Conductor Elim Chan has had remarkable success since being named the first woman to win the Donatella Flick Conducting competition ten years ago. This month Chan is realizing two big dreams: to open the classical music season at the Hollywood Bowl and to conduct the First Night of the Proms in London at Royal Albert Hall. Not too bad for a young girl who years ago was inspired by Mickey Mouse in Fantasia.

The July 9th concert at the Hollywood Bowl finds Chan conducting the same piece that led to her winning the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The July 19th First Night of the Proms concert will open with Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks Overture and close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Earlier this week I spoke with Chan about these two concerts and what they mean to her, her evolving relationship with Scheherazade and what new dreams she has as she moves forward with her career.

What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview with Chan, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: Could the young girl who responded so passionately to the image of Mickey Mouse conducting in Fantasia have ever imagined these two big concerts for herself?

Absolutely not. Even though as a young girl I think I had quite a crazy imagination. Of course I have dreams. But this kind of dream, the Hollywood Bowl, it’s already very cool. And to think I’m going to start the classical season! Then the Proms is basically like a unicorn. To conduct the Proms on the first night – the biggest summer festival in the UK and famous one in the world? It’s more than a dream come true.

What was your first experience conducting the Proms, and how do you think this one will be different? 

The first time that I conducted the Proms was an amazing experience because the Royal Albert Hall, it’s a very different concert hall. You really feel that you’re in sort of like a stadium. You have the audience standing at your feet and you can literally touch them or they can touch you. The feeling of how the audience cheered for you and they really are so involved. That’s really quite something I never experienced anywhere else. That was such a huge honor. I felt like a rock star.

To know that this concert was like one of the first ones to be sold out; the tickets were gone the moment it went out there. I don’t know, I’m going to just stay open and let this just be a surprise.

We often hear about how conductors think about music. What do you think is unique about the way you hear music – whether you’re reading a score or when you’re conducting an orchestra? 

I think that’s a very interesting question. Conducting is so cool in the sense that I have this concept in my head, this story, a narrative or some sort of sound soundscape the moment I start opening a score. It starts. I can hear it. I can play it on the piano and then it builds this world that I’m hearing or envisioning.

When I’m on stage with the orchestra, I have to compare what I’m hearing with this vision in my head and then have to bring it closer. Sometimes, actually, what I’m hearing is nicer than what I thought. It’s like a constant synergy of both worlds. It’s, in a way, like a tango, right? Of course, I’m the conductor and I want to mold it in the end that we arrive at the vision that we’re all happy about.

I interviewed conductor Simone Young four years ago, and she told me that, “Everything comes from the written page. I spend hours and hours studying scores, but also studying manuscripts. References. I want to get as much info about the thought process and the work process.” Do you think there can be a definitive understanding of a composer’s thought process? Or will it always be open to interpretation?

I think the second. I also do the same. I want to really put myself back in the time, in the context. This is really, I feel, like investigative work. There’s like a crime scene. Something happened. Okay, what really happened? You can collect evidence. You can talk to people who think they saw the thing happened. But each perspective is different. Then collecting all these things and then I try to build an interpretation of what exactly happened because no one actually really knows. And I think this is so cool. That’s the beauty of it, that there’s really not one right way. We’re all interpreters in that sense.

At the Proms, you’re going to be conducting probably one of the top five best known compositions in the history of the world: Beethoven’s Fifth. With a work so familiar to audiences and so familiar to the musicians, how do you think your approach to it might be the only one that you, as an individual, could have imagined? 

Well, there’s only one Elim, right? In that sense. It will be my interpretation of it. One thing that came out from this whole crazy time, and we’re still in some crazy times, is that I really want to give this life experience to everyone who is there. That you need to be there to experience that because it only happens once.

Beethoven Five is so familiar. And the audience thinks they know, too. The world is so messed up with wars happening everywhere and we get to make music and to celebrate first night of the Proms. The beginning of Beethoven Five is like a moment to really express something that fuels it to become a Beethoven Five that is fresh and happening now.

How often do you surprise yourself in the middle of a concert?

A lot. I laugh actually when mistakes happen because that shocks everyone. I love those very raw like a minute or two and everyone is like, wait, what? Oh no. And everyone’s awareness is insane, right? I love these waking up moments.

That sounds like a jazz musician, not a classical musician. Because a jazz musician moves past the mistakes and who knows where it leads them? I bring that up because I was very surprised to see a list of the five most important works for you and Bill Evans is on your list. What inspires you most about Bill Evans and do you see a way in which the way Bill Evans created and performed music that inspires the way you create and perform music?

He’s such an immense pianist and musician and it’s not ever the same. This is something I really want to take into a Beethoven Five or a Clara Schumann or Handel, Bruckner. I’m going to just take this opportunity and just really bring in that spirit. I think we can learn so much from all the other genres.

Note: First Night of the Proms includes performances of Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto by Isata Kanneh-Mason and Bruckner’s Psalm.

You’ll be leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Music director Gustavo Dudamel is set to leave soon. if the L.A. Philharmonic came to you and asked if you would like to be the next music director, what would be the first thing that you would think? 

That’s another unicorn. And then I’ll start doing a happy dance. I will probably be like, unbelievable. You know what? If that happens…thank you and let’s get to work. I want to be as ready as possible They are one of the most adventurous, curious, orchestras institutions in the world. They take chances, they take risks, and they can afford to do it. So yeah. Let’s see.

At the Hollywood Bowl you will be revisiting Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. How was your relationship to this particular composition evolved in the ten years since your winning the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition?

The piece has a very special place in my heart. It’s the piece that jump started my career. Ten years ago I was the first woman to win the competition in London. And now ten years later, I’m still the only woman to have done that. And I’m like, hey girls, where are you guys?

Talking about the piece itself, it’s literally about a woman having to stand up for herself every night telling stories, and if she doesn’t tell a good story, she gets killed. I’ve done this piece again and again and I really feel very like I identify myself with her – Scheherazade. Each time I do the piece I get more brave. I’m more convinced that we really need to be strong. My interpretation is like a steady slow cook. It takes more flavor. Every time I go back to it, I still see something new and I want to try something new so I can tell the story in different ways. I really love the fact that this piece lends itself for that. 

Rimsky-Korsakov is quoted as having said, “I had no idea of the historical evolution of the civilized world’s music, and had not realized that all modern music owes everything to Bach.” Do you agree that all modern music, even today, owes everything to Bach? 

Wow, what a statement! I think a lot of it, yes. I always believe that we all need to actually understand what happened in the past, especially Bach as such a master. To really understand what the traditions [were] that came before. Then you can decide to keep it or break it. All the greats follow Bach. If you look back, Brahms, Beethoven, everyone basically comes from there.

We started the conversation by my asking you if you could have imagined opening the classical season at the Hollywood Bowl and then opening the BBC Proms in London. That seems like a dream come true. But everybody has to have new dreams as well. What dreams do you have beyond what this July is going to offer you?

My dream is to find an orchestra, a place where we can do some crazy things and grow together, fly together. Another dream of mine actually will come true is that I finally can do some opera. I came from voice choirs and so I love theater, I love drama. So what’s better than actually opera to have all these elements coming together? This is like in two years. There are crazy dreams to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, all this stuff. Sometimes I put a dream and then things like the First Night of the Proms comes in. So in a way, I’m like, life – come on, surprise me.

To view the full interview with Elim Chan, please go here.

All Photos: Elim Chan (Photo ©Simon Pauly/Courtesy for artists)

The post Maestra Elim Chan and Her Big July appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

My Top Pick:

Contemporary Classical:  JULIUS EASTMAN VOL. 3: IF YOU’RE SO SMART, WHY AREN’T YOU RICH – Wild Up (New Amsterdam Records)

Wild Up continues their multi-album series of recordings exploring and celebrating the music of Julius Eastman. Joining Wild Up for this recording are Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange) and Adam Tendler. 

Three of Eastman’s works are performed on this album: the title track, the Moon’s Silent Modulation and Evil N–. Since so much of Eastman’s work was thrown out after his untimely death, these recordings are essential in bringing into focus what Eastman was doing. This is another fine series of performances by Wild Up of his music.

Here are our other selections of the best New In Music This Week: June 16^th

Classical Music: BEETHOVEN: EMPEROR CONCERTO – Daniel Barenboim and New Philarmonia Orchestra (Warner Classics)

This is a vinyl only release of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Otto Klemperer conducting. Warner Classics is honoring Klemperer on the 50^th anniversary of his death. Digitally this album is being released today with Beethoven’s 2^nd piano concerto as well.

Recorded in the late 1960s, this album reflects Barenboim’s youthful energy and Klemperer’s more studied approach. Simply put, the pairing works beautifully.  It’s as if the competing styles challenged everyone involved and the end result is terrific.

Contemporary Classical:  CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN COMPOSERS – Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO Resound Label)

Riccardo Muti leads the CSO in performances of works by Philip Glass, Jessie Montgomery and Max Raimi. Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone opens the album. That is followed by Three Lisel Mutter Settings by Raimi and closes with Symphony No. 11 by Glass.

