Out West Arts: Performance at the end of the world

Concord Ensemble prepare to beam up
Photo : mine 2008

Sometimes music is about that do-it-yourself attitude. Here in Los Angeles, one of the up and coming proprietors of just such a vision are the good folks who run the Jacaranda concert series out in Santa Monica. If there is something they want to hear and they don’t see enough of it around, by golly, they are going to do it for themselves and everyone else in the vicinity. Under-programmed 20th century composer? It’s yours. Atonal, jarring, or “difficult to listen to? At your service. Music too difficult to be played by mortals? You got it. They’re in the middle of two years of programming honoring the centenary of Olivier Messiaen under the moniker “The OM Century,” and on Saturday they presented a show entitled “Vortex Nebula” featuring works by two of Messiaen’s students – Iannis Xenakis and Karlheinz Stockhausen. And, while it may not have been perfect, it was a huge amount of fun and more interesting than anything else out there this weekend.

Things started off with Xenakis’ legendary Nomos Alpha for solo cello. Technically and intentionally unplayable, the work is more about the choices artists make in striving for an ideal than it is anything else. It is a wonder of 20th century technique, and Jacaranda called on the daring Timothy Loo to take on the challenge. And that he did in spades. He is human, though, and when faced with this task who you gonna call? Why Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, of course, who helped out with the impossible note or two over the course of the otherwise solo piece. It was amazing playing to watch and a real treat to hear.

Following this feat of daring-do – the Jacaranda percussion ensemble amassed to perform the “Metal” movement from Xenakis’ Pleiades. Here all six musicians play the “sixxen” a marimba-like instrument designed specifically for this work consisting of large metal slabs and wood. The players hammered away at various and contrasting rhythms that built to a cacophony of gleaming vibration. It was an intense sound for the space and overwhelming in a pleasant way. I can’t recall the last time I saw people covering their ears due to the volume of sound at this sort of show before. It was seriously messed-up (in the good sense of the word) and fantastic.

What do you follow with on a program such as this? Stockhausen’s Stimmung, of course. The six member Concord Ensemble delivered a very high-quality and appropriately free-spirited version of this ‘60s psychedelic classic. The detail and clarity were phenomenal. If I had any criticism, it is that the piece is a somewhat delicate affair, given that it is in many ways still a product of its time, and rests on a feeling of communal and spiritual elements. While one would think the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica would be ideal for this in its natural state, the performance here was hampered with a make shift Doctor Who set that was more distracting than helpful. The six singers, dressed in white dashiki-style clothing, were seated in a circle of chairs covered with a white parachute around a sort of large globe containing a bowl-shaped lamp that changed colors throughout. It reinforced the retro aspects of the piece, making it seem like some kind of relic. Being brave sometimes means you go a little over the line. But, all-in-all, Jacaranda can’t be faulted for sticking its neck out, and once again delivered goods that may be hard to come by, at least in this neck of the woods.

Labels: Jacaranda, Music Reviews 07/08

Akademie fur alte Musik Berlin
Photo : mine 2008

It was a lovely Friday evening. I, like many others in Los Angeles, spend a lot of time in my car getting to and from work and a variety of things. This is a benefit in some circumstances, one of which is the Metropolitan Opera live radio broadcasts on Sirius, which usually air around 5PM on the West Coast just as drive time begins. Tonight started out with a real treat – the beautiful waves of sound from Philip Glass’ Satyagraha emanating from the last place you’d expect it. Richard Croft and the orchestra sounded great over the radio and my excitement to see the production in a few weeks is very high. I wasn’t even irritated to listen to Margaret Juntwait and critic Tim Page talk about how important the opera was in changing people’s perception of 20th century opera without a hint of irony as they spoke from the bully pulpit of an organization that has all but ignored contemporary music for the last half century. How many minds can a work change when virtually no one has heard it previously? It's only taken thirty years to get here, but hey, who's counting - and better late than never.












Still, the blissful waves carried me across town to Royce Hall where I was reminded that composers had proven that highly repetitive music could have an intense beauty long before the 20th century. Baroque performance masters the Akademie for Alte Musik Berlin were in Los Angeles for a concert appearance. There was nothing new here, just Vivaldi, Bach, Marcello and some comparative rarities. Played with impeccable skill and seemingly effortlessly, the ensemble is doing what it does best and enjoying every moment. As usual there was no lack of first rate soloists tonight with Xenia Löffler on oboe and Jan Freiheit on viola da gamba. Although Royce Hall was probably only at half capacity, it was an inspired performance from one ot the world's best period ensembles. The Akademie has a new Vivaldi Double Concertos recording and their recent release of Handel’s Solomon with Mark Padmore and Sarah Connolly both on Harmonia Mundi should not be missed. And so another day ends in the city of angels. Until tomorrow.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis
Photo : mine 2008

It’s official. There is no longer any reason to bother reading the LA Weekly.

Here’s hoping we get to read the last redeeming asset of that woe begotten periodical: the music critic Alan Rich, in a smarter, and more practical, on-line format soon.

But, no matter how, by whom, or in what format it is written about, the music in Los Angeles continues. Take last night. Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis arrived in town on her current U.S. Tour for a rather amazing performance of the Brahms’ Violin Sonatas. She arrived in perhaps the most fetching frock I’ve seen on any classical music performer in awhile. You know the one. It’s on the multitude of Mozart recordings she’s released recently. It’s even more impressive live, neither overly slinky or ridiculously frumpy. She looked like one gorgeous woman easily in control of her audience.

