Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's 2012-13 season launches with a dynamic program of works both familiar and new when Music Director Jeffrey Kahane conducts and performs as soloist. It features two highly anticipated West Coast premieres, including LACO Composer-in-Residence and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Andrew Norman’s The Great Swiftness, commissioned and premiered by the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2010. Inspired by the city’s signature Alexander Calder sculpture, La Grande Vitesse, the piece prompted the Grand Rapids Press to describe it as “sliding down the giant sculpture's graceful arms.” The other West Coast premiere, True South by James Matheson – recipient of the prestigious $200,000 Charles Ives Living Award and heralded by The New Yorker as “an early thirty-something American composer who is ignoring style labels and writing synthetic, satisfying music that avoids the glib theatricality of postmodernism” – was commissioned and premiered in 2010 by the New York Philharmonic with influences ranging from Judas Priest to Nietzsche. Kahane himself is the featured soloist in Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G major. The program concludes with the LACO debut of 28-year-old German violinist Augustin Hadelich performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, the composer’s only violin concerto and one of the most venerated works in the violin repertoire. Kahane calls Hadelich, winner of the 2009 Avery Fisher Grant, “one of the great violinists performing today,” and The New York Times states, “(he) stands out amid gifted young violinists for his prodigious technique, gorgeous tone and ability
to deliver.”
Both Norman and Matheson are participating in LACO’s Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks providing insights into the music and artists, which are held one hour prior to curtain and are free to ticket holders.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the nation’s premier orchestras as well as a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2012-13 season, the orchestra's 44th, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established and notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world’s foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 16th season as LACO’s music director.
Tickets ($25 – $110) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase rush tickets one hour before curtain; also available for college students is the $25 “Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass” – good for all seven of LACO’s Orchestral Series concerts at either the Alex Theatre or UCLA, LACO’s Discover Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 at Ambassador Auditorium and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.
30 Eylül 2012 Pazar
2 West Coast Premieres Conducted by Jeffrey Kahane at LA Chamber Orch Season Openers
Taken for Granite, 1st mvt of String Quartet No. 1 Skimming Rock & Skipping Stones
Inspired by the Anthem Rock bands of the 70's and 80's – groups like Yes, Kansas, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Anthem Rock has hard driving beats with intricate melodic lines and layers of different sounds – all features of the classical music I gravitate toward. This is not a pastiche of any particular song or band, but rather a homage to the artistry of these musicians.
Skimming Rock & Skipping Stones has three movements. As word play, colloquialisms, and double entendré are common for song and album titles in the rock world, I indulge in the same practice.
"Taken for Granite" - 1st Movement
"Salt of the Earth" - 2nd Movement
"Clean Slate" - 3rd Movement
Even the title of the entire piece is a play on words "Skimming Rocks & Skipping Stones"
In geological terms there are three types of rock
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Granite is igneous, salt is sedimentary and slate is metamorphic. I then tied these rocks to colloquialisms.
The Edinburgh Quartet premiered this piece in June 2008.
"Taken for Granite" is a movement with pyrotechnics for the 1st Violin, playing the roll of guitar riffs and solos indicative of the anthem rock genre. While the piece is performed completely acoustic, many of the distortion effects are emulated through performance techniques.
For more information about the music of Chip Michael visit my website:
ChipMichael.com
Roy Mueller Appointed Ex. Dir. of LA Children's Chorus
Long-Time Arts Administrator Previously Served as Executive Director of San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum and Education Director of Pasadena Kidspace Children’s Museum
Roy Mueller, a highly regarded non-profit arts administrator with deep roots in Southern California, has been appointed Executive Director of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) following a nationwide search, it was announced by LACC Board Chair Joanne Crawford-Dunér. Mueller, who is also an accomplished musician, previously served as Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, where he led the museum through a successful four-year $5.2 million capital campaign to design and build a new facility. Prior to that he was Education Director of Pasadena Kidspace Children’s Museum, where he developed innovative art and science education programs for a diverse community audience.
