LA Phil 2016-17: By the Numbers

Posted on by brianlauritzen

I do this every year: leave the punditry to others and tally up the stats. Here's what 2016-17 looks like at the LA Phil. Unlike in years past, I have only included performances by the LA Phil--no visiting artists. 21 commissions, 14 world premieres, 5 U.S. premieres, and 5 West Coast premieres. This beats last … Continue reading LA Phil 2016-17: By the Numbers

How to Fix Classical Music

Posted on by brianlauritzen

Money (1950). Lascivious musicians (1530). The gramophone (1930). Money (1969). Claude Debussy (1902). The violin (1740). Money (1683). YouTube (2013). Ludwig van Beethoven (1827). Money (1903). Popular music (1324). The compact disc (2009). Money (1987). Figured bass (1609). An aging audience (1960s-present). For centuries, classical music has been on the brink of death. Over the … Continue reading How to Fix Classical Music

A Classical Christmas

Posted on by brianlauritzen

Let's face it, most Christmas music is lame. And it's that same lame Christmas music that gets blared over loudspeakers in shopping malls all across this great country of ours. Ask most people about classical Christmas music and they'll probably say something about that horrifying version of Pachelbel's Canon in D by an electronic group that … Continue reading A Classical Christmas

Kicking Brass: An Interview with the LA Phil’s Andrew Bain and Thomas Hooten

Posted on by brianlauritzen

This week’s LA Philharmonic radio broadcast on Classical KUSC features two concerto performances by two LA Phil brass principals. Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet, will play Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat. Andrew Bain, principal French horn, will play Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4. Before the performance, which was recorded in February 2015, I sat down with … Continue reading Kicking Brass: An Interview with the LA Phil’s Andrew Bain and Thomas Hooten

The KUSC Classical Top 100 Analyzed

Posted on by brianlauritzen

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

11 Conductors Who Are Doing Something Else While Conducting

Posted on by brianlauritzen

1. Herbert von Karajan grumpily churning the butter.   2. Valery Gergiev mostly likely suffering from food poisoning.   3a. Gustavo Dudamel suddenly noticing there's a scorpion on his hand. 3b. Gustavo Dudamel touches a hot stove and refuses to learn that he will get burned.   4. Pierre Boulez brings you the glass of … Continue reading 11 Conductors Who Are Doing Something Else While Conducting

Mozart at the Bat

Posted on by brianlauritzen

With opening week of the new baseball season upon us, I was thinking about the various songs the players choose for their walk-up music as they head up to bat. It's totally their choice and the picks range from something with a good thumping bass to get the adrenaline flowing to music of menace and … Continue reading Mozart at the Bat

Here’s the thing about Gustavo Dudamel…

Posted on by brianlauritzen

I've never particularly cared for the third movement of Dvořák's New World Symphony. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but for me it has only ever been the thing that happens in between the serene beauty of the slow movement and the Jaws-like introduction to the finale. The third movement is fine. I've just never loved it. … Continue reading Here’s the thing about Gustavo Dudamel…

Le “Sakura” du Printemps

Posted on by brianlauritzen

Were it not for sakura in this world, our hearts and minds would not be so serene and peaceful. -Ariwara no Narihira (825-880 A.D.) It's the most wonderful time of the year in Tokyo right now. That fleeting moment that comes each spring when the cherry trees do their best cotton candy impersonation and the … Continue reading Le “Sakura” du Printemps