I talk about the dress, but it’s her playing that was the true wonder. I found her phrasing particularly lovely, and even if her attack seemed a tad murky in a few spots in the first piece, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her playing was neither overly dramatic nor needlessly showy, maintaining the perfect amount of restraint throughout. The Brahms became surprisingly touching at times. But, just in case one thought she couldn’t deliver the drama when needed, she performed – count ‘em – four encores, including three of the Hungarian Dances.

No, not shabby at all.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

Grant Gershon leads the LAMC
Photo : mine 2008

Lest I forget, I must say something about Sunday night’s Los Angeles Master Chorale performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall. I had a big weekend with many shows including Dudamel’s outing with the LA Phil, Piotr Anderszewski’s debonair Beethoven Piano Concerto with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in the OC, and even the Metropolitan Opera’s HD broadcast of hopefully soon-to-be-retired root rot that is the Zeffirelli La Bohéme in Burbank. None of this, though, compared to the quality and sheer joy of the LAMC’s performance on Sunday.

It was woefully under attended, and, admittedly, the program was not filled with the kind of staples the choral crowd seems to thrive on, but it was a winner. I've come to believe that as great as the LAMC's performances are in conjunction with the LA Philharmonic, to really appreciate their many strengths, they are best savored without accompaniment. The first half of the evening was just such an experience structured around Henryk Górecki’s Five Marian Songs - beautiful Eastern European works from the mid-eighties that are filled with as much suffering and perseverance as they are joy and reverence. Gorecki's choral music may have, in the words of Gershon, "launched a thousand pledge drives" but this is exactly the kind of contemporary choral music the LAMC thrives on, and it was superb. After a pair of Schumann works thrown in for good measure, the program concluded with Haydn’s Theresienmesse as part of the LAMC's Haydn mass cycle. It was a good pairing and charming in its own admittedly 18th-century way. The soloists included Risa Larson, Leslie Inman, Jon Lee Keenan, and Steve Pence, and the group was accompanied by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. And, while the Mass was nobody's idea of a period performance, it was quite well done.

The other issue of note that evening was the announcement of the LAMC 08/09 season, which apparently will feature a badly needed new logo design, featured here in my not so great photo since it isn't up on-line yet. (Now, if they can just get rid of Victoria Looseleaf's inane program notes, they'd be in business in the PR department.)

The new season is a typical blend of the adventurous and thoughtful programming Gerson and the group have made their name on, including several world premieres, 20th century works, and the requisite holiday fare. Of particular interest are a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah featuring Eric Owens and the West Coast premiere of Sierra's Missa Latina with Heidi Grant Murphy and Nathaniel Webster. All this and Pärt, Messiaen, and Lou Harrison. What's not to love?

Labels: LA Master Chorale 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Dudamel, Josefowicz and the LA Phil
Photo : mine 2008

It was better. Not great, but better. Over these last few months I have increasingly felt (for no reason other than my own delusions of grandeur) that I alone am carrying the “con” banner when it comes to discussions of Gustavo Dudamel and his veritable beatification by the media here in Los Angeles and around the world. If you don’t believe me, just look at the cover of yesterday’s LA Times. Now I’m no stranger to gushing, but, as I have made the case on many prior occasions, Dudamel is overrated as a conductor at this point in his career.

Now all that being said, I am also aware that mantels can be heavy to bear, so let me put mine down for a moment to talk about the fact that I actually do think the LA Phil’s music-director-to-be is very talented. He exudes a warmth and clearly is well-liked by the orchestra and other musicians. Twice in the last two weeks, he seated himself amongst the orchestra members in order to watch encore performances from celebrity soloists. He appears to care deeply about what he is doing and arguably does bring excitement to the proceedings. Although his approach seems overly enthusiastic a little too often, he is not dull to watch. And frankly dull may be a bigger crime than overstated.

This weekend the Philharmonic was again in his hands with a largely French program including Debussy's Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and Ravel’s complete ballet music for Daphnis and Chloé. And, while neither was perfect, there was a clear sense of dynamics, particularly in the Ravel. I’m usually not a fan of ballet music (with a few exceptions) and the Ravel is not a favorite. I thought Dudamel’s account was engaging and worthwhile. The Pacific Chorale sounded great as did the Philharmonic players. The Debussy seemed unfocused, but was not bombastic or inappropriate at all. Of course I was sitting in the Balcony due to the high demand for tickets for all these sold-out shows this weekend, which may have tempered things for me, but I still felt this was a significant improvement over his last few appearances with the LA Phil, and certainly the best since his debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The other big item on the menu was the second Bartòk violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz, which I admired more in concept than in actual execution. Josefowicz seemed distant to me at times, but this is not an easily digestible work, and to feature it is the first sign that Dudamel won’t completely be timid about the 20th century (or at least the first half of it). It seemed to me that conductor and soloist were attentive to one another even though it didn’t quite come together all the way. So, admittedly, I for one left Sunday’s matinée pleased. Despite my recent doom and gloom on the topic, I think the Dudamel era may well be a remarkable one. There may be a lot of PR crap to cut through to get to it, but it may be there. And maybe I can begin to believe that NY didn’t get the better bargain with Alan Gilbert after all.

Labels: Dudamel, LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante
Photo : mine 2008

Tuesday was another of those wonderful evenings at Walt Disney Concert Hall where those present got to bask in the glow of the adroit and meticulous Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante. Biondi and his colleagues have been on this stage before and it’s a joy to see them return with a program like Tuesday’s, which is not only entertaining but cleverly makes a number of points about contemporary music by focusing on works from the 18th century.