“I am pleased to welcome Roy to the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus,” says Crawford-Dunér. “His exceptional non-profit arts leadership skills and keen fundraising abilities, as well as his creative program development, educational background and music performance experience are an ideal match for the position of Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Executive Director. I look forward to working closely with Roy on a number of exciting initiatives during this exciting time in the LACC’s evolution.”
“It is an honor to lead this extraordinary organization,” states Mueller. “During my tenure at the Pasadena’s Kidspace Children’s Museum, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of Los Angeles area arts organizations including the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Pasadena Symphony and Shumei Arts Council. I am highly impressed by LACC’s artistic excellence and its mission to serve the community. I look forward to working with LACC’s Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson and am pleased to return to Southern California to take the administrative helm of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus.”
In his role with the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, Mueller, who has more than 16 years of non-profit leadership experience, articulated the vision for the new children’s museum and built the organization from the ground up, strategizing and implementing successful fundraising initiatives, including the $5.2 million capital campaign. He developed and managed operational budgets, cultivated community relationships and mentored a staff of 20 to support the vision and mission of the museum. He received a Bachelor of Music (performance) degree from the University of Louisville and a Master of Music (performance) from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He also earned a Certificate of Jazz Composition and Performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston. For more than 15 years, Mueller performed as a classical oboist/English hornist in South America, Europe and the United States, composed music for classical, jazz and theatrical genres, and taught music at the university level.
Described as “astonishingly polished,” “hauntingly beautiful,” and “one heck of a talented group of kids,” LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost children's choirs. Founded in 1986 and led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, LACC performs with such leading organizations as LA Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and POPs, Jacaranda, and Calder Quartet. The chorus' roster includes more than 400 children aged 6-18 from 60 communities across Los Angeles in six choirs and First Experiences in Singing classes and ensemble for young singers. LACC has toured South Africa, North and South America, China and Europe, and produced the world-premiere of “Keepers of the Night,” an opera by Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock. The chorus appeared on LA Master Chorale’s Decca recording “A Good Understanding,” and Plácido Domingo’s Deutsche Grammophon recording “Amore Infinito” ("Infinite Love") and, in 2011, gave the U.S. premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s “Dona Nobis Pacem.” The subject of a trilogy of documentaries by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, LACC is featured in the Academy Award-nominated “Sing!,” about a year in the life of the choir; “Sing Opera!,” documenting the production of LACC’s commissioned family opera “Keepers of the Night”; and “Sing China!,” chronicling its groundbreaking tour to China just prior to the Beijing Olympics. LACC has performed with John Mayer on NBC's “The Tonight Show,” and was featured on Public Radio International's nationally syndicated show “From the Top,” among other credits. Open auditions for LACC take place each May. LACC also offers 6-7 year old children a non-auditioned program, First Experiences in Singing, which serves as an enriching and fun introduction to music.
St. Louis Public Radio & the St. Louis Symphony announce third season of Saturday evening concert broadcasts
Today, St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU and the St. Louis Symphony announced the renewal of their partnership to include live broadcasts of all 2012-13 Saturday night Wells Fargo Advisors Orchestral Series concerts. The performances will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio’s main channel, 90.7 KWMU and will be streamed live at www.stlpublicradio.org. This is the third year of the partnership.
The series’ first live broadcast from Powell Hall will be Saturday, September 29 at 8 p.m. St. Louis Symphony Music Director David Robertson will be at the podium, conducting LutosÅ‚awski’s Concerto for Orchestra, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (featuring pianist Emanuel Ax) and Respighi’s iconic Pines of Rome.
A complete list of all live broadcasts can be found on-line at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/programs/symphony.php#.UFii91F15nw
St. Louis Public Radio’s Robert Peterson returns to host the live broadcasts. The St. Louis Symphony’s Adam Crane will again join Peterson as broadcast commentator.
“We are very excited to have the Symphony as our broadcast partner again this year and look forward to a phenomenal season from one of the world’s finest orchestras. In addition, with the station’s new Grand Center location we look forward to further collaborations with the Symphony,” said Tim Eby, Director and General Manager of St. Louis Public Radio.
