
I've been going to classical music concerts for as long as I can remember. At this point in my life, I attend about 40-50 concerts each year. But apparently, I've been clapping wrong this whole time. That is, if Joy Weaver is to believed, I am most definitely applauding incorrectly. How to do it properly … Continue reading Concert-going for the Affluent: A Takedown
Music and The Wall
I was seven years old when the Berlin Wall came down. It was one of the first world events I remember. My parents, sister, and I gathered around our TV and watched the fuzzy images stream into our living room. I didn't fully grasp the enormity of the moment, but I knew something big was … Continue reading Music and The Wall
Street Symphony’s Musical Activism: “We’re creating deeply vulnerable spaces where we’re allowed to feel.”
“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” ~Robert Schumann Schumann's simple creed has become the mission of a group of local musicians and musical activists known as Street Symphony: the brainchild of LA Philharmonic violinist Vijay Gupta, who tells me it grew out of a relationship … Continue reading Street Symphony’s Musical Activism: “We’re creating deeply vulnerable spaces where we’re allowed to feel.”
Arrested Development & Recapitulation
First of all, credit where credit is due: my puntastic colleague at KUSC, @JamiePaisley, created this, and many other, TV ad posters during our recent pledge drive. As a rabid fan of Arrested Development, this one was my favorite. And it got me thinking: what if the cast of AD were made up of classical … Continue reading Arrested Development & Recapitulation
Peter Sellars on the Threat of Cultural Impositionalism
On the flight to London last week, Air New Zealand had loaded up a bunch of James Bond movies on the monitors in our seats. An appropriate gesture, I think, to get us in the mood for our final destination. Naturally, I got sucked in. I watched 007 besting bad guys all the way from … Continue reading Peter Sellars on the Threat of Cultural Impositionalism
The Haiku Reviews: A 400-Year-Old Premiere, Some Beethoven, and Plucked-Up Bach
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
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
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
Brian Lauritzen 