The pieces on offer for this Baroque program were in no way unusual – Vivaldi, Purcell, Leclair and the like. The playing was of the highest quality, which is also not a surprise. But the program was also centered around a worthwhile concept under the subtitle "France, Italy, and England - Connections and Exchanges." Specifically, the idea is that 18th century composers would often use musical elements from other not-so-far-away regions in order to inject their compositions with an “exotic” flair. Of course the shocking nature of “the Italian style” throughout Europe in the period is well known. But Biondi broadened the program with a series of works that attempted to give a taste of what were considered to be regional sounds in the 18th-century. The evening ended with a suite arranged by Biondi entitled “Les Nations” with brief snippets of pieces by Telemann, Biber, Muffat, Galuppi, Campra, and Destouches, intended to represent various ethnic groups such as the Danish, English, Spanish and Chinese. Of course given that this is 18th-century music, none of it sounds like what modern ears would expect and associate with musical elements from these cultural traditions, and often the sounds are far more similar to one another than different.

Which raises the question, what does it mean to have a foreign sound anyway? Biondi raises the question of what it means to refer to something as German or French-sounding by pointing out that these notions in and of themselves are cultural constructs tied to specific periods and traditions. For instance, to note that something has an "Italianate" quality, in fact, has very little meaning in a technically musical sense and may have more to do with one culture's perception of a series of signs and symbols embedded in a musical artifact that is viewed as being outside that culture itself. These Baroque pieces demonstrate that what sounding English was is no longer true today thus calling the whole construct of sounding English into question in the first place. In some ways a rather radical suggestion from such pretty and apparently straightforward music, but such is the wonder of the Baroque. Here’s to Europa Galante, and, hopefully, may it be a short time before they grace this coast again.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

Adès maxing and relaxing

A bewildering amount of publicity surrounded the Metropolitan Opera at the end of last week for events that really seem more markers of failure than success to my eyes. The house finally delivered on a Tristan und Isolde with the cast it used to advertise a series of performances for the last show of the run on Friday and the following night managed to inspire some people to travel from half a world away to see probably the most tired opera imaginable, La Bohème, in a woefully out-of-date production with a cast that has sung it before, better, and elsewhere. Will wonders never cease?

So it should be no surprise that my week in New York ended on an entirely different and more forward-looking front with two excellent shows in Zankel Hall, featuring the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group under the baton of British composer Thomas Adès. We here in LA are no strangers to Adès’ compositions but seeing him again in such an intimate setting was a real pleasure. The first night featured a concert performance of Gerald Barry’s chamber opera The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit in a reprise of an excellent outing of the same work in LA in 11/06. At least two of the cast from that prior event, Christopher Lemmings as Beauty and Stephen Wallace as Pleasure returned in Barry’s high-intensity tongue-twister. It was again rousing, if a little less refined, in the confines of Zankel, compared to the WDCH, but the argument for Barry’s work on this side of the Atlantic came across clearly to the receptive audience. You can also read more on the very excellent, but sadly under-attended show here.

Saturday saw a program of Adès own compositions as part of the “Making Music” series where the performances, led by the composer himself—who also played piano when called for—are accompanied with brief conversation between the composer and host Ara Guzelimian. The program consisted mostly of some of Adès earliest compositions from the 90s including Op. 1 Five Eliot Landscapes for piano and soprano, Op. 2 Chamber Symphony and its successor Living Toys from 1993. That the earliest of these compositions were submitted when Adès was a student for competitions and that they continue to offer a myriad of joys and excitement is remarkable. This is especially true when the composer in question is under 40. Adès himself was witty and charming on the stage, reminiscing at one point that prior to setting the five T.S. Eliot poems for his Op. 1, he had begun to set The Hollow Men for full orchestra and 30 percussionists. He slyly noted that this alone may have doomed the project after the first stanza.

The highlight of the show for me personally, though, was the brief 8 minute Court Studies from The Tempest, which consisted of brief pieces of incidental music he composed as part of the revision of his second opera based on Shakespeare’s play. This was a brief snippet of the dark and beautiful music making up one of the first major operas of the new century and it was all too short for this evening. However, it is this very music that reminds us that things may be looking up for New York’s storied opera house as Peter Gelb has already announced plans to program The Tempest for the 2011-2012 season. Funny how things change.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08, Thomas Ades

Dudamel, Simon Trpceski, and the LA Philharmonic
Photo: mine 2008

So I’m back in LA and, while I still have some New York stuff to write about (which I’ll get to later), I rushed back today primarily to hear our beloved LA Philharmonic in the last of this weekend’s shows under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. These were his first appearances with the full orchestra since the announcement that he will take over the music director’s position here in 2009 after the departure of Esa-Pekka Salonen. It was a big show at least in terms of expectations and if nothing else is clear, the city has already warmly embraced our young new intended music director, if Sunday’s audience was any indication. Even the musicians themselves seem to love him already. So, how come I can't seem to bring myself to jump into the love-fest?

Let me continue to go on record as saying that, while there is plenty to be excited about with Dudamel, I, for one, am still far from won over. This may be more psychological than anything in that he seems to have been given the easiest ride imaginable in the press, which always raises my suspicions. There seems to be an awareness of his shortcomings but they are always presented as somehow charming and youthful. The fawning seems nearly without end.