Lang Lang releases his first All-Chopin Recital Recording - “The Chopin Album”
INCLUDES DELUXE LIMITED EDITION WITH BONUS DVD “MY LIFE WITH CHOPIN”
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 9
The Chopin Album – Lang Lang’s third album for Sony Classical – includes the second set of Chopin’s Études (op. 25), the Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise and a selection of shorter works that he has long enjoyed performing, including three Nocturnes and the Waltz op. 64 no. 1, popularly known as the “Minute” Waltz.
Chopin “speaks with such a universal voice,” Lang Lang says. “I genuinely believe he’s a true ambassador for classical music among the great composers. He appeals to everyone.”
Chopin has accompanied Lang Lang throughout his career. One of the first pieces he learnt was the Grande Valse brillante in E-flat major op. 18 (included on this album), and it was Chopin’s music that also carried him through a number of career-changing competitions, including Ettlingen (Germany) in 1994 and the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Sendai (Japan) in 1995, when he took First Prize performing Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto. And it was with the Chopin Études that Lang Lang made his now-renowned Beijing Concert Hall recital at age 14 – a performance that led to his studying with Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
“The reason that Chopin’s Études hold such a special place for pianists”, says Lang Lang, “is that they provide the training for so many different elements of technique. But they’re not just studies, not just normal exercises – not just for your fingers – they help you develop how your mind works, and how you control the different layers of your emotional response.”
Included with the Deluxe Limited Edition is a bonus DVD on which Lang Lang talks about the various musical milestones in his life and explains how Chopin has been a close companion. The video contains archive footage of Lang Lang playing Chopin, with excerpts from his early concerts and competitions – the 1994 Ettlingen competition, the 1995 Beijing concert and Tchaikovsky Competition in Sendai, and part of a 1996 concert of the Études in Beijing. It also includes complete performances of the Grande Valse brillante in A-flat major op. 34 no. 1 (recorded live in Vienna), the “Heroic” Polonaise in A-flat major op. 53 (recorded at Berlin’s Berghain Club), and the “Black Keys” Étude in G-flat major op. 10 no. 5 (recorded at London’s Roundhouse during the 2011 iTunes Festival).
29 Eylül 2012 Cumartesi
San Francisco Opera 2012 Fall Preview
When the wooden planks and white roofs of society party tents start going up in the neighborhood, it is a sign that the foggy San Francisco summer is about to end, and the High Culture Season is about to begin.
The San Francisco Opera has an oddly weighted schedule this fall, probably out of a need to economize on the cost of union stagehands tearing down and reassembling repertory productions every day. September starts with one production double cast for twelve performances, followed by three operas in repertory through October and the first half of November, and ends with another single opera with a double cast for twelve performances.
September belongs to a revival of Verdi's Rigoletto in the old Michael Yeargan production which is serviceable and not much more. Though I have problems with the opera itself, particularly the deliberate cruelty of its anti-royalist story and the chirpy masochism of the innocent heroine Gilda, the music is great and the A-Cast Rigoletto is the Serbian baritone Željko Lu�ić, who is being hailed as the best singer of the role in the world right now. There's also the luxury casting of Italian bass Andrea Silvestrelli in the role of Sparafucile, the scary assassin for hire. Music Director Luisotti is conducting and will probably be fabulous in this music.
The three repertory operas start with a new production of Bellini's "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" or as the SF Opera is calling it "The Capulets and The Montagues," distantly related one presumes to the Hatfields and McCoys. The narrative follows the Italian version of the tale rather than the Shakespeare adaptation, which means that Romeo and Juliet are already secret lovers before the curtain goes up, and the two families are warring political clans. Romeo tries to bring about peace but Juliet's father is a warring badass, and you know the rest of the story with Father Lorenzo and poison and lots of bel canto singing while dying.
This production premiered last year at the Bavarian State Opera, and from the photos at the operacritic site, it looks spectacularly beautiful. The costume designer is none other than Christian Lacroix, and if he's good enough for Patsy and Edina of AbFab to worship, he's good enough for me. The luxury casting here is mezzo Joyce DiDonato as Romeo and bass Eric Owens as the bad daddy Capellio.