Hymn for Everyone and Three Lisel Mueller Settings were both commissioned by Muti. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong is the soloist for Raimi’s song cycle. When the CSO first performed Glass’s symphony in 2022 it was the first-ever performance of any of his symphonies by the orchestra. 

Jazz:  A TIME TO REMEMBER – Elina Duni (ECM Records)

If you ike your music beautiful and unconvenontial at the same time, you’ll want to check out this album that features the Swiss-Albanian jazz vocalist joined by guitarist Rob Luft, Flugelhorn musicians Matthieu Michel and percussionist/pianist Fred Thomas.

There are several original songs amongst the 12 tracks on A Time to Remember. There are a few traditional songs. Plus there are covers of songs by Abbey Lincoln, Sammy Fain and Stephen Sondheim.

All are beautifully sung and arranged. The simplicity with which each song reveals itself is amazing.

Jazz:  ANYONE IS BETTER THAN HERE – Jeremy Dutton

My first exposure to this incredible drummer was seeing him as part of Vijay Iyer’s group at a 2019 concert. Simply put, I was blown away. Clearly others have been two given the artists he has assembled for his debut album: trumpeter Ambrose Akiknmusire, bassists Matt Brewer and Daryl Johns, guitarist Mike Moreno, vibraphonist Joel Ross and saxophonist Ben Wendell.

Dutton composed the 12 tracks on this terrific album which further cements my belief that he’s a force to be reckoned with. I strongly recommend Anyone Is Better Than Here.

Jazz: WITH PETER BRADLEY – Javon Jackson (Solid Jackson Records)

This is the soundtrack for the documentary of the same name about abstract artist Peter Bradley. Jackson, who plays saxophone, composed the score for Alex Rappoport’s 2023 film about the abstract artist who continues to paint every day even though he hasn’t had a major show in over 40 years.

The genius of what Jackson has done with this moving score is offer tributes to many of the jazz artists who inspired Bradley: Art Blakey, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

Jackson is joined on the album by trumpeter Greg glassman, drummers Charles Goold and McClenty Hunter, pianist Jeremy Manasia and bassist David Williams.

Jazz: THE OMNICHORD REAL BOOK – Meshell Ndegeocello (Blue Note Records)

This isn’t strictly speaking a jazz album, but the depth of jazz influences on it makes it worthy of attention from jazz fans. Ndegeocello first gained prominence with her 1993 album Plantation Lullabies which featured the hit song If That’s your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night). 

Since then her work has explored a variety of styles and has always been interesting. This album is no exception. As is the impressive list of guest artists who join for the 18 original songs on The Omnichord Real Book: Ambrose Akinmusire, Jason Moran, Jeff Parker, Julius Rodriguez, Joel Ross and more.

Fans of her previous work will like this as will those who don’t know her previous work.

Jazz:  LEROY WALKS! – The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet  (Craft Recordings)

I wasn’t familiar with bassist Leroy Vinnegar until I heard this album and now I can’t stop playing it. Leroy Walks! Was originally released in 1957 and was his debut album. From the opening walking bass line of the album, you know you’re in for some great music.

The seven tracks are: Walk On, Would You Like to Take A Walk, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Walkin’, Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, I’ll Walk Alone and Walkin’ By the River. Do you see a theme there?

MUSICAL THEATER: OTHER LIVES: THE STORY SONGS OF MICHAEL COLBY (Jay Records)

Lyricist Michael Colby’s work was celebrated in a benefit revue off-Broadway at Urban Stages in New York last December. This is the cast album of that show.

The album features 22 songs with music written by an array of composers including Andrea Colby, Ned Paul Ginsberg, Larry Hochman, Paul Katz, Peter Millrose, Gerald Jay Markoe, Alex Rybeck, Steven Silverstein, Joseph Thalken and Herman Yabaloff.

The cast of 22 includes Klea Blackhurst, Steven Bogardus, Sean McDermott and more. Michael Lavine is the music director.

Other Lives is a great way to get introduced to Colby’s work (and some composers you may not be familiar with).

That’s our list of New In Music This Week: June 16th. What are you listening to? Let us know.

Enjoy the weekend and enjoy the music.

Main Photo: Art from Jeremy Dutton’s “Anyone Is Better Than Here”

The post New In Music This Week: June 16th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Adolphe is considered one of the finest composers of her generation. She has multiple commissions ahead of her and a handful of works that have yet to have their premieres. She writes in all forms: chamber music, choral, concerti, orchestral and opera. Her compositions have been performed by LA Phil, the New York Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and more.

The day before Thanksgiving, I hopped on a Zoom call to talk with Adolphe about Woven Loom, Silver Spindle and the nature of creativity during the pandemic and its impact on how she approached this concerto. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired you to compose Woven Loom, Silver Spindle? 

I think one of the fun parts about a concerto is that it has a dynamic that’s already set up which is the orchestra and the soloist. And so I think one of the first questions for every concerto is what is that relationship between the two and how does it change over time? Also, you think about the the specificity of that instrument. So the violin in particular has this beautiful, bright sound. And that’s sort of where I came up with the idea of this silvery spindle image; that bright kind of yellow, silver, orange colors, light green, that you can kind of hear in a violin. And so the the title, it kind of evokes that relationship of the violin in the orchestra where the the orchestra is sort of the large woven loom that carries this kind of silvery thread throughout.

How much do the times we live in influence how you feel and what you write by extension?

It’s interesting that you ask that in relation to this piece because, of course, I wrote this during the height of the pandemic. And this piece actually the first and second movements are quite different in feeling. I’ve never done this before, but I actually was switching back and forth between writing them based on what mood I was in because sometimes I just felt like it was so hard and I didn’t want to live in this sort of darker, angrier music. And so the first movement is quite light and playful. And so I would do that when I felt that way. But then sometimes I felt like I had to be in that dark place because I was so angry or scared. And so then I would write the second movement. So I’ve always written chronologically, and this is the first time that I haven’t done so. I felt so emotionally disregulated that I kind of needed to jump back and forth. 

What are the challenges for you after a world premiere in finding other opportunities for people to hear this music through other performances of the work? 

You kind of hope for a recording or a second performance. But honestly, I’m kind of on to the next piece in a way. I keep telling myself I want to spend time getting my existing works out. But I don’t know, I’ve sort of moved on. I think you kind of have to. 

You don’t worry about the legacy of a piece or the lifetime of a piece because you’ve moved on?

No, because I think my next piece is already better, maybe, or, I feel like that’s part of letting go of your work. When you finish a piece you kind of are aware of its imperfections and things; maybe you want to do differently. Like I do want to have more aggressive drums next time. I’m finishing up the piece for the Boston Symphony and I’m focusing more on brass. I’m just kind of on to the next thing.

I saw the video that you posted last month called Letting Go of Your Work, which I thought was refreshingly candid. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a composer speak that way before. And you ask a question towards the end “if there is an unfiltered, more direct version of my sound that comes out when I’m not trying to make things perfect?” One month later, and a week before the world premiere of this work, do you have an answer to that question? 

Can you ask me next week? I might have an answer because I haven’t heard this movement that I wrote that I felt was so different than the previous two. It’s so much more tonal. God forbid it has a key signature. It’s very repetitive. I’m assuming the answer is yes, not that one is better than the other, but there is a more distilled version of my voice that comes out in this third movement because I was letting go and not analyzing it. You write music and then you sort of complicate it. You write an idea and then you expand and develop it and vary it. So in a way, it’s building out. It’s interesting to see what it is when it’s just the more pure distilled thing and if that feels like enough to me.

The L.A. Phil had announced that your violin concerto was going to be premiered in May. Obviously, that was postponed. On that program it was paired with the Mahler 5th Symphony. This program it’s paired with the Beethoven 7th. Do you think that there is a better conversation to be had between your work and the Mahler or your work in the Beethoven? If you had a preference, which it would be?

I don’t know how to answer that question. Mahler maybe I feel more affinity to some of his work and his sound worlds more than Beethoven. I don’t really think about what the piece is programed with. And honestly, it’s always either Mahler or Beethoven. (She laughs) Once I got programed with Debussy. That was exciting because, you know, color and his impressionistic style is very, very impactful to me. But I do feel quite removed from Mahler and Beethoven so I don’t really have a preference.

If you could program your work with any composer or a couple of composers, who would they be? 

I’d love to to to be on a concert with George Crumb and Sofia Gubaidulina. I want to be on programs with more contemporary composers, even though they are now of older generations. I think that kind of ritualistic sound world that they both share is kind of otherworldly. I don’t know if you can hear that in my music, but I’m definitely influenced and inspired by the two of them.

It’s interesting you brought up Sofia Gubaidulina because I read an interview that she gave where she said “There is a deep necessity for human beings to realize his or her unconscious. This is art. This is not only music, but it’s an art. This is what art does. It’s absolutely necessary.” Do you agree with her? And if so, how do you think your work helps you realize your unconscious? 

