LA Weekend2 April 2010
Americas and Americans Festival 2010:
Los Angeles Philharmonic
UpBeat Live!
BP Hall, WDCH , Los Angeles: 23 April 2010
Steven Stucky returns, host,
Standard, prepared introductions to the music on tonight’s program.
He does believe that someone other than Varese wrote the first piece for percussion ensemble.
Peter Lieberson is listed as a participant – he is a no-show. We are finished real early tonight
“….. maybe he is tired….”
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Americas & Americans Festival 2010:
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Ralph’s, WDCH , Los Angeles: 23 April 2010
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo;
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Gustavo Dudamel, Cond
It took numerous phone calls and several visits to the Box Office to finally get a ticket.
1) Carlos Chavez (1899 – 1978): ‘Toccata for Percussion’ (1942) for 6 percussionists. The percussionists are placed on their usual upstage top riser; they position Dudamel’s podium forward to meet them – dark stage except for the spotlight on Dudamel and a broad beam covering the full-width percussion. A new piece for me and it sounds great in this hall – soft / loud & lively & clever. Hey! TCP and a couple of friends……
2) Peter :Lieberson (1946-): “Neruda Songs” for mezzo & orchestra. Very beautiful piece and very touching, especially when you know the circumstances. I had forgotten that LAPhil was one of the co-commissioners. This was the first live performance foe me.
3) Bernstein: ‘Symphony No 2 – Age of Anxiety after WH Auden’ (1947 – 1949; rev 1965) for solo piano and orchestra. It’s been years, but I’ve heard this a couple of times before. I’ve never warmed up to it.
4) encore: ?? Something for string orchestra (with Jean-Yves only sitting at the piano, looking around) ???
Peter Lieberson is here; Frank & Berta Gehry are here
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Center Theatre Group:
Los Angeles County Music Center: Mark Taper Forum: Amelia Taper Auditorium:
24 April 2010
Glenn Davis, Brad Fleischer, Arian Moayad, Kevin Tighe, Hrach Titizian, Sheila Vand, Necar Zadegan.
Moises Kaufman, Dir
Rajiv Joseph: ‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’
music by Kathryn Bostic
Non-music interlude:
This is my first visit after the renovation. They did insert rest rooms under the lobby corridor, but other than that – it seems to be just a decoration project. It remains a 760-seat, wide-wrap end stage. Rush tickets, for seats in the far side sections, are $20.
Center Theatre Group is the Goodman or Steppenwolf of LA. They discover, nurture and produce work by new playwrights (and send them to Broadway on occasion).
Glenn Davis has done a lot of work in Chicago. Good to see him again
The publicity and newspaper stories suggested this would be a strong play. As presented, it seemed trivial. Too much effort making it funny. Or maybe it’s just me – not in the mood to see anything funny about our Iraq wars
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Southwest Chamber Music (SCM):
Ascending Dragon (Thang Long) Music Festival and Cultural Exchange – Spring 2010
“When the Dragon Meets the Clouds, Peace is at Hand”
The Colburn School: Zipper Concert Hall : 24 April 2010
7;30p:: Pre-Concert Introduction: Jeff von der Schmidt, AD & Conductor; Composer: Kurt Rohde; Lynn Vartan, percussionist.
In addition to the typical discussions, Lynn throws 3 coins and calculates, several times, to determine what part of Cage’s ‘Atlas Eclipticalis’ will be performed tonight.
Dual purpose: SCM has started its celebration of the 100th anniversary of Cage’s birth as well as introducing his music to the Vietnamese.
von der Schmidt has known Carter forever, so in January, he was able to convince Elliot that the World and US Premieres should be part of this Festival (Levine and Barenboim can do the NYC and European premieres later)
8p:: Concert:
guest: Evan Hughes, bass-baritone
The same mix of Vietnamese and LA musicians
1) Rohde (1966-): ‘ Still Distant, Still Here’ for dan bau, 2 percuss, piano, dbass, 6 violin, 2 viola, 2 cello, 2 flute, clar, bass clar, basso, horn. (9 singing bowls and 5 Noh (sp?) Bells are distributed in the ensemble) (US Premiere). Substantial and beautiful piece and distinctive voice. I need to find some of his CDs.
2) ‘Atlas Eclipticalis’ [Page 1 of 4 – - selected by 3-coin chance operations in the pre-concert talk] (1961 / 1962) for: on-stage: clar, bass clar, basso, 2 viola, cello, dbass.
for: One instrument in each of 5 boxes, each side. Curious piece. Surround sound is fun
3) Carter: texts by Ezra Pound (Pisan Canto 81 & Canto 120): ‘On Conversing with Paradise’ for bass-barit, 5 percuss, 4 violin, 2 viola, 2 celli, 2 dbass, piano, clar, bass clar, horn , flute (US Premiere). Sounds great in this room, especially Mr Hughes.
4) Copland: ‘Appalachian Spring’ (1943 – 1944) original version for 13 instruments
http://www.swmusic.org/home/home.html
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Americas and Americans Festival 2010:
UpBeat Live!
BP Hall, WDCH , Los Angeles: 25 April 2010
Veronika Krausas, Composition Department, The Thornton School of Music, USC
Osvaldo Golijov, Maria Guinand, Chad Smith , VP, Artistic Planning, LAPhil
wonderful discussion about this Festival and about ‘La Pasion segun San Marcos’
Chad reminds us that this Festival is Part III of the year-long welcome to Gustavo:
LA welcomed him at the Hollywood Bowl last Fall;
California welcomed him through the West Coast / Left Coast Festival last Fall.
The hemisphere welcomes him this Spring.
What will the galaxy do?
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Americas & Americans Festival 2010:
Ralph’s, WDCH , Los Angeles: 25 April 2010
La Pasion Orchestra;
Schola Cantorum of Venezuela;
Luciana Souza, vocalist;
Jessica Rivera, sopr;
Reynaldo Gonzales Fernandez, Afro-Cuban singer and dancer;
Deraldo Ferreira, capoeirista / berimbau
Ralph’s, WDCH , Los Angeles: 23 April 2010
Maria Guinand, Cond
Golijov: ‘La Pasion segun San Marcos’ (2000) (LA Premiere)
Funny how pieces of such importance somehow don’t get scheduled in all the major music centers. I heard this first at Ravinia, and second, at the BAM New Wave Festival, both in 2002. Robert Spano conducted both.
Maria Guinand conducted the World Premiere and recording in 2000. This (Her) Orchestra and Chorus played the premiers and the performances in the US in 2002. They have repeated it around the world. Somehow LA missed out until now.
I find it one of the top ten compositions of the new Century. Hearing it in a real concert hall was a major treat. Seeing / hearing these artists is a major treat. She is a relentless conductor – the action never stops, the chorus is standing; it reassembles into different groups over and over. Several members walk down to the apron for solos. Percussionists in particular, move from the ensemble to the apron frequently. The soloists enter and exit the action frequently.
To tell the story from the many many Latin American points of view, Golijov mixes many musics from his youth, his family background.
The stepped risers are in use and covered with black Marley; the musicians use stand lights. Dozens of lighting cues. Not the best amplification — too loud too often, damaging directional realism. Golijov sat next the operators.
An intense afternoon, wonder moment after wonderful moment. Huge ovation. The hall was about 80% full.
Teddy Dean Boys
