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LA Opus: April 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Sunday, April 19, 2015. SDO Again Proves Itself Worthy of “Must-See” Status. Vocally, dramatically and musically. Of the “Entrance of the Guests” from Wagner’s Tannhauser. The ensemble sang as one instrument, presenting difficult choruses from Puccini’s Tosca. And Verdi’s Nabucco. With vocal consistency and power. Even the extremely quick tempi of conductor Karen Kamensek did not daunt these expert choral singers from producing a sound that was both forceful an...
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LA Opus: February 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Saturday, February 28, 2015. Shaham Surmounts the Challenge of Unaccompanied Bach. For a violinist, no greater or more pleasurable challenge exists than to tackle the six unaccompanied Bach Sonatas and Partitas. Ordinarily a recitalist will perform one of these magnificent works in a single program. Sonata No. 3 in C major; Partita No. 3 in E major; and Partita No. 2 in D minor, which includes the glorious Chaconne. Which pays homage to the partita’s Preludio.
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LA Opus: Stéphane Denève Creates the Repertoire of Tomorrow
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Saturday, August 8, 2015. Stéphane Denève Creates the Repertoire of Tomorrow. French conductor Stéphane Denève ( www.stephanedeneve.com. Has come a long way from his birthplace in the border town of Tourcoing in northern France to his compelling presence with orchestras throughout the world. You are from Tourcoing in northern France, birthplace of composer Albert Roussel. How did you get from there to the Paris Conservatoire. What was that journey for you? He sound...
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LA Opus: Tan Dun’s Water Passion bathes all in excellence
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Monday, April 13, 2015. Tan Dun’s Water Passion bathes all in excellence. Also soloing to great effect were percussionists David Cossin, Theresa Dimond, John Wakefield and instrumentalists Shalini Vijayan (violin), Cécilia Tsan ('cello) and almost hidden behind the men’s chorus, Yuanlin Chen on the digital sampler. Master Chorale audiences of the future will be fortunate if composer Tan Dun’s Water Passion is once again scheduled in water-needy Los Angeles, a...
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LA Opus: July 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Wednesday, July 8, 2015. David Bennett, Part 2: New Seasons, New Concepts. You don’t strike me as a person who is easily daunted. There’s always a lot to do. Getting everything solidified is one piece of the puzzle, but then you’re constantly trying to push the envelope. And that’s always a work in progress. Amazing how many composers are bringing these subjects to the opera stage. It doesn’t get much more controversial than that. The Old Globe is right there.
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LA Opus: June 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Monday, June 22, 2015. Gunther Schuller: A Remembrance. The loss of a respected musical icon, no matter at what age, is always a sad event. For those musicians among us who knew and worked with Gunther Schuller, the news of his passing at age 89 evokes more than respect; it evokes memories of wonderful performances, richly varied conversations, and a man whose influence in my early life as a young, aspiring musician still resides in my soul. Later, as a student at ...
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LA Opus: Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain Has World Premiere at Santa Fe Opera
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Has World Premiere at Santa Fe Opera. Isabel Leonard and Nathan Gunn in Cold Mountain (Photo by Ken Howard). Review by Rodney Punt. With veterans exhibiting post-traumatic stress disorder, public gun violence. Rampant, and the display of the Confederate flag newly debated, issues that. Trace their history back to the Civil War are on the front page again. The. Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere last Saturday, August 1, of the Civil War-.
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LA Opus: David Bennett Starts His SDO Journey, Part 1
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Wednesday, July 8, 2015. David Bennett Starts His SDO Journey, Part 1. How have you fared thus far in your first few weeks with the company? Concrete information instead of theoretical. Exactly. We were able to tell people what next year looks like, which was already contracted and announced, and that the following year we’re going to be doing three productions in a split season. Split in what way? A concert version of an opera on stage? That is indeed creative.
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LA Opus: March 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Bryan Hymel on French Opera, Physiology, and Stamina. At London’s Royal Opera House, and also the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award for his Troyens. Debut there, the New Orleans native brings his youthful passion and remarkable fort ténor to the opera stage worldwide. I’m so impressed with what I’ve been reading and hearing about you. Your upcoming schedule is mind-boggling. Received five stars on Amazon. Congratulations!
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LA Opus: August 2015
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Reporting on music and the lively arts. Sunday, August 16, 2015. Boston Landmarks Orchestra Serves Up Italian Favorites. The Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s Aug. 5 concert at the Hatch Shell proved a number of points: first, that the city can boast a large number of outstanding musicians; second, that Music Director Christopher Wilkins can gather together an exceptional ensemble of musicians, chorus and soloists; and most importantly, that Boston loves Italian opera. Wilkins then led the orchestra in a touc...