This weekend’s shows included Esa-Pekka Salonen’s own Insomnia, as well as Prokofiev's first piano concerto played by Simon Trpceski, and Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique. All of the pieces were given enthusiastic and admirable performances, cranked up to full crowd-pleasing mode. There were certainly more of a dynamic range here than with anything played by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra under Dudamel last November. But as enjoyable as this all may have been, it still seems to me that Dudamel has one approach to virtually everything and he’s sticking with it. Everything is taken at its full-bore, juiced-up enthusiastic best. It’s certainly a fun, dramatic, and exciting way to take in the world of music, but one that lacks an amount of subtlety and texture. Salonen’s piece suffered the most under this weight, and while Dudamel’s rendition had much to recommend it in terms of energy and tension, it paled in comparison to Salonen’s own approach to the work which we here in LA have had the benefit of hearing first hand on a number of occasions.

Still, I suppose overly energetic is preferable to dull and lifeless any day. I guess I just wish there seemed to be a little more middle ground here. Dudamel will return for more shows next weekend featuring Debussy and Ravel but it appears that these programs are sold out already as were this weekend's.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Janine Jansen and Edo de Waart with the LA Philharmonic
Photo: mine 2008

Before I took off for New York this week, the LA Philharmonic treated me (and everyone else fortunate enough to be in attendance) to a surprise. This came in the form of 30-year-old virtuoso violinist Janine Jansen who visited in a series of performances this weekend. It seems these days that young, attractive musicians with glossy marketing campaigns are a dime a dozen and Jansen is no exception. The surprise however is that not only is she talented, but she projects a sense of earnestness without a note of the arrogance or histrionics that plagues so many of her peers. And what's more – she did this playing Tchaikovsky of all things. On Friday, Jansen joined members of the LA Philharmonic in a chamber music program where she led an amazing performance of Souvenir de Florence. Certainly nothing radical here but the sheer spirit of the work shone through without an ounce of cheap sentiment. And for a follow-up, Jansen performed the very tried and very true Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the entire Philharmonic under the leadership of Edo de Waart. Again Jansen played the mustiest of numbers with a remarkable freshness. LA tends to be a town quick on the standing ovation, but these were two evenings where they were well deserved.

Speaking of LA audiences and our local arts institutions, the LA Times published a rather lengthy and at times interesting round-table discussion between the leaders of LA’s five major arts organizations – LACMA’s Michael Govan, the Getty Foundation’s James N Wood, Center Theater Group’s Michael Ritchie, the LA Philharmonic’s Deborah Borda, and LA Opera’s Placido Domingo. The questions generally concerned LA’s development as a major cultural center and the challenges local organizations face particularly compared to other major US cities. The group raises many important points about the need for improved arts education in developing future audiences and the city’s need for a richer and more sustained practice of arts philanthropy. The most interesting point, however, comes at the very end of this long discussion when our hero, Placido Domingo, brings up the issue of the local media.

After literally pages of the Times hemming and hawing over the role “Hollywood” does or doesn’t play in the city’s cultural organizations, Domingo boldly, but also politically, notes that an actual problem may be the relative lack of an involved, local media culture that is engaged in a critical way with these institutions. He notes that cities such as Chicago and New York have much richer and varied media outlets that engage the work of their local institutions whereas LA is almost exclusively reliant on the Times. LA is certainly lucky to have the many wonderful arts critics it does have at the Times including Mark Swed, Charles McNulty, Lewis Segal, and Christopher Knight. However, outside of the LA Weekly’s staff including Alan Rich, this is about it. When there is a big arts event in LA, you can bet that more will be written about those events by out-of-town media than anyone local that should have an investment in the community as a whole.

And what’s worse, the Times continues to run under the control of out-of-towners whose vision of LA, its role in the world, and its people, seems more informed by the movies made in Hollywood than any familiarity with reality. A constant call to cut back through reduced staff reporting in many areas threatens virtually the only major source of coverage of local arts as well as other news. While Mr. Domingo is wise to be politic in his comments, the truth is that the Times is not sufficient to cover the arts in a city as diverse and alive as Los Angeles, and it itself is threatened by the short-sighted desire to improve its bottom line in an industry under pressure.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Cast of Sweeney Todd
Photo: DavidAllenStudio 2007

The Ahmanson Theater downtown is currently hosting the touring production of Sweeney Todd from John Doyle’s 2005 Broadway revival. Seeing it this week, three years after my exposure to the Broadway outing, was somewhat bittersweet and an interesting time to reflect on Doyle’s rise as a theater director on this side of the Atlantic. Since that original evening, which featured Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris in what was a fresh, inventive and vital evening, I’ve had three other run-ins with Doyle’s work – the similarly staged revival of Sondheim’s Company on Broadway, LA Opera’s 2007 staging of Mahagonny, and more recently the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Peter Grimes. (Granted this last example was primarily through the live HD broadcast, but I will be taking in the full experience next week and think that the writing is already on the wall.) Given how weak both of the opera productions have been, it’s beginning to make Doyle look like a one-trick pony. I hope this isn't true, and this touring Todd came as a nice reminder of how forcefully Doyle stormed these shores in the first place. His take on Sondheim's masterpiece still has the same spark it did before. So how come Doyle no longer seems to know what to do with people who are singing on stage?