I one thousand percent agree with her. My work is a way for me to process how I feel. To process the images that come into my mind that are in my unconscious, my dreams. All of that goes into my music. Sometimes even I get ideas for titles from my dreams. The hope is that by being as authentic and true to how I feel as possible that it will create a space for others to access their own internal world.

That’s why I don’t really share what my pieces are about. I want to give some imagery that people can imagine and latch onto. Working on it helped me process my unconscious. But I don’t want them to be distracted by it, by me. I want my music to be a vehicle for them to access their own unconscious. And that’s one of the beautiful things about music is because it does not have words. It gives you that freedom to to access your own imagination.

To see our complete interview with Julia Adolphe, please go to our YouTube channel here.

Photos of Julia Adolphe courtesy of the composer

The post Composer Julia Adolphe Writes the Colors of the Violin appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

There are other concerts that are going to be familiar to those who frequent the Bowl. The annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular is back as is a salute to the music of film composer John Williams.

I’ve combed through the schedule and here are the shows that stand out to me as the best bets this summer for fans of the performing arts. They are listed chronologically.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: July 15th: Peter and the Wolf

Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a concert that will feature Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress Viola Davis narrating Peter and the Wolf (with music, of course, by Sergei Prokofiev). The composer’s Symphony No. 1 “Classical” opens the program. Margaret Bonds wrote the Montgomery Variations in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Selections from the work will be performed to conclude the first half of the concert.

JAZZ: July 18th: Kamasi Washington

If you watched the LA Phil’s Sound/Stage series you know how exciting a performer/composer Kamasi Washington is. (And if you haven’t, you should do so immediately.) Between the richness of his writing and the freedom he gives his very large band to improvise and contribute to the musical dialogue on stage, you will see very quickly why Washington is so highly-acclaimed.

As of press time, this is the only concert on his schedule. Opening is hip-hop artist Earl Sweatshirt. Both artists are from Los Angeles.

JAZZ: July 24th: Ledisi Sings Nina Simone

Singer/actress Ledisi is releasing an album of songs made famous by Nina Simone the night before this concert at The Hollywood Bowl. Ledisi Sings Nina includes such classic songs as Feeling Good, My Baby Just Cares for Me and Wild Is the Wind.

For this concert she will be joined by Thomas Wilkins leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

One week later she will be performing at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 31st and she’ll be at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego on August 17th. Wilkins will lead the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in that show.

I fully anticipate that Ledisi will put a spell on you at this concert.

BROADWAY/VOCALS: July 30th: Cynthia Erivo

Also releasing an album, her first solo recording, is the destined-to-be-an-EGOT Cynthia Erivo. (She’s only missing an Academy Award and that is certainly in her future.) That record, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, will be released on September 17th. The first single, The Good, came out last month.

The star of The Color Purple on Broadway and the recent Genius: Aretha Franklin will probably include songs from both her stage and screen career. She’ll be joined by Wilkins and the LA Philharmonic for this concert. At press time this was her only solo concert on her schedule.

I saw her in her Tony Award-winning role as Celie. She blew the roof off the Jacobs Theatre in New York every night. If anyone can make the shell of the Bowl levitate, it’s going to be Erivo.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: August 5th: Schumann & Beethoven UPDATED

Gemma New leads the LA Phil in this concert that opens with warp & weft by Sarah Gibson. She is a Los Angeles-based composer and pianist who also performs as a member of HOCKET.

warp & weft was given its world premiere performance in 2019 by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason was scheduled to perform Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. However visa issues got in the way. She is being replaced by pianist Behzod Abduraimov. He will be performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15.

The second half of the program will feature the Rhenish Symphony No. 3 by Robert Schumann.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: August 10th: Dudamel Conducts Gershwin

What could be a better line-up of music for the summer than Cuban Overture, Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris and songs by George Gershwin? Obviously for fans of this composer (count me in) this is pure heaven.

Gustavo Dudamel will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic for this concert.

Joining them will be pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and counter-tenor John Holiday.

As part of the Sound/Stage series, Thibaudet joined the LA Phil to perform the jazz band arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue. Perhaps this will be the full orchestra version. I hope so!

CLASSICAL MUSIC: August 17th: Dudamel Leads Elgar and Grieg

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel for a concert featuring the works of British composer Edward Elgar and Norwegian composer Edvard Greig.

Opening the program is Grieg’s immensely popular Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. From the opening notes of this work, you’ll immediately recognize it.

Kanneh-Mason joins for the chamber version of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. This was the composer’s last major work for orchestra. Kanneh-Mason’s 2020 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle received glowing reviews. Rob Cowan, writing for Gramophone, said of the performance:

“It really is a remarkable performance, one that has already given me enormous pleasure.”

The performance concludes with Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: September 9th: Beethoven and Schumann

One month earlier you had the chance to hear what a piano concerto in A minor written by Clara Schumann sounds like. With this concert you can hear what Robert Schumann did with his Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54. What makes this concert so appealing is the soloist, Hélène Grimaud.

Long a fan of Schumann’s work, Grimaud made her US concert debut with a performance of this work with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1990. Twelve years later she performed the concerto as part of her debut at Carnegie Hall. In other words, this piece has a special and substantial place in her heart.

The concert, lead by conductor Marta Gardolińska, will open with Overture by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz. After the intermission, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 will conclude the evening’s performance.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: September 14th: Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Project

Bach’s Six Cello Suites will be performed by Yo-Yo Ma alone on the massive Hollywood Bowl stage. Almost exactly four years prior to this concert, he did exactly the same concert. The quiet, emotional and intimate music of Johann Sebastian Bach performed on a single instrument for two-and-a-half hours to an enraptured audience.

I know what you’re thinking, did this really work?

Here are some excerpts from Mark Swed‘s review for the Los Angeles Times:

“…the concert proved an unquestionably great, memorable Bowl occasion. …This audience sat in nearly unbelievable rapt attention focused on Ma as each musically complex and austere six-movement suite followed suite. …Extraordinarily, this had the effect of a kind of visual and aural intimacy you could never reproduce in a concert hall while at the same time producing a sense of awe being in a large outdoor arena where attention-deficit is normally taken for granted. With the Bowl doing everything right — the lighting, the mood, the outstanding sound system — Ma made the astonishing an argument against dumbing down.”

I certainly hope to experience this performance. If you do, don’t hesitate to get tickets. The previous performance was sold out.

JAZZ: September 26th: Herbie Hancock

He’s a legend. He always puts on a massively entertaining show. And I’d venture a guess by saying no two performances by keyboardist/composer Herbie Hancock are the same.

With a career that spans from Miles Davis to The Headhunters to his Oscar-winning score for Round Midnight, Hancock is always trying something new and pushing the definition of jazz into new areas. His support of young artists is also powerfully important.

There are no guests announced yet for this concert, but there will undoubtedly be many. He’ll be performing with his band (though wouldn’t a solo concert be amazing?).

I’ve seen Hancock several times and can strongly recommend seeing this concert.

Those are my selections as the best bets for the Hollywood Bowl 2021 season. If, like me, you enjoy a wide range of music, I recommend checking out the full schedule.

Coming soon will be my selection of the Best Bets at The Ford.

Leave a message in the comments section and let me know what you’re looking forward to seeing most this summer at the Hollywood Bowl.

Update: This post has been updated to reflect the change of soloists and material being performed on August 5th. Isata Kanneh-Mason was unable to get a visa.

Photo: Hollywood Bowl with Fireworks (Photo by Adam Latham/Courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic)

The post Top Picks for the Hollywood Bowl 2021 Summer Season UPDATED appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Your options this weekend have something for everyone. Classical music fans have four different concerts to watch. Opera fans have two different productions available. Fans of plays have a couple options. Three different Broadway stars have concerts this weekend. You can attend a high-end karaoke with music and stage stars in your pajamas. Jazz fans have an all-star concert. Finally, Broadway says goodbye to one of the most public victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th:

Pacific Symphony’s Summer Replay – Pacific Symphony – Various Dates through October 24th

Orange County’s Pacific Symphony has a series of filmed concerts available on their website for free viewing. You have to sign up to watch them, but classical music fans have three concerts available now with a forth becoming available on Thursday, September 10th. They are:

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 performed on September 16, 2017 conducted by Carl. St. Clair (available through September 12th)

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 performed on May 20, 2017 by pianist Orli Shaham. Conducted by Carl St. Clair (available through September 26th)

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique performed on February 7, 2020 conducted by Carl. St. Clair (available through October 10th)

On September 10th the Virtual Tchaikovsky Spectacular will become available through October 24th. The program features works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with live cannons and fireworks.

The Last Angry Brown Hat – Latino Theater Company – September 4th – September 13th

Los Angeles-based Latino Theater Company will offer a reading of the play The Last Angry Brown Hat by Alfredo Ramos. The play depicts the reunion of four friends who, in the 1960s, were members of a Chicago civil rights organization named the Brown Berets. When they come together for a friend’s funeral, they try to reconcile the angry young men they once were with the more mature men they have become.

The cast features Robert Beltran, Mike Gomez, Sal Lopez and Geoffrey Rivas. The Last Angry Brown Man is directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela.

