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
Postcard from London: The Gospel Truth
Last year, at the world premiere of John Adams' passion-oratorio "The Gospel According to the Other Mary," I wrote an extensive review. At the time, I said I was "less interested" in seeing how Peter Sellars would stage the work in the future, than I was simply excited to hear the music again. Turns out, … Continue reading Postcard from London: The Gospel Truth
Postcard from London: The Music of the Future
On KUSC today, you'll hear me mention an ensemble called Future Band. Future Band is a group of a couple dozen musicians, ages 8-14, from all over London. The ensemble has no set instrumentation, the members write their own music, and it is open to just about anyone. Future Band meets during school vacation periods … Continue reading Postcard from London: The Music of the Future
A Gospel of Social Justice: The Premiere of John Adams’ “The Other Mary”
If it walks like a Passion and talks like a Passion, chances are it's a Passion. But composer John Adams chose not call his most recent work, The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a Passion. "I just avoided using the word 'Passion,'" Adams told me earlier this week in a conversation backstage at Walt … Continue reading A Gospel of Social Justice: The Premiere of John Adams’ “The Other Mary”
Brian Lauritzen 