Results tagged “classicallistings”

You've probably heard Beethoven's Ode to Joy, a proclamation for mankind united under God. Hear the Berlioz Requiem in this week's classical pick for another take on that theme. This week's classical pick highlights music that is rarely performed in LA, if at all. The LA Opera begins the 2009/2010 season with Donizetti's bel canto (an elegant Italian vocal style) opera, The Elixir of Love.

Alexis Weissenberg (a favorite of LAist) and Herbert von Karajan perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2, which can be heard in its entirety in this week's classical pick. There are only a few classical events this week as we head into September, and the classical pick this week takes places at the Hollywood Bowl. Concerns about air quality are warranted, but as for now, the shows are still on schedule.

This is an old recording by Feuermann performing the Dvorak Concerto. The greatest cellist performing the greatest piece (for the cello). The Hollywood Bowl is on twitter! Check out their feed for updates on concerts, insights on the artists that will be performing at the Bowl, and free tickets! Go to the Bowl this Tuesday for the conducting debut of Placido Domingo with Yo Yo Ma. Ma will be performing the Dvorak Cello Concerto, a warhorse that is often considered to be one of the most difficult and greatest works for the cello (if the work looks familiar, Lynn Harrell also performed the work at the Bowl, not too long ago). There are only a few tickets available, get them before you miss out on this historic opportunity. The concert starts at 8.

Bernstein is probably best known in popular culture today as the composer for music from West Side Story. College Humor updated the story for the 21st century, complete with references to twitter, facebook, and pandora.

Gil Shaham is a world famous violinist who loves making an appearance at the Hollywood Bowl regularly. Here he is performing the Carmen Fantasy by Sarasate, not to be confused by the Carmen Fantasy by Waxman (which might be more difficult). He is accompanied by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. If you haven't been to the OC Fair yet, try going on Wednesday, July 29th! The Pacific Symphony, led by Richard Kaufman, will perform music from the beloved Disney classics. Sing along to the tunes of Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and more! You can get two tickets for 19.50 at www.ocfair.com when you purchase the super pass.

"To the Stars" in Dragonheart is one of the oft-used pieces of music in trailers and film today. Jump to 2:20 to hear the theme. This week's classical pick highlights concerts in LA that focus on movie music.Although Porgy and Bess is typically remembered as one of the most famous American operas of all time, it was also made into a film featuring Sidney Poitier and sammy Davis Jr. You can hear Gershwin's music and see a performance of Porgy and Besstonight at the Hollywood Bowl. Concert starts at 7:30 PM.

LAist reported earlier that LA Phil violinist Robert Korda has been missing for three days now. His son Noah posted a few hours ago that "Verizon has cooperated...because we managed to get a court order". Once again, if anyone sees a Geo Metro with the license plate 3GPJ453, please call the LAPD Missing Persons Unit at (213) 485-5381 or (877) LAPD-24-7.

Music in film is one of the most important devices used in cinema today; this music has been ingrained in popular culture, to the point that most people could recognize the tunes. Also sprach Zarathustra, Ride of the Valkyries, Beethoven's 5th, are a few of the major works that come to mind. This week, you can hear a few of these tunes and more at several venues.

2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Haydn. Here is a clip of recently deceased Rostropovich performing the Haydn D Major Cello Concerto. The LACMA hosts the last (for the 2008-2009 season) of its FREE Sundays Live concerts next Sunday with a program of Haydn and Mendelssohn, to cap off the year with one last celebration of their anniversaries. Expect duets and piano trios, at 6 PM this Sunday the 28th.

Mahler's 5th symphony is one of the many pieces you can see and hear this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. This recording is performed by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Claudio Abbado.

Erich Korngold was an Academy Award winning film composer. He made his permanent residence in California and is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He is most famous for his collaborations with Errol Flynn and adaptations of other compositions for the big screen. For other film composers check out Johnny Greenwood (lead guitarist of Radiohead), Clint Mansell, Bernard Hermann, Henry Mancini, and Miklos Rosza. This week's classical pick also features the work of a film composer, Paul Chihara. This video contains a recording of Jascha Heifetz performing Korngold's famous Violin Concerto.