While you are at the LATC website, you might notice that two other plays are available for streaming: an online reading of Alberto Barboza’s August 29th (through September 6th) and an archival film of Jose Luis Valenzuela’s La Olla (through September 10th).

Eleanor – Barrington Stage Company – September 4th – September 5th – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Tony Award-winning actress Harriet Harris, who won the award for her performance in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, will take on legendary first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in this new play by Mark St. Germain (Freud’s Last Session).

In this one-person show, Roosevelt offers her perspective on her unlikely journey from her relatively mundane upbringing to becoming the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her life has been subject to endless speculation on multiple levels.

How St. Germain distills this fascinating woman into his play should be quite interesting.

This production was originally meant to be performed live at Barrington Stage Company this weekend. Director Henry Stram filmed the play without an audience. Barrington Stage Company is making the play available for streaming for the price of $15.

Kate Baldwin in Concert – Broadway Relief Project – September 5th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

New York’s Broadway Relief Project offers three great things in our current pandemic. The first is a live performance with a socially-distanced audience and artist; the second is a fundraiser for worthy causes and the last is the ability to livestream the performance. The concerts take place at Open Jar Studios.

On Saturday, Kate Baldwin will perform as a fundraiser for Active Minds, a non-profit addressing the issue of mental health.

Baldwin is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her delightful performances in the 2009 revival of Finian’s Rainbow and the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler.

Not all livestream concerts in this series are free, but Kate Baldwin’s does appear to be without a fee to watch. Of course, donations are encouraged.

Rossini’s Sonatas – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – September 5th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

The fifth and final concert in Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Summerfest series features the works of composer Gioachino Rossini. The works being performed are his String Sonata No. 3 in C Major and the String Sonata No. 6 in D Major.

Spearheading this concert is Principal Bass player David Grossman. He is joined for the Rossini by Carrie Kennedy and Joel Pargman on violin and Andrew Shulman on cello.

The concert will conclude with Grossman performing improvisations on the Fats Waller song Honeysuckle Rose.

If you are unable to watch the stream of this performance at it scheduled time, the performance will be available for later viewing on LACO’s website.

Jazz Musicians UNITE Against Racism Concert – Just Jazz Television Network – September 5th – 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT

Eleven very different jazz artists have come together for the second Jazz Musicians UNITE Against Racism livestream concert on Saturday night. Singer Dwight Trible and producer/journalist LeRoy Downs will host the three-hour event.

The artists participating are pianist/composer Billy Childs, singer Carmen Lundy, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, singer Tierney Sutton, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, percussionist/drummer Jonathan Pinson, drummer/composer Christian Euman, pianist Jamael Dean, bass player Dave Robaire, pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist/composer Jonathan Richards.

Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda – Great Performances at the Met on PBS – September 6th (check local listings)

Conducted by Maurizio Benini; starring Elza van den Heever, Joyce DiDonato and Matthew Polenzani. This David McVicar production is from the 2012-2013 season.

If you follow our weekly updates of the Metropolitan Opera streaming schedule, this is the same production the Met streamed on April 28th

Mary, Queen of Scots, is the central figure in this opera written by Gaetano Donizetti that had its world premiere in 1835 at La Scala in Milan. The libretto by Guiseppe Bardari, was based on Friedrich von Schiller’s play, Mary Stuart, from 1800. The opera is part of the composer’s Tudor Trilogy along with Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux.

The opera depicts the bitter rivalry that existed between Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I.

Of DiDonato’s performance in the title role, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times said, “Ms. DiDonato’s performance will be pointed to as a model of singing in which all components of the art form — technique, sound, color, nuance, diction — come together in service to expression and eloquence.”

Nick Cordero Memorial – BroadwayonDemand.com – September 6th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

We all followed the horrible story of Broadway performer Nick Cordero and his battle with Covid. Through Instagram updates from his wife, Amanda Kloots, we were all rooting for him to pull through. Sadly he passed away on July 5th.

Friends, family and fellow performers are coming together on Sunday to celebrate Cordero’s life with a memorial that will be streamed for free. The tribute will include performances by some of the many people with whom he shared the stage in such musicals as A Bronx Tale, Bullets Over Broadway, Waitress, and Rock of Ages. Expect photos, videos and memories as part of the memorial.

Thee is no charge to watch Nick Cordero’s memorial. You do need to create an account on Broadway on Demand. The event also serves as a fundraiser for the Save the Music Foundation. Donations can be made by texting CORDERO to 41444.

Brandon Victor Dixon in Concert – Broadway Relief Project – September 6th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

As part of the same series as Kate Baldwin’s concert, Brandon Victor Dixon, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Judas in 2018’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live on Concert, will take to the Open Jar Studios stage in support of WeAre.Org. They are an organization that utilizes artists and the arts to further awareness of our shared humanity and responsibilities.

As anyone who saw Jesus Christ Superstar knows, Dixon is a powerful performer. His Broadway credits include The Color Purple, Motown: The Musical; Hamilton and Shuffle Along, Or the Making of a Musical Sensation and All that Followed. He also appeared off-Broadway in the enormously moving Kander and Ebb musical, The Scottsboro Boys.

There is a $5 fee for watching this livestream.

Karen Olivo with Seth Rudetsky – September 6th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Karen Olivo made her Broadway debut in the musical Rent. She then originated the roles of Faith in the musical Brooklyn and Vanessa in the musical In the Heights. She won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. She was on Broadway in the role of Satine in the musical Moulin Rouge! when Broadway closed due to the pandemic.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this week for his conversation/concert series. Sunday’s show will be live. If you cannot watch it then there will be an encore showing of the concert on September 7th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets to either showing are $25.

Massenet’s Manon – Metropolitan Opera – September 7th – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Since we’re including Monday due to the holiday, here is the first reveal of one of the operas to be found in this week’s celebration of French operas. (For the full line-up, check back on Monday.)

Conducted by Fabio Luisi, starring Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczała, and Paulo Szot. This is the Laurent Pelly production from the 2011-2012 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that previously streamed on May 24th.

A young woman from a small town has an intense desire to lavish herself with all the riches and pleasures life has to offer her. Sounds like a story that could be written today.

Massenet’s opera was composed in 1883 and had its world premiere in January of 1884 in Paris. The libretto is by  Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille. They based the opera on the 1731 Abbé Prévost novel, L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut.

There is always one main reason why this opera gets produced and the same reason that audiences love it. The soprano title role. In this production, Anna Netrebko sings Manon.

Anthony Tommasini, writing in the New York Times, made all of this abundantly clear in his review of this production and singled Netrebko out for praise. 

“The best parts of Massenet’s score are its inspired arias, especially for Manon. In places Ms. Netrebko’s low-range singing had an earthy, almost breathy quality that seemed Russian in character. But when she needed to, she sang melting phrases with silken legato and shimmering beauty, especially her poignant performance of ‘Adieu, notre petite table’ in Act II. Though she does not have perfect coloratura technique, she ably dispatches the roulades and runs, folding them deftly into extended melodic phrases. And she can send top notes soaring.”

Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – September 7th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

We’ve written several times about Jim Caruso’s Cast Party. The show is an institution in New York and takes place at Birdland. Like many a show, Cast Party is now online and the dress code is truly comfortable: pajamas.

If you aren’t familiar, Cast Party finds performers from Broadway, jazz, popular song and more showing up to talk and perform.

This Monday’s guests include Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) who will be joined by his Michael to offer the world premiere of a new song; Derek Klena (Jagged Little Pill); Australian musical theatre star Stephen Mahy (Jekyll and Hyde) and Broadway veteran Terry Burell (The Threepenny Opera).

There is no charge to watch Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party.

That’s it for your Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th. But as always, we have some reminders for you:

Los Angeles area audiences can catch In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on September 4th on PBS SoCal at 8:00 PM PDT. This week’s concert celebrates jazz performances.

Speaking of jazz, here are reminders from this week’s Jazz Stream:

Detroit Jazz Festival streams all weekend from September 4th – September 7th

Kenny Werner Trio Live at Smalls on September 4th

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s SFJazz Concert from 2017 is featured on September 4 as part of their Fridays at Five series

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s 2020 concert from New York’s Blue Note is streaming on September 4th

Melissa Aldana Quartet performs Live at Smalls on September 5th.

Reminders from this week’s Metropolitan Opera productions:

The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess streams on Friday and Saturday, September 4th and 5th.

Thomas Adés’s The Tempest streams on Sunday, September 6th.

That is our complete list of Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th.

I hope you have a safe, happy and wonderful holiday weekend.

Photo: Nick Cordero (Courtesy of Broadway on Demand)

The post Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

We’ve got quite the list for you. There are 14 Best Bets at Home: May 29th – May 31st. Plus a few reminders, of course!

This House – National Theatre Live – Now – June 4th

James Graham wrote this play that sold out two runs at the National Theatre and transferred to the Garrick Theatre in 2017.