Sharing the stage with the Bellini is a new opera based on Melville's Moby Dick by Jake Heggie that has received reviews in Dallas and Calgary that ranged from happily surprised to rapturous. Ben Heppner shares Ahab duties with Jay Hunter Morris, and baritone Robert Orth returns in a character role. I have not been interested so far in any music that Heggie has written, but maybe this will be the revelatory moment. Or not. In any case, the world premiere production is reportedly very good simply as theatre.
This plays in repertory with Wagner's Lohengrin, the tale of a mystical knight and a swan and an evil mezzo and baritone conspiring against beauty and purity as represented by a tenor and soprano, for four-plus hours. This was the opera that sent Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria completely around the bend in his worship of Wagner. The production is from the Houston Grand Opera which coproduced it with the Grand Theatre de Geneve (click here for some production stills). The midcentury Stalinist updating by British director Daniel Slater supposedly doesn't get in the way of the medieval fairy tale story, according to reviews of the 2009 Houston production which starred this summer's Chairman Mao, none other than Simon O'Neill. San Francisco will be hearing Brandon Jovanovich as Lohengrin in his role debut while music director Luisotti will be conducting his first Wagner opera at the house. This could spell either disaster or triumph (or both).
The season ends with twelve performances of Puccini's Tosca, with Angela Gheorghiu and Patricia Racette swapping duties as the tormented diva. Even though I admire both Gheorghiu and Racette immensely, life is too short to waste time and energy at another Tosca ever again. If you are an opera newbie, it's not a bad starter opera: short, melodramatic, and with recognizable tunes. But if you have seen it one too many times, the damned thing is painful.
San Francisco Symphony 2012 Fall Preview
The San Francisco Symphony is giving San Francisco society ladies a break this year, holding their gala opening two weeks from now on Wednesday the 19th, rather than within days of the San Francisco Opera gala opening this Friday. The schedule change is necessitated by music director Michael Tilson Thomas and his jet-setting, multi-city obligations, but Society is probably breathing an appreciative sigh of relief nonetheless.
Officially opened or not, the San Francisco Symphony is still offering two weeks' worth of concerts starting this Wednesday, with the Russian conductor Semyon Bychkov above in charge. This week he's joined by violinist Pinchas Zukerman playing the warhorse Bruch concerto followed by Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. The following week is when things gets interesting. The original program announcement was for Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, the World War Two era Leningrad Symphony. For some reason, possibly just to confuse unwary arts editors who put mistakes into print forever, the program has been changed to Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony, subtitled The Year 1905 about the Russian Revolution. San Francisco has a great Shostakovich orchestra, and it's always interesting listening to a Russian at the helm with his music.
After a week of French bonbons for Opening Week, Tilson Thomas above conducts Mahler's Fifth Symphony with a first half curtain raiser by John Adams' composer son, Samuel Carl Adams. The last time I heard MTT conduct Mahler's Fifth was in 2009, and it wasn't a very good performance, but it's impossible to tell ahead of time whether the conductor and the composer are going to be sublime together or slightly out of joint. I've heard both over the years, so let's pray it's the former.
The next week brings back one of my favorite young conductors, Vasily Petrenko above. The first half of is his program is the very serious Part and Bartok (the third piano concerto), followed by Respighi's pop trash classics, The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome. If he can make those two overplayed pieces sound interesting, Petrenko will officially be proclaimed a Musical Savior.
In mid-October, the conductor Vladimir Jurowski makes his debut with an all-Russian program of Scriabin, the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto, and an arrangement of the music from the Eisenstein film, Ivan The Terrible (above), complete with soloists and chorus.
On Halloween, the pianist Yuja Wang above will be playing the Prokofiev Second Piano Concerto which she will also be performing during a long tour of Asia in November with the San Francisco Symphony. After the orchestra's return, Davies Hall essentially becomes a Christmas Factory for the month of December before returning for six months of weekly music with some very cool concerts.