Video Games Live is a popular concert that features music from some of the greatest video games of all time. It's perfect for the whole family, you can bring out the inner nerd in you (or your child) at a concert featuring live music, videos, synchronized lighting, and some live action. With tunes from Mario, Zelda, Halo, Final Fantasy, Warcraft, Tron, Donkey Kong, Tetris, and Space Invaders, feel free to reminisce about the old days of playing video games at the laundromat or on your spoiled friend's new NES. Bond with your children with tales of games that used to be in 2-D or amaze them with stories of when games were all about substance rather than style. You can also impress your friends (real or imaginary) with anecdotes about some of these great composers (Tallarico, Wall, Uematsu, Kondo) that you'll get to hear.

This CNN excerpt shows the visually stunning organ at the Disney hall but the sound is not something easily duplicated. Check it out tonight at the Disney Hall at 7:30 for the full experience. Also, Christopher Eschenbach returns to the Disney Hall for a set of concerts showcasing his abilities as a conductor and pianist. Eschenbach has been conducting all weekend long, with a concert at 2 of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. If the 2 PM concert is too late for you, check out the organ concert tonight at 7:30 PM. If you haven't heard it, the Disney Hall organ provides one of the most exciting and intense sounds that you'll ever hear from any instrument. Naji Hakim is the soloist, of music by Hakim, Franck, and Couperin.

Beverly Sills was considered one of the premiere sopranos of her time, and you can see this youtube clip of her. She is singing "Sempre Libera", one of the most famous arias from this week's classical pick, La Traviata (Violetta from La Traviata was considered one of her signature roles). This clip is an excerpt from the Muppet Show, in which the muppets put on a show at the "Muppetipolitan Opera". You can hear excerpts from the operas of Wagner, Verdi, and Bizet. The most enjoyable moment is probably 1:30 into the clip, where Miss Piggy (Frank Oz) attempts to outsing Beverly Sills.

The clip above is an excerpt from an opera by John Adams. This opera will be one of the pieces performed this week in Los Angeles. It's interesting to see the progression of music from the Baroque period into the 21st century. These concerts this week allow you to see this progression first-hand (although the jump might be so drastic that you might find it difficult to make any connections, if at all).

LAist found several classical music-affiliated groups/organizations on Twitter this weekend and would like to share them with you. KUSC just joined the fray, and LACO has been tweeting for quite a while now. For pages that update you with the latest in classical music news and old performances, check out ClassicalTV and Classical_Music. You can also find the NY Phil, the London Symphony, Hillary Hahn (and her violin case), and Emmanuel Ax. Feel free to add any pages (yours too) we might have left out in the comments section. LAist is also on twitter, for those that were unaware.

Maurice Ravel was born on March 7th, 1875. The French composer is famous for his lush melodies and brilliant orchestration (see Ravel's orchestration of Mussgorsky's Pictures at an Exhibition). His piano works are considered some of the most difficult to perform on piano even to this day (see Scarbo). Martha Argerich is considered one of the premier interpreters of Ravel; she will perform La Valse and the Piano Concerto in G Major with the LA Phil this week. Since she is in high demand, she is scheduled to play four concerts this week, from Thursday to Sunday. She has been flaky in the past few years for various reasons, but there seems to be no issues this time (she performed Prokofiev 3rd last year as well) and you will be in for a treat.

Leon Fleisher is a world renown pianist and conductor who has left a lasting impact on pianists in the 20th century. Many of his students are now world famous soloists and teachers, including Jonathan Biss, Yefim Bronfman, Helene Grimaud, and Andre Watts. He lost feeling in his right hand due to focal dystonia, and continued his career by performing left-hand piano music (yes, there is such a thing) and teaching at Peabody and Curtis. Here is a video of him performing the cadenza (often in a piece the solo instrument goes off into an improvisation or virtuosic passage, often towards the end of a piece) of Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. This piece was written for a friend of Ravel's who had lost his right arm in the first World War. Leon Fleisher eventually regained the use of his right hand and performs and conducts on a regular basis. This week he comes to Los Angeles to conduct the Colburn Orchestra. For more information on his work, 60 Minutes did a documentary on him that you can also find on Youtube and there is also an Oscar-nominated documentary titled "Two Hands" out there.