The setting is Parliament in Britain in 1974. The Labour and Tory parties are battling one another over the direction England should go. It’s a herculean task and one that requires cunning maneuvers, compromise and finding a way to bend the rules just to the point before breaking.

Michael Billington, writing in The Guardian, gave the show a five-star review. He said, “It has taken four years for James Graham’s enthralling play to make it from the National to the West End. It has been worth the wait because it enables us to see the work from a fresh perspective. In recording the struggle of the Labour government of 1974-79 to simply survive, the play offers a fascinating slice of history. Yet as we enter a new age of fractured opposition, the play raises serious questions about whether our current parliamentary system is fit for purpose.”

Jeremy Herrin directed This House.

Love’s Labour’s Lost – Stratford Festival – Now – June 18th

In Aristophanes’s Lysistrata women withhold sex from their husbands in an attempt to end war. It’s a dramatic play. Shakespeare took a similar premise for Love’s Labour’s Lost, but he was interested in making people laugh.

Four men, including the King of Navarre (Sanjay Talware), have vowed not to be in the company of women for three years. They are more interested in study than in females. Just as they have embarked on this plan, the Princess of France (Ruby Joy) and three female companions arrive testing each man’s resolve. Add a Spanish nobleman and his infatuation with a woman to the mix just to make things more frantic.

Shakespeare employs his usual tricks of disguises and mix-ups for this comedic play.

John Caird (Nicholas Nickelby, Les Misérables) directed this 2015 production.

Snowblind – San Francisco Ballet – May 29th – June 5th

Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome is the inspiration for this one-act ballet by Cathy Marston. In the ballet, Ethan Frome is married to his wife, Zeena. She is a difficult woman and also a hypochondriac. Mattie, Zeena’s cousin, joins the couple to help them in their home. But Ethan soon finds himself drawn to the woman. You know this won’t end well.

The music used in the ballet comes from a variety of composers including Amy Beach and Arthur Foote. Philip Feeney arranged the music. Scenery and costumes are by Patrick Kinmonth and the lighting was designed by James F. Ingalls.

Dancing the principal roles are Mathilde Froustey (Mattie), Sarah Van Patten (Zeena) and Ulrik Birkkjaer (Ethan). This performance took place in 2018.

The Broadhurst At 100! 54 Celebrates the Broadhurst Theatre – Feinstein’s/54 Below – May 29th 6:30 PM EDT/3:30 PM PDT

When New York’s Broadhurst Theatre opened in 1917, George Bernard Shaw’s Misalliance was the first production. Amongst the musicals to have appeared there are Fiorello!, Cabaret, Godspell, The Tap Dance Kid, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Fosse and Anastasia.

100 years after The Broadhurst first opened, Feinstein’s/54 Below celebrated the centennial with a concert featuring cast members from many of the shows that have appeared on that stage. (This show took place in 2017.)

The performers include Jerry Adler (Oh What a Lovely War), Jim Brochu (Zero Hour), Carole Demas (Grease), Wayne Cilento (Dancin’), Josh Franklin (Grease), Marcy Harriell (Lennon), Sarah Charles Lewis (Tuck Everlasting), Howard McGillin (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Christiane Noll (Ragtime), Alice Ripley (Next To Normal), Don Scardino (Godspell), Rebecca Spigelman (Hairspray), and a Trivia Contest Video with Tony Award winner Jason Alexander (Broadway Bound).

Due to rights issues, these performances are only available at the set time and are not repeated.

The Cellist – The Royal Ballet – May 29th – June 12th

If you want to get another look at the work of choreographer Cathy Marston, you can check out the latest offering from The Royal Ballet. The Cellist is a ballet by Marston inspired by the life of cellist Jacqueline du Pré. She was at the pinnacle of her career when she passed away at the age of 28 after suffering from multiple sclerosis. (You might remember the film Hilary and Jackie with Rachel Griffiths and Emily Watson told her story.)

Lauren Cuthbertson dances the role of The Cellist. Marcelino Sambé dances The Instrument and Matthew Ball dances the role of The Conductor. The music includes Schubert’s Trout Quintet along with cello sonatas by Faure and Elgar. The cello solos are performed by Hetty Snell.

The world premiere of The Cellist was just this past February.

Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn – Broadway HD – May 29th – June 1st

The 1942 movie that introduced the world to the song White Christmas was turned into a stage musical that opened on Broadway in 2016. The movie was called Holiday Inn, but the musical includes the composer’s name: Irving Berlin.

Broadway HD is making this film of the 2016 production available for free this weekend.

The story remains pretty much the same: two men vie for the attention of a young rising star. In the film those roles were played by Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds. In the musical they are played by Bryce Pinkham, Corbin Bleu and Lora Lee Gayer.

The musical, directed by Gordon Greenberg (who co-wrote the book with Chad Hodge), includes the classic Berlin songs, “Blue Skies,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” “Cheek to Cheek” and “Easter Parade.”

I guess with everything that’s going on they think we need a little Christmas. (Wait, that’s in Mame.)

Daniil Trifonov Recital – Carnegie Hall – May 29th – May 31st

In February of 2019 pianist Daniil Trifonov gave a solo piano recital at Carnegie Hall. Medicitv.com, in association with Carnegie Hall, is making that performance available for free beginning on Friday, May 29th and continuing through the weekend.

Anthony Tommasini, in his New York Times review of this concert raved, “By this point, it’s no surprise that Daniil Trifonov, one of the most awesome pianists of our time, can sell out Carnegie Hall. Still, that the hall was packed for the unusual recital program he played on Saturday was a testimony to the trust his admirers place in him. At 27, he is also an adventurer intent on exploring overlooked realms of the repertory. On Saturday it was thrilling to go along on his journey.”

The program of which he was so enamored included: Beethoven’s Andante in F Major, WoO 57 (“Andante favori”) and Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3; Schumann’s Bunte Blätter and Presto passionato and Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major. The encores featured Prokofiev’s Allegro rubato and Allegro precipitato from Sarcasms, Op. 17, Nos. 2 and 3 and Chopin’s Largo from Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 (arr. Alfred Cortot).

How are you doing so far? You’re halfway through the list of Best Bets at Home: May 29th – May 31st!

Allegiance – Broadway on Demand – May 29th – June 7th

Lea Salonga, George Takei and Telly Leung star in this musical set during World War II that tells a story of family, duty, customs and betrayal set during the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The story is based on Takei’s own experiences.

The book was written by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione. Kuo wrote the music and lyrics.

Allegiance was directed by Stafford Arima.

This is not a free streaming event. Broadway on Demand is charging $14.99 for the initial viewing on May 29th at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT. That fee includes a download of the cast album, exclusive content and the ability to watch the show over a 24-hour period. From May 30th – June 7th, the streaming fee, minus those extras, will be $8.99.

30 minutes before the May 29th event Playbill.com will host Toast to Allegiance which will include interviews with the cast. This event is free and open to everyone.

Igor Levit: Vexations – The Gilmore – May 30th – 8 AM EDT/5 AM PDT

If you want to catch this recital you’ll have to get up early and stay up late. Pianist Igor Levit is going to live-stream a performance of Erik Satie’s Vexations. If you are unfamiliar with the work, it lasts 20 hours. There is one theme, two variations and they get repeated 840 times over the course of the 20 hours.

What propels someone to tackle so challenging a work? Levit says in press materials, “The sheer duration of over 20 hours of Vexations doesn’t feel like a ‘nuisance’ or ‘torture’ to me, as the title would suggest, but rather a retreat of silence and humility. It reflects a feeling of resistance.

“That’s why it feels right to play the Vexations right now. My world and that of my colleagues has been a different one for many weeks now and will probably remain so for a long time. Vexations represent for me a silent scream.”

John Williams: Maestro of the Movies – Pacific Symphony – May 30th – August 13th

The Pacific Symphony Orchestra had planned on having a May 30th Family Musical Morning performance. Having to cancel an in-person event, they are holding their first virtual concert and the program is a celebration of the music of composer John Williams.

During this 45-minute online concert, music from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter and E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial will be performed by the Pacific Symphony which is being conducted by Richard Kaufman. Interspersed amongst the selections will be Ask the Composer with John Williams along with personal stories and anecdotes about playing at recording sessions with Williams.

Viewing the show requires signing up with an e-mail address, but there is no fee. The program will then be available for streaming for 45 days.

Lucrezia Borgia – San Francisco Opera – May 30th – May 31st

Victor Hugo’s play Lucrèce Borgia served as the inspiration for this opera by Gaetano Donizetti and his librettist Felice Romani.

The scandals and the intrigue in the house of Borgia have fascinated people for centuries. In Donizetti’s opera a young orphan named Gennaro (Michael Fabiano) finds himself in the company of Lucrezia Borgia (Renée Fleming). Though he and his friends were warned about her and her husband, he is enraptured by her beauty and sees in her the mother he never knew. Lucrezia’s husband believes Gennaro to be her lover and plots his murder. What happens over the course of the opera is tragedy at its most dramatic.

This San Francisco Opera production from 2011 marked the first time Lucrezia Borgia had been performed by the company. John Pascoe directed the production and the orchestra was lead by conductor Riccardo Frizza.