Sure, not everything in this touring production is quite as sharp as before. The whole white baby-sized coffin that Todd, Lucy, and Mrs. Lovett pass around at the climax now seems forced and overbearing. The performances aren’t bad and there are several holdovers from the Broadway cast including Benjamin Magnuson as Anthony and Lauren Molina as Johanna. In fact, virtually everyone in the current cast has been associated with either of Doyle's Sondheim adaptations as either a principal or an understudy. Judy Kaye takes on Mrs. Lovett here and, while she can be funny, I found her too broad and nowhere near menacing enough. David Hess plays the title role and can be foreboding at moments but is vocally weak at other key junctures. Of course, this is one of the great scores of the 20th century, so performance weaknesses are often easy to overlook and the general claustrophobic creep of the production can overtake some overly bright performances.

Besides the images of Doyle's recent stage disasters to contend with while enjoying this evening, there are other mental hurdles to overcome. I found myself also struggling to forget Tim Burton's tepid film version of Sweeney Todd from last year. The very weak vocal performances from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Cater were inescapable, creating a less than enthralling legacy for this work for a mass audience. I had to listen incessantly to the people seated behind me drone on about how much better Depp and the movie was throughout. Of course not everyone will agree with me, including Sondheim himself, who made an appearance in LA just days previously as part of the UCLA public performance series where he was featured in interview with columnist Frank Rich. Sondheim waxed poetic about his love for Burton's film and his distaste for the film version of West Side Story, which mostly had to do with his concern over the flow of the story. Go figure.

Labels: LA Theater Reviews, Music Reviews 07/08

(l-r) Céline Ricci, Florian Boesch, Isabel Monar, Martin Haselböck, Marina Rodriguez-Cusi, and Jordi Domènech. Photo: mine 2008

You know those fleeting moments we all have where suddenly we question everything we believe in? Well I have one every time I see a Handel opera. I think to myself – after Handel, why did anyone even bother to attempt writing an opera. He did it all and frankly outside of Massenet, I don’t think anyone ever had anything more to say on the subject after that. Of course, later I come to my senses, but memories of the high still linger long after the drug is gone. As performers enter and exit over the hours for their various turns at the aria mill in an endlessly convoluted plot, time ceases to exist for me in some way.

Needless to say, it is an extra treat when the performance is as good as the one the Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra held on Sunday at Schoenberg Hall on the UCLA campus. The work was Handel’s Radamisto (or is that Radamsito as the typo on the cover of the free libretto everyone got that afternoon proclaimed?) and Musica Angelica gave a performance under Martin Haselböck far superior to what one might expect given the comparable scarcity of resources available for this concert performance. The playing was crisp and dynamic – a sheer joy to listen to. The cast was quite good overall. Sure there were no A-list celebrities here, but no horrid slouches either. My favorites were Céline Ricci’s Fraarte, Isabel Monar’s Polissena, and Florian Boesch’s Tiridate. Boesch did pull this brief air guitar stunt toward the end, which I wasn’t 100% sure what to think about, but he exuded the kind of fun-loving menace one might expect from an Armenian King in love with his brother-in-law’s betrothed. The countertenor who sang the part of Radamisto, Spaniard Jordi Domènech, was a bit of a sidler when it came to hitting the notes but he was cute in a cro-magnon way and delivered on more than a couple of his arias despite his shortcomings. But what do you expect from a guy who won’t kill his girlfriend when she begs him to, thereby forcing her instead to throw herself into the river. (Although you know she won’t drown because it’s only Act II, and this is the 18th century).

But, of course, love conquers all and all that good stuff, and it was a great afternoon. So, for all you wimps who gave up in the home stretch around the end of hour two just to return to your "lives" and your "families," eat your heart out - you missed it, at least until Santa Fe Opera mounts a fully staged version of this work this summer with David Daniels in the title role. In the meantime, remember, Baroque opera may leave a body count in the average audience and is not for the faint of heart, but there is nothing else quite like it.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08, Musica Angelica

Grizzly Bear are (l-r) Chris Taylor, Edward Droste, Daniel Rossen, and Christopher Bear

One of the most popular tactics for getting butts (particularly young, firm ones) in American orchestral hall seats these days in a post-music education world is the indie-rock collaboration. Take an orchestra, create some reason for them to play in or around an independent pop-rock outfit and presto – instant event. The Oregon Symphony proceeded into these grounds this year to much clucking by opening the door to what could be described as an endorsement with the possibility of other collaborations with Portland hometown hero Thomas Lauderdale and Pink Martini. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is no stranger to this tactic either and in the last several seasons has bent over backwards to add shows during their major programming initiatives, which include a wide variety of independent rock, electronic, folk and other artists. So this weekend's one-off concert that paired the Philharmonic with the lo-fi indie outfit Grizzly Bear is no surprise. Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear, under the guidance of founder Edward Droste, has made a reputation for playing loosely structured pop with a heavy dose of electronics but not necessarily big beats. (And for those of you needing clarification they should not to be confused with Bear Force One.) Saturday's show was conceived as an “intimate evening of sensory immersion” with both organizations playing individual sets. The show began with the LA Phil playing “selections hand-picked by Grizzly Bear and the LA Phil, reflecting classical music’s influence on the band’s sound.”

Nor Grizzly Bear (Bear Force One)

OK, whatever. I’m not sure exactly how true this is, especially since Daniel Rossen and Philharmonic conductor Joana Carneiro made no attempt to argue either before or during the show how works in either half were related to one another. When he came out on stage with Caneiro at the show’s start, Rossen was clearly surprised to see the near capacity crowd filling the hall, but his pre-show commentary was restricted mostly to a “wow, we’re glad to be here” moment. Still, both sets were quite strong and there are certainly connections that can be drawn between Grizzly Bear’s music and the pieces chosen for (or by) the LA Phil. The show started with a Berio arrangement of Boccherini’s Ritirata notturna di Madrid that employs some of the same layering techniques that Grizzly Bear has a fondness for using: in the latter's interpretation, recorded loops of flute or clarinet to augment a song's arrangement. Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes followed and is atmospheric and arguably loosely structured in a way reminiscent of the band as well. Finally, Caneiro led a very lively version of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite that was enthusiastically received by an audience that clearly was not as experienced with this kind of music as many that have filled the WDCH over it’s first few years. If the goal was to get a young crowd in the house and impress them with some very well-played accessible bits of 20th century music, the strategy seems to have worked.