On December 22nd, 1808, Beethoven held a concert in Vienna, premiering three works. You might have heard of all of them; the concert featured the Fifth and Sixth symphonies, along with his Piano Concerto No. 4. To celebrate, here is the first movement of the fifth symphony, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we are taking this opportunity to inform you about ALL of the upcoming holiday concerts. Although you'll be hard-pressed to find any high quality freebies these days, you can always count on some free concerts to keep your family/date entertained for a few hours. All the free concerts are listed in bold. We will list them in chronological order, after a few updates. If there is an event you feel is missing, please feel free to add them in the comments section.

Since Los Angeles isn't much of a Winter wonderland, one way we try to get into the Christmas spirit is by watching some wonderful concerts by our local artists and establishments. First off is Handel's , a three hour long masterpiece (luckily they have an intermission) with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Disney Hall. Luckily if you can't make it tonight, there is a repeat of the program on the 15th. The exciting thing about this concert though, is it's a sing-along! After this, you can mention on your resume or biography that you performed at the Disney Hall! Now isn't that something.

The Nutcracker (seen here with the Kirov Ballet) is a popular ballet by Tchaikovsky, that people love to perform (and see) during the Christmas season. There are at least three different groups performing it this month in the LA area, starting this week with the Lewis Family Playhouse in San Gabriel. The South Bay Ballet and the Kirov Ballet also perform it this month, giving you plenty of options to choose from.

In the last few years, Los Angeles has taken a risk in hiring brilliant (but young) conductors who gained recognition due to their potential and their interpretations of the Mahler symphonies (see Salonen). This new conductor has a craze to call his own, "Dudamania" (chronicled by the LA Times ). The announcement of Gustavo Dudamel's appointment as the next music director of the LA Phil has created a phenomenon here and abroad, with comparisons to the great Leonard Bernstein, and sold out shows across the globe.

Royce Hall has always been the spot for the classical concerts in the Westside. This week, they host two world class events, with performances by the Takács Quartet and the Guarneri String Quartet.

You've probably heard an aria from George Bizet's this Saturday, with shows throughout the month of November. Viktoria Vizin makes her debut as Carmen, and the production is conducted by Emmanuel Villaume, who happens to be the Spoleto Festival USA's Music Director.

There are a few Halloween-themed events happening in LA this week. For those who are classically inclined, the G2 Gallery is hosting a series called "Echoes Above At the Beach". The event is today at 4 PM, and features director/baritone James Koenig, pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, and cellist Laszlo Mezo. The show also includes tricks, treats, "witches brew" and cost 15 dollars for student tickets, or a 20 dollar donation.The NEW LATC is celebrating Dias de los Muertos with a celebration of their own, featuring dance, music, and theatre, but of the folk variety. That is in Downtown on the day after Halloween from 8-9 PM. Tickets are 35 but the student/senior discount can get you in for a mere 15 dollars. Foods and flowers are also provided!

Elvis Costello and Isaac Mizrahi make their mark on classical music this week, in the west coast premiere of NIGHTSPOT. This week brings the immensely popular Miami City Ballet to town. NIGHTSPOT is the brainchild of world famous choreographer Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello, with the costume design by Mizrahi. This is a must see for any music fans,. Also included in the program are Liturgy (choreographed by the popular Christopher Wheeldon), Tarantella, and Symphony in Three Movements. The last two are works by the legendary George Balanchine, a former Ballet Russes dancer and director of the New York City Ballet. His friend Stravinsky composed the symphony performed in this series of concerts, and you can check it out this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the music center.

Efforts by mainstream media and Hollywood to use a Saint Bernard to replace Beethoven in our hearts and minds have failed, despite numerous attempts. As part of the Colburn Celebrity Series, Andras Schiff is halfway complete on his journey to perform all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. 16 were performed last year in four concerts and he starts again this Wednesday for our classical pick of the week. This week includes some of Beethoven's greatest works, including the "Tempest" and the "Waldstein." These works are often performed, but rarely done well (recommended performances include Alfred Brendel, if you can overlook a mistake here and there). Andras Schiff is considered one of the consummate performers of Beethoven and Mozart. You will be hard pressed to find anyone with the same level of musicality and technical precision for these sonatas. Having attended several of his previous performances (and performances of just about every pianist the last few years), LAist has noticed that he gets some of the loudest and most enthusiastic responses from the crowd with his flawless performances. If you happen to be in New York, he has been performing the same cycle at Carnegie Hall. There are many tickets left for this show between 40 and 100 dollars. If you buy his CD (at the gift store there), he usually does a CD signing right after the show.