The [title of show] Vineyard Theatre Virtual Variety Show Show – May 30th – 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT

In 2006, the Vineyard Theatre in New York presented a unique musical entitled [title of show]. The musical was written by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen. They starred in their own musical along with Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff. Two years later [title of show] was on Broadway.

To celebrate this musical-within-a-musical that could (and the theatre that gave it life), the Vineyard Theatre is hosting a live-streaming fundraiser event. The evening, which costs a minimum of $25 (after which you are given a link to the show), is billed as “new material from the cast and creators of [title of show] and over 40 starry guest artists from theatre, film, and television sharing performances, sketches, reflections, special quarantine talents, and more.”

You have to secure your “ticket” prior to 12 PM EDT/9 AM PDT on May 30th in order to view the show. The show itself, which Christopher Isherwood of the New York Times called “a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a. …” has a cult following. Fans of musical theatre have loved it. So have Broadway stars as is indicated by the guests they have lined up for Saturday’s event.

A partial list includes: Laura Benanti, Victoria Clark, Billy Crudup, Christopher J. Hanke, Bill Irwin, Cheyenne Jackson, John Kander, Judy Kuhn, Linda Lavin, The Lopez Family Singers (Lindsay Anderson, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Annie Lopez, Bobby Lopez, and Katie Lopez), Bob Mackie, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alex Newell, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kelli O’Hara, Steven Pasquale, Zachary Quinto, Brooke Shields, Douglas Sills, Phillipa Soo and Michael Urie.

Spotlight Virtual Grand Finale – Music Center – May 30th – 10 PM EDT/7 PM PDT

Each year the Music Center in Los Angeles hosts a competition to find the best high school performers from San Diego up to Santa Barbara. They have several categories from which to choose: acting, dance, music and vocals. Usually the event is a big gala at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. This year Spotlight goes online.

There are fourteen students competing in this year’s finals. This Grand Finale will be hosted by an alumnus of the Spotlight program: Tony Award-winner Lindsay Mendez (Carousel). Special guests include Matthew Rushing from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, ballet star Misty Copeland and singer Josh Groban.

Don Giovanni – Glyndebourne – May 31st – June 7th

Mozart’s masterpiece opera about Don Juan is Glyndebourne’s featured opera this week. This 2010 production was directed by Jonathan Kent.

Starring in Don Giovanni are Gerald Finley as Don Giovanni; Luca Pisaroni as Leporello; Anna Samuil as Donna Anna; Brindley Sherratt as Commendatore; William Burden as Don Ottavio; Kate Royal as Donna Elvira; Anna Virovlansky as Zerlina and Guido Loconsolo as Masetto. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the orchestra.

Kent set this production in Southern Europe in the 1970s/1980s. Critics were very divided about how successful this Don Giovanni was. Which seems to make this must-see viewing so we can decide for ourselves.

Don’t forget that this weekend’s operas from the Metropolitan Opera are Bellini’s La Sonnambula (Friday); Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (Saturday) and R. Strauss’s Salome (Sunday).

Fridays at Five from SFJazz this week features Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT on Friday only.

Stratford Festival has two additional Shakespeare plays available this week: The Tempest and Timon of Athens.

I hope that gives you enough Best Bets at Home: May 29th – May 31st for your weekend entertainment.

Main photo: Lauren Cuthbertson and Marcelino Sambé in The Cellist (Photo by Bill Cooper/©2020 ROH)

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Barber Shop Chronicles – National Theatre Live – May 14th – May 21st

This play by Inua Ellams was incredibly popular. Barber Shop Chronicles had two sold-out runs at the National Theatre in London and then went on a world tour.

Ellams’ play takes place in six different cities on the same day: Lagos, Nigeria; Johannesburg, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; Kampala, Uganda; Harare, Zimbabwe and London, England.

What unites these locations is the relationship between barbers and their clients. What’s universal about them is they all serve as a safe haven for discussing what’s going on in the world.

This film of a 2018 performance features the original cast: Fisayo Akinade, Hammed Animashaun, Peter Bankolé, Maynard Eziashi, Simon Manyonda, Patrice Naiambana, Cyril Nri, Kwami Odoom, Sule Rimi, Abdul Salis, David Webber and Anthony Welsh. Barber Shop Chronicles was directed by Bijan Sheibani.

The Tempest – Stratford Festival – May 14th – June 4th

The second trilogy of Shakespeare’s plays from Canada’s Stratford Festival kicks off this week with The Tempest. This is the first of three plays in the “Isolation” trilogy that also includes Timon of Athens and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Propsero (Martha Henry) and her daughter, Miranda (Mamie Zwettler), have been trapped on an island after her brother, Antonio (Graham Abbey), cast them out to sea. Once she was seated on the throne, now Propspero rules in exile over the island’s unique inhabitants. This includes the bizarre and monstrous Caliban (Michael Blake) and a spirit named Ariel (André Morin). With word that Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples (David Collins) are at sea and not far away, she conjures up her powers to force a confrontation.

Antoni Cimolino directed this production of Shakespeare’s last solely written play.

Martha Argerich/Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – May 15th – May 18th

The collaboration between Carnegie Hall and Medici.tv continues with this Carnegie Hall Fridays concert from 2017. The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, under the direction of Sir Antonio Pappano, performs. Legendary classical pianist Martha Argerich joins for a performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

The orchestra opens the program with a performance of Verdi’s Sinfonia from Aida. After Argerich’s performance the orchestra continues with a performance of Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome.

Three encores are part of this program. Ravel’s Laideronnette: Impératrice des Pagodes from Ma mère l’oye is performed on one piano with four hands by Argerich and Pappano. It is safe to assume this encore took place immediately after the Prokofiev.

The remaining encores are Valse triste, Op. 44, No. 1 by Sibelius and the Allegro vivace from William Tell by Rossini.

The concert does not require a subscription to Medici.tv.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – San Francisco Ballet at Home – May 15th – May 22nd

San Francisco Ballet is making filmed performances available for free streaming each Friday beginning at 3 PM EDT/12 PM PDT. This week’s offering is the 2019 production of Justin Peck’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

Set to the music of M83 (an electronic music ensemble headed by Anthony Gonzalez), Peck’s work finds the dancers dressed in street clothes and sneakers. Thematically Peck has said that Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is about “how we dream as children, how we dream as young, coming-of-age adults, and how we dream as fully matured adults. I thought that would be an interesting thing to explore through dance.”

Peck, who is the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet, has created over 40 ballets. He won the Tony Award for his choreography for the 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel. He’s also the choreographer of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of West Side Story.

Pipeline – Lincoln Center Theater in partnership with BroadwayHD – May 15th – May 22nd

Dominique Morriseau’s play, Pipeline, is the second Lincoln Center Theater production to be available for viewing for free on Broadway HD. Last week’s The King and I was the first.

Pipeline refers to the pipeline that finds youth going from public school to to prison, a situation that disproportionately impacts minorities and underprivileged young men.

Morriseau is the writer of the Skeleton Crew, Detroit ’67 and the book for the musical Ain’t Too Proud. She depicts this situation through the eyes of a mother (Karen Pittman) trying her best to stave off what she fears is an inevitable outcome for her teenage son (Namir Smallwood) who is having issues in school. In the process she has to come to terms with her own decisions as a parent and challenge the very same institutions where she’s made her career as a teacher.

The rest of the cast in Pipeline includes Tasha Lawrence, Morocco Omari, Jaime Lincoln Smith and Heather Velazquez. Lileana Blain-Cruz directed this production.

Fridays at Five with Monsieur Perin̩ РSF Jazz РMay 15th

SF Jazz has launched a weekly online series called Fridays at Five. Every Friday afternoon they open up their archives of filmed performance to give happy hour a lift. This week’s performance features Colombian Gypsy jazz ensemble Monsieur Periné. This performance was the opening concert of the 2018 San Francisco Jazz Festival.

Monsieur Periné won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2015. They have received six additional Grammy nominations since then. Their albums are Hecho a Mano (2012), Caja de Musica (2015) and Encanto Tropical (2018).

As NPR says in the description of this Tiny Desk Concert, “Words don’t do this band justice. Play the video and discover Monsieur Periné’s magic for yourself.”

SF Jazz’s Fridays at Five are not free. They require either a monthly fee of $5 or $60 annually to view these concerts. Next week we will have a detailed preview of upcoming Friday at Five concerts.

Leonard Bernstein’s MASS – Great Performances on PBS – May 15th

Jacqueline Onassis commissioned Leonard Bernstein to write a new work for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Mass is that work and it had its world premiere in 1971.

This performance took place at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. Marin Alsop, music curator for the Ravinia Festival 2018-2019 and conductor, music director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Bernstein’s Mass tells the story of a celebrant who goes from being challenged by members of his congregation to having his own doubts about the role of faith in the world. The work employs a variety of styles including classical, Broadway, jazz, blues, rock, gospel and more. Assisting Bernstein in the creation of Mass was an up-n-coming composer named Stephen Schwartz (Wicked).