After the break, Grizzly Bear took the stage and delivered a number of favorites from Friend and Yellow House. The amplification was a bit of a problem and the vocals sounded echoey at times but this hardly seemed to matter in these low-key unstructured songs. The set ran for just over 90 minutes and was stronger than what one might expect given the results of such acts in this venue over the last few years. The group's quirky and open-ended sound filled the space, making the band seem much bigger than it actually was. Things never exactly rock or take off, but the songs have enough hooks that they draw one in, not unlike the super hits of the 70s at times. It was actually a very enjoyable evening all around. And even if the programming idea was just a cheap excuse to throw everybody together for one night, who cares when the results are this good.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Time for a big hug - Conlon and Repin with the LA Phil
Photo: mine 2008

...is James Conlon. Or at least he’s the title holder in the LA classical music scene this weekend. Like some American Gergiev, JC headed up 3 performances by the LA Philharmonic as well as two performances for LA Opera (Otello and Der Zwerg) all in the course of three days. The man is a machine and perhaps the most remarkable part is how good it all was. The Philharmonic shows included Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony and the 1st Shostakovich violin concerto. Vadim Repin was the soloist and he wowed a very appreciative crowd on Sunday with blazing virtuosity and real passion for Shostakovich’s maniacal masterpiece. Like a Pinter play, Shostakovich should always be equal parts fun and menace and Repin and Conlon proved to be kindred spirits. The Tchaikovsky was lively and Conlon left nary a pause between any of the movements. This may have not been the most detail oriented or piercing interpretation but it had real momentum and purpose throughout. (I’ll talk more about the Otello performance later).

The really unexpected part is this – in this town that Salonen built where anxiety is widespread over his pending departure despite all the big promises of a Dudamel-filled future, Conlon has stepped in and quietly become the next major driving force in the musical life of this community. In less than two years he has developed a beloved following from both local audiences and (I’m told) the musicians playing under his leadership. He has laid out an agenda that he has so far delivered on with fairly good results across the board programming both more Wagner and overlooked German repertory for LAO. He is truly excited about what he is doing and is eager to share it with audiences here personally. For example, he’s been doing most of the pre-opera talks of the projects he’s involved with himself and he’s as likely as not to make comments from the stage before his Philharmonic appearances. He is fully involved in community outreach and has already led two free semi-staged performances of large scale works from Britten and Handel at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral downtown. He attacks everything with gusto and I for one am thrilled about what he’s done so far. We are lucky to have Conlon here right now. So while his LA Phil appearances are done for this year, there are still several performances of both Otello and Der Zwerg to be seen through the middle of March after which JC will be off from LA until the Fall. Don’t miss out.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

Jordi Savall and Hespérion XXI
Photo: mine 2008

It’s been a bummer of a week. I’ve been sick, which has prevented me from writing much, and on Sunday we all got to watch Groanban and Botchelli urinate all over the grave of Luciano Pavarotti on national TV. So it was a great relief on Wednesday to hear an ensemble with an intellect, talent and passion for their chosen corner of the music world. The occasion was a visit from Jordi Savall, Hespérion XXI and their vocal counterparts including Montserrat Figueras. The program, part of the LA Phil’s “Baroque Variations” series was entitled “Christopher Columbus: Lost Paradises” and featured music and texts from varied cultural sources of 15th century Spain. The two hours of brief instrumental and vocal snippets roughly followed a time line of upheaval both at home and abroad as Ferdinand and Isabella acted against non-Christians in their own kingdom while Columbus was bringing inevitable change to the New World.

The period performance from Savall and his ensemble was excellent if a little hard to relate to. This is music from a different world and it sounds like it. The unassuming melodies can be moving, but they are never about large gestures and are stark reminders of how different things were even by the standards of the 18th century. The performance however was often more admirable than actually enjoyable. Interesting as it may be, it is hard to get worked up over the forced conversion of the Moors in 15th century Spain. And like most Americans, if I don't "feel" something personally, heaven knows I can't relate to it.

Still, it is hard to resist vocal performances of this quality. Montserrat Figueras is great with this material and the Hebrew lament she sang, Mà aidéj? Mà adamélaj , was quite beautiful. Both spiritual and ancient, the effect she creates vocally and visually in performance puts the legions of quasi-ethnic New Age female vocalists to shame. She could break all those Brightman/Enya/Charlotte Church bitches in half. Meanwhile, the male quartet La Capella Reial de Catalunya also offered several pleasant contributions from several composers including Josquin de Près. So, while the evening may not have sent the crowd into hysterics, it was rewarding to see a group of people who care so much about what they're doing do it so well.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Photo: mine 2008