Heading the company as The Celebrant is opera singer and Tony Award-winning actor Paulo Szot (South Pacific).

This is one of my personal favorites amongst Bernstein’s compositions. It is a truly powerful and emotional, albeit messy at times, work. As with all PBS Great Performances broadcast, check your local listings for exact times.

WHEW! We’re halfway through your Best Bets at Home: May 15th – 17th.

Impro Theatre – May 15th – May 17th – various times

Impro Theatre is a comedy/improvisation company that takes well-known genres or authors or playwrights and, with the audience’s help, creates completely improvised new works in those styles.

This weekend they are doing two live-streamed performances and will be streaming two archived performances. The schedule is as follows:

May 15th: 8pm PDT – The Main Company’s Chekhov UnScripted LIVE
May 16th: 7pm PDT – The Portal re-broadcast of a 2019 performance from the Impro Studio (this work is in the style of The Twilight Zone)
May 16th: 8pm PDT – The Main Company’s Jane Austen UnScripted LIVE
May 17th: 1pm PDT- The Main Company’s L.A. Noir UnScripted re-broadcast of 2016 performance from Los Angeles’ John Anson Ford Amphitheater

The Capulets and the Montagues – San Francisco Opera – May 16th – May 17th

You obviously know what story this is by its name. As the Capulets and the Montagues were the warring families in Romeo and Juliet. But rather than using Shakespeare’s play as the inspiration, librettist Felice Romani reworked the libretto he had written for another opera based on the star-crossed lovers by Nicola Vaccai entitled Giulietta e Romeo. That opera was based on an 1818 play by Luigi Scevola.

The Capulets and the Montagues was composed by Vincenzo Bellini and had its world premiere in Venice in 1830. It is a two-act opera with a small cast.

Romeo is sung by Joyce DiDonato; Giulietta by Nicole Cabell. Tybalt is sung by Saimir Pirgu. Eric Owens sings the role of Capellio, the father of Giulietta. Ao Li sings the role of Lorenzo, the physician to the Capulets.

This San Francisco Opera production comes from 2012 and was a co-prodution between SF Opera and Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Vincent Broussard directed. Riccardo Frizza conducted.

This is the second opera production made available for streaming by San Francisco Opera. It will become available at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT on Saturday and remain available until 2:59 AM EDT Monday/11:59 PM PDT Sunday.

Jaime, Sheku + Beethoven – May 16th – 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will be streaming a 2016 performance of Beethoven’s Symphony #3 (Eroica) conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. This will be followed by a conversation between LACO’s Music Director, Jaime Martín, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. If his name isn’t immediately familiar, he performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Following the conversation, Kanneh-Mason will be joined by his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, for a performance of the third and fourth movements of Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19.

This event will conclude with a preview of Derrick Spiva Jr.’s Prisms, Cycles, Leaps Part III: “To Be a Horizon.”

There will be an encore performance of this entire event on Sunday, May 17th at 10 PM EDT/7 PM PDT.

Malpaso Dance Company – May 17th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

This presentation is part of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Inside Look program. This particular event features members of the contemporary Cuban ensemble Malpaso Dance Company. During this streaming event interviews and conversations with Malpaso’s founders and leaders will be combined with a behind-the-scenes look at link between Cuban and American artists. There will also be an exclusive streamed performance of Face the Torrent.

Face the Torrent was commissioned by The Music Center where the work had its world premiere in 2017. Sonya Tayeh choreographed this work for eight dancers.

Laura Bleiberg, writing for the Los Angeles Times, of Face the Torrent. “Tayeh’s premiere took Malpaso to a much darker place, an unspecified inky, secret world of tension, whispers, quivering, fear and lineups. Karen Young’s beige and black costumes and designer Nicole Pearce’s dim lighting pierced by spots suggested dystopia. Ultimately, individuals endured, but oppression never went away.

If you are unable to catch this as it goes out live, it will be available on demand on the Music Center’s website for a limited time afterwards.

Reminder:

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience The Encounter by Simon McBurney.

Saturday has the reunion of the original Broadway cast of Grand Hotel at Feinstein’s/Studio 54.

That’s a wrap on your Best Bets at Home: May 15th – 17th

 Main Photo: Paulo Szot and company in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass (Photo by Patrick Gipson/Courtesy of Ravinia Festival)

The post Culture Best Bets at Home: May 15th – May 17th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Camerata Pacifica is making many of these videos easy to watch at home. So for all you chamber music fans wondering how to pass time at home during our present crisis, these offerings are the cultural equivalent of a fine dining menu. You’ve got Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart. But you also get Golijov, Ives, Reich, Shaw and more from which to choose.

Take a look and have a listen. And don’t blame us if you find that hours have passed once you get started exploring.

Auerbach: F Major and D minor Preludes for Cello and Piano (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaXA_j65yXY&feature=youtu.be)

Bach: Fugue from BWV 1001, Ji Hye at SpeakEasy
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIbiTwS1cTg&feature=youtu.be)

Bach: Goldberg Variations for String Trio, arr. Sitkovetsky
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb3UbxdLvfk&feature=youtu.be)

Barber: Molto Adagio, from String Quartet, Op. 11
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuKxdBD05z8&feature=youtu.be)

Bax: Quintet for Oboe and Strings
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3unP7LDOpI&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: “Archduke” Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezRNLXBbB8Q&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: “Archduke” Trio, Op. 97 (Excerpt)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2xfFlPRgIU&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: Clarinet Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1QU3rOR4ek&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: Quintet for Piano & Winds, Op. 16, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKEhUpR9X0&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRMn03R-Q1E&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: String Trio in G Major, Op. 9, No. 1
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-M8TrkXFyc&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: String Trio, Op. 9, No. 3, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcpev0cvIgE&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvzBD5JaRy0&feature=youtu.be)

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G Major, Op. 96, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjsvXPDxwLo&feature=youtu.be)

Bennett: After Syrinx II
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgTNje8Fmio&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: Cello Sonata in E minor, Op. 38, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACrT2qsrFZs&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115, Adagio
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJwVbkBeAjk&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 26 (excerpt)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfhlFJel5NU&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8, 3rd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBxRosvVsOk&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8, 4th Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPxa8_O3svc&feature=youtu.be)

Brahms: String Quintet No. 3 in G Major, Op. 111, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8-MpbX7aX8&feature=youtu.be)

Britten: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlxmyPzrYe8&feature=youtu.be)

Bruce: The Consolation of Rain
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to0tDlSIgHo&feature=youtu.be)

Bruce: Steampunk
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVowWXGXqrE&feature=youtu.be)

Caplet: Conte fantastique
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn9XidhQ8r0&feature=youtu.be)

Clarke: Viola sonata, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_vWlCsV0eg&feature=youtu.be)

Deane: Mourning Dove Sonnet
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O74R5Qe65QE&feature=youtu.be)

Debussy, Bennet, Xenakis, Takemitsu
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiZjrUXgFE8&feature=youtu.be)

Debussy: Violin Sonata
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rfnXyyJxgM&feature=youtu.be)

Destenay: Trio in B minor for Piano, Oboe, and Clarinet, Op. 27
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEguxmzEBGo&feature=youtu.be)

Dring: Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Piano, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAgu-E-jDnE&feature=youtu.be)

D’Rivera: Bandoneon
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3vYTo-Dxxk&feature=youtu.be)

Dvořák: F Minor Piano Trio, Op. 65, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A46GxwPu8Ho&feature=youtu.be)

Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRwoatWsrdM&feature=youtu.be)

Ginastera: Sonata para Piano No. 1, Op. 22
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5awsOew-RZg&feature=youtu.be)

Golijov: “Mariel”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0tLcieXiH4&feature=youtu.be)

Gounod: Petite Symphonie
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFLaYc2_wKc&feature=youtu.be)

Grieg: Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 45, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cO4oK3fFx4&feature=youtu.be)

Haas: Suite for Oboe and Piano, Op. 17
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9L79GJE4jk&feature=youtu.be)

Harbison: Songs America Loves to Sing
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icd047CxPak&feature=youtu.be)

Harbison: String Trio, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItX_ks3lyiA&feature=youtu.be)

Harbison: String Trio, World Premiere
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnNnhlSSQ0w&feature=youtu.be)

Harbison: Wind Quintet, Movements 2 & 3
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB0-Y5LlXAY&feature=youtu.be)

Haydn: G Major Trio, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJczu0kWakg&feature=youtu.be)

Howell: Oboe Sonata
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzexHEVus7k&feature=youtu.be)

Ives: Piano Sonata No.2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgMSSktwnEg&feature=youtu.be)

Janacek: Violin Sonata, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB7YTH2VQlo&feature=youtu.be)

Kraft: Encounters V, “In the Morning of the Winter Sea”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7aIPSNGBwA&feature=youtu.be)

Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 1
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dNQ7I3yfZM&feature=youtu.be)

Liszt: Transcendental Etudes
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykmURwwchy8&feature=youtu.be)

Loeffler: 2 Rhapsodies
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gJCSle5UyQ&feature=youtu.be)