I caught the second of two shows from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on Wednesday on their current U.S. tour and was unexpectedly surprised. Not that I thought the playing would be anything other than superior, it was just one of those nights where it was the right concert at the right time. The program was standard on-tour fare: Strauss’ Don Juan and Mahler’s 5th. And the performance was excellent: shinning and warm. The middle movements of the Mahler were incredible in particular. I think much of my reaction stemmed from hearing Mahler’s symphony actually played with some dynamics. After hearing the atrocious performance of this same piece earlier this season by Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, it was wonderful to hear Mariss Jansons and the Concertgebouw Orchestra create an amazing amount of energy and detail with less than 200 people on stage. It may not have been “note perfect” or “transparent,” but it was thoroughly enjoyable and evidence that in fact size isn’t everything.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

The Westside of Los Angeles is not to be outdone, even when in comes to 20th century art music. LA has had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to 20th century music and, in particular, the music of Olivier Messiaen lately, including spectacular LA Philharmonic performances of Des canyons aux étioles and Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, the Jacaranda chamber music series have put together “The OM Century” – two years of shows dedicated to the works of Olivier Messiaen, those who inspired him, and those he himself inspired. Jacaranda currently operates out of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica and Saturday they presented a program entitled “In Captivity” which concerned music that Messiaen studied, performed, and wrote during his time serving in the French army during WWII including his detention in a German POW camp. The stories of Messiaen's performances of Bach on organs during his services and the Quartet's premier in the POW camp are now legendary, but hearing these works now in this modern church in Santa Monica gives them new perspective.

The first half of the program included some of the music Messiaen studied from pocket scores during this period including three segments of Berg’s Lyric Suite and Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye. The program opened with Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ setting an appropriate tone for a composer whose works were heavily influenced by his own spiritual beliefs. The Denali Quartet then performed the Berg with the assistance of soprano Elissa Johnston. Berg’s pieces can be a tough sell, but here they were filled with longing. The Ravel is written for four hands and pianists Gloria Chang and Mark Alan Hilt gave a beautiful rendition of the work.

All of this prologue provided insightful foreshadowing to a performance of Quatuor pour la fin du temps, the centerpiece of the evening. Timothy Loo and Sarah Thornblade from Denali were joined by Chang and clarinetist Donald Foster for the piece, and, while the playing was a little rough around the edges, overall it was highly effective highlighting the spiritual and timeless qualities of the music. Of course the setting helped too in that even with the lights down, the rather modern white interior of the church seemed filled with light as the rain fell against the large stained-glass windows on either side of the hall. It may not have been Portland, but it was an excellent opportunity to hear music far too seldom programmed or played. The Jacaranda series will continue through this year and part of next. You can check out their upcoming schedule here.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

Maazel and his cast of thousands
Photo: mine 2008

In a way it seems unfair to pick on Lorin Maazel these days. This is a popular pastime in print and on the internet and blaming him for any number of ills in performances of all stripes seems all too commonplace. But when you see a piece presented as unremarkably as Britten’s War Requiem was on Thursday night with the LA Philharmonic under his guidance, it’s also hard to avoid. On break from performances of Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera, Maazel led the Philharmonic for the first time in nearly thirty years. Also on stage were the combined resources of the LA Master Chorale and Children’s Chorale as well as three soloists including soprano Nancy Gustafson, tenor Vale Rideout, and baritone Ian Greenlaw. LA Phil Assistant Conductor Lionel Bringuier led the smaller chamber ensemble that punctuates the Requiem throughout. But all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't quite make all the pieces of Britten's massive work come together.

So what went wrong? I’m not exactly sure. It’s just that the whole thing seemed rather stale and mawkish. Maybe it was just the lack of a certain British quality to the proceedings. Certainly the work requires a certain amount of reserve, but tonight Maazel and the orchestra just seemed distant and hollow. Much of the first half came off as didactic – all the elements were there and the music sounded good but it didn't hit the mark. The Wilfred Owen texts, as beautiful as they are, almost seemed farcical at times as if taken out of a bad student play. There were bright spots, though. Gustafson stood out and the Master Chorale and Children’s chorale seemed to rise above it all, providing the lion’s share of the evening's memorable moments. Even the silly fade to black in the final bars with a sole spotlight on the conductor couldn’t detract from the wonderful singing of the chorale. Still, with current events what they are, such a hollow War Requiem seems like a missed opportunity.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08

In Oregon
Photo: mine 2008

My timing is typically not great. Last weekend was no exception in that I had traveled up north to Portland, Oregon on business a week before the highly anticipated reunion of Tashi and their Messiaen/Carter chamber music mini-festival. Still, Out West Arts never rests and I decided to make the most of my time. First up was a performance from the Oregon Symphony in the lovely Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. The Oregon Symphony is an organization in transition. After decades under beloved music director James DePreist, the artistic leadership of the organization passed to Carlos Kalmar in 2003. This change coincides with the arrival of common pressures facing many arts organizations these days including smaller audiences and decreasing revenue. All of this has resulted in an environment of charges and counter-charges about programming, marketing, and the direction of the symphony. This year, Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale was recruited to help raise the profile of the organization, which has only increased the endless debate about viability and vitality that much of the classical music world seems to thrive on.

But given this weekend’s program, it doesn’t appear that all the squabbling has negatively affected the ensemble's playing. The bill started with James MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie a single-movement work concerning the burning of a woman accused of witchcraft in Medieval Scotland. Filled with both liturgical elements and discordant passages representing the immolation, Macmillan’s piece may be about as far from Il Trovatore as you can get. The Symphony sounded great and Kalmar led a dynamic and colorful performance. This was followed after intermission by Mendelssohn’s incidental music from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As always, the real debate with such a performance is whether or not and how much non-musical framework to give these short but pretty items. Here, two actors, Maureen Porter and Ted deChatelet, were enlisted to deliver the barest bones dialog - often in the most cloying inflection imaginable. What with all the mealy high-pitched fairy voices, the hour felt like more of a battle than a dream, but the playing was still quite good.

Later on and further uptown, I caught Third Rail Rep’s production of Conor McPherson’s Shining City. McPherson's plays are much more difficult than they seem, often resting on actors who can handle extended monologues that are often about things other than what they say they are about. Their delivery must convey a sense of magic, or at least a belief in magic, that will coalesce with the often supernatural events of the story themselves as if in a dream. That this Third Rail production does not ultimately achieve this is disappointing, although it is an admirable attempt with many charms. The heart and primary monologist of McPherson’s ghost story is John, played here by a quite good Bruce Burkhartsmeier. He is certainly believable even if the the rest of the cast does not always match him note for note. Accents are generally stable, but I found the rest of the play here overly disjointed and at times mechanical. Still, McPherson's points are made, more or less, and overall I'd still recommend it. It's too bad I can't hang around and sample more of Portland's wares, but LA beckons.

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08

The LA Philharmonic with Salonen and Marino Formenti
Photo: mine 2008

The 20th century music bonanza continues in LA this week as our very own Esa-Pekka Salonen dropped back into town in the midst of the “Concrete Frequency” Programs just in case any of us had forgotten the role he has played in helping develop this city's interest in music from the last 40 to 50 years. As is typically the case, he does nothing half way and tonight he presented a freaking fantastic performance of Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles with the profound and emotional playing of Marino Formenti at the piano. (Check out his excellent website.) Of course this is a Messiaen anniversary year so his wonderful music suddenly is in abundance everywhere. But whatever the reason, the huge crowd at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight was clearly blown away by a performance that was nothing short of masterful.

Written as a commission for the commemoration of the American bicentennial, Des canyons aux étoiles is Messiaen’s reflection of what is perhaps the most beautiful places in North America – Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. Messiaen may not have seemed the most obvious choice for this work. Let’s face it – what says America more than birds, stars, and Catholicism? But the French have a long tradition of making spectacular gifts to the US and this is no exception. Strangely, and wonderfully, the heady Messiaenic mix overwhelms with beauty and a true sense of spirituality. The work weaves in and out of material about specific birds, the beauty of the canyons, and the stars over the course of its twelve segments incorporating material for solo piano as well as more concerto-like movements. Salonen held everything in complete control producing a loving performance from his band of Philharmonic regulars including a remarkable horn solo from William Lane. The concluding segments of both the second and third parts were awe-inspiring. Although the piano soloist was originally announced to be Andreas Haefliger, an extremely fortunate substitution was made with the presence instead of Formenti. No stranger to Messiaen or the Los Angeles contemporary music scene, Formenti played with remarkable intensity switching from light and birdlike to darkly celestial without missing a beat. He and Salonen, as well as the rest of the players, received an extended standing ovation from the crowd.

The only bad news would seem to be this – with such a miraculous performance so early in this Messiaen year, everything else may be downhill from such a pinnacle.

Labels: LA Philharmonic 07/08, Music Reviews 07/08, Salonen

Donald Crockett, soprano Susan Narucki, and members of XTET
Photo: mine 2008

Is there any doubt that the Monday Evening Concert series is becoming the premiere venue for contemporary classical music in LA? There shouldn’t be. And in a town that has a reputation for broad-based interest in contemporary music to begin with, MEC is a very good place to be. If you don’t believe me, ask the near-capacity crowd at Zipper Hall downtown for last night's show ”Exercises En Route." A show, I would mention, that did not feature a big name "curator" or out of town guest celebrity. It’s hard to believe this series has grown from the ashes of its once-abandoned predecessor over at LACMA in less than two short years.

Tuesday’s program was structured around works developed in the wake of Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire - if not in musical structure, at least in terms of their reliance on similar ensembles. The first half of the program included a number of shorter works starting with Donald Crockett’s witty and energetic Whistling in the Dark that the composer himself conducted. Following this was Oliver Knussen’s Cantata, a string quartet with oboe substituting for the second violin. It was a spot-on performance masterfully handled, as were all of the pieces, by members of XTET. Prior to intermission, an expanded group gave voice to Carlo Boccadoro’s Bad Blood, a work described in the program notes as a sort of jeremiad against an imagined version of the Tuskegee experiments in the US.

All of this was a precursor to the main course, Earl Kim’s Exercises En Route, a 30 minute work for soprano and small ensemble that was perhaps the most direct reference to Schoenberg. The piece sets four texts from Samuel Beckett and captures the enthralling monotony of his language beautifully. The soloist was soprano Susan Narucki who attacked the half-sung, half-spoken passages with glee, fully exploiting Beckett’s text for it wonderful wealth of wordplay.

Do you need another reason to love the Monday Evening Concert Series? How about this – they have made much of the last performance available on You Tube. I’m not much for video in blog posts, but I had to include the three 5 or 6 minute segments that make up one of the big highlights of December’s show (which I didn’t write about due to time constraints) – a performance of Horatiu Radulescu’s Das Andere by violist Vincent Royer. Royer has made Radulescu’s works a specialty and I thought his version of this highly deconstructed sonata was amazing. Make sure to catch the last two MEC shows this season including the March 10th program looking at Harrison Birtwistle and the April 14th program entirely devoted to the work of Helmut Lachenmann who will be in LA for the event.

Das Andere Part I



and Part II



and Part III

Labels: Music Reviews 07/08