Loeffler: 4 Poems for Voice, Viola, and Piano
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQ00n2rthw&feature=youtu.be)

Loeffler: Rhapsody, “L’Etang”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxBHoblKsCs&feature=youtu.be)

Louys: “Bilitis”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo89ELziZ38&feature=youtu.be)

Messiaen: Appel Interstellaire
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN8lZpBrIQ8&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Adagio for Cor Anglais and Strings, K 580a
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5L-cydVU50&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Divertimento in E-flat Major, K 563, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TlDd3j5RJc&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Divertimento in E-flat Major, K 563, 4th Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvJp2n9GVSI&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K. 423
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JdVBULKACg)

Mozart: “Kegelstatt” Trio
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvMwYKyo5IM&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Oboe Quartet
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAg_wJGqCZQ&feature=youtu.be)

Mozart: Serenade in C minor, K 388
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6iSGBNdqSw&feature=youtu.be(

Mozart: Violin Sonata in A, K. 526, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nz11qNjzPQ&feature=youtu.be)

Novacek: Four Rags for Two Jons
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmJ0PXgLUOY&feature=youtu.be)

Puts: And Legions Will Rise
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S72yr47IaRM&feature=youtu.be)

Rabl: Four Songs, Op. 5
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t7vXfEoSjw&feature=youtu.be)

Reich: Sextet
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKgf3H5-Bo&feature=youtu.be)

Reinecke: Flute Sonata, “Undine”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TtJHBWtsLg&feature=youtu.be)

Richards: de Stamparare
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbC0ou_8mI&feature=youtu.be)

Rubinstein: Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 49, 2nd Movement, Andante
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sZC-SXBM38&feature=youtu.be)

Ruo: To the 4 Corners, Scene 1
()

Ruo: To the 4 Corners, Scene 2 Pt. 1
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d_p7b84f08&feature=youtu.be)

Ruo: To the 4 Corners, Scene 2 Pt. 2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc5XLEM21tI&feature=youtu.be)

Saint-Saens: Fantasie for Violin and Harp, Op. 124
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JdVBULKACg&feature=youtu.be)

Sarasate: Romanza Andaluza
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJXrpjlC-Qo&feature=youtu.be)

Schubert: Divertimento
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZO5wCp4eAc&feature=youtu.be)

Schubert: E-flat Major Piano Trio, D929, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqxzhRTCnJA&feature=youtu.be)

Shaw: “Boris Kerner”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iicAvn6oVls&feature=youtu.be)

Sheng: “Hot Pepper”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y7Sp1G4IMk&feature=youtu.be)

Stanford: 3 Intermezzi, Op. 13
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE49Swkyt38&feature=youtu.be)

Turina: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 67, 1st Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMeKVr6nXNg&feature=youtu.be)

Turina: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 67, 2nd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_kuyoPBCYo&feature=youtu.be)

Turina: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 67, 3rd Movement
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3jcdQjegj4&feature=youtu.be)

Vine: Inner World
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAO5nkNRvy8&feature=youtu.be)

Wiegold: “Earth, Receive an Honoured Guest”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVtN1SG8zHg&feature=youtu.be)

Wilson: Dreamgarden
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rheRF2zeQ4&feature=youtu.be)

Wilson: Spilliaert’s Beach
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6OXTfTEAEI&feature=youtu.be)

Wolfgang: Vine Street Express
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTv1_uZJDqI&feature=youtu.be)

Ysaÿe: Solo Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 27 “Georges Enescu”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJV__jdxI74&feature=youtu.be)

Zemlinksy: Lied for Cello and Piano
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13fcG8CH0_o&feature=youtu.be)

So what’s on your playlist?

Photo: Camerata Pacifica – Krisitin Lee, Jason Uyeyama, Ani Aznavoorian, Richard Yongjae O’Neill & Jose Franch-Ballester 3/9/18 MAW Hahn Hall (Courtesy of Camerata Pacifica)

The post Are You Missing Chamber Music? appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Marshall returns to Los Angeles this weekend to perform a solo recital on the massive concert organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday evening. The program finds him performing works Marcel Dupré, Olivier Messiaen and he’ll open and close the performance with improvisations he will do on the fly.

It was the topic of improvisation that lead my conversation with Marshall when we spoke via Skype two weeks ago. Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.

I don’t think most people associate improvisation with classical organ music as much as they do for the organ within jazz or rock music. What do these improvisations allow you to do that not only inspires you but challenges an audience to think differently about the possibilities with this instrument?

Improvisation is very essential to organ playing, particularly the French and German tradition. Liturgically French organists have to improvise. Germany also and in the United Kingdom to a certain extent. It’s not as out there as it is in France. Coming from a liturgical background, as I do, this stems from that.

In concert, because I have such wide experience playing jazz and listening to a lot of different music. I don’t try to improvise like other people. Pierre Cochereau was probably the world’s finest organ improviser. What he did was very unique and you’ll find that organists try to copy that. What I try to bring to it is something more personal. I hope my improvisations are more tonal than atonal. I’m improvising themes Beethoven used and I’ll start and we’ll just see. There’s no preparation for improvisation. What you hear will not be pre-planned. The actual form will be created right there.

Composer Nico Muhly told me nearly two years ago that one of the things that inspired him to write an organ concerto is that there isn’t much new music being written for the organ today. What’s your view of the contemporary repertoire?

There’s a lot of music. I’m not sure a lot of it is any good. That’s the problem. I have my favorite composers. Let’s talk about the last century. Messiaen was the last of the truly great writers because he had a voice that was so unique. I always say there’s a lot of music. This is not true just with organ music, but there is a lot of music you hear first, last and never again. That music I don’t want to go down that path. It’s a big question what you asked. What I’m trying to say is because I improvise I tend to avoid learning a lot of new works.

Johann Sebastian Bach, who wrote considerable works for the organ, said, “There is nothing to playing the organ. You only have to hit the right notes at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” I assume you would disagree with him.

A bit. [He lets out quite a laugh.] I’m a pianist. I couldn’t play the organ the way I do if I wasn’t a pianist. My keyboard education started with the piano.

Speaking of Bach, when I look you up on Spotify, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and your performance of it, has vast more plays that anything else. Does that reflect the popularity of that piece or a limited appreciation of either the repertoire itself or what can be played on the organ?

It could be a question of both. The piece is very popular and very idiomatic of Bach. There are certain key pieces they associate with the organ, but there is a lot of repertoire out there. My job is to entertain an audience, bring them together and I always assume there are 10-15 people who have never been to an organ recital before.

American music, particularly Gershwin and Bernstein, inspire you. What did these two composers do that you think sets them apart from other composers?

What’s so special about George’s music? I imagine the score [to Rhapsody in Blue] wasn’t even written down properly and he played it and wrote it afterwards [at the work’s premiere.] It’s important to think about that. The Dupre symphony [Symphony-Passione Op.23 which Marshall plays at this recital] he improved the symphony on the four things he was given. He went back to sketch the ideas that he played in the concert without using pen and paper. It’s important to think about these things, to think about Rhapsody in Blue and Symphony-Passione, and make it a spontaneous thing without thinking about the written note as confining you. To capture that moment of spontaneity is very important.

You’re playing Charles Marie Widor’s Organ Symphony No. 6 in G minor. Widow said, “Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with the vision of eternity.” What is organ playing a manifestation of for you?

Playing the organ is a bit like having an orchestra at one’s fingertips. One can be really gripped by the sound of an organ; the majesty, the power. It’s a very philosophical question. I love to play the organ. I’m very fortunate that I’ve had a lot of encouragement over the years.  

The organ is a big orchestral instrument played by two hands and two feet. You have to make this particular instrument sound great. When people say, “We never knew it could that.” Well, it’s all here. You have to be adventurous. You have to use the instrument. It’s there. Use it.

Photo of Wayne Marshall by Charles Best Photography/Courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic

The post Improvisation is Key to Organist Wayne Marshall appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Their program tonight features two distinctly different works. What intrigues me the most is the West Coast Premiere of Tao’s Piano Trio No. 2. He wrote this piece specifically for Junction Trio. The work had its debut in 2019.

The second half of the program features Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke.”

All three artists are considered to be amongst the finest of the next generation of classical musicians. Jackiw, who is also a member of Ensemble Ditto (a Korean music group dedicated to new music), has performed works ranging from Brahms and Prokofiev to David Fulmer’s Violin Concerto No. 2 which was written for him.

Campbell made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 2013. He’s the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and as a musician he emphasizes new work. Amongst the composers whose works he has performed are John Adams, Elliot Carter, Kaija Saariaho and George Perle.

Tao’s most recent recording was American Rage, released in late 2019. That recording finds him playing works by Frederic Rzewski, Aaron Copland and Julia Wolfe.

Junction Trio takes chances and mixes their program up with great regularity. A quick look at their upcoming schedule finds works by Ives, Dvorak, Shostakovich, Haydn and more. If you are a fan of classical music and have the chance to be in Orange County tonight, this is one concert not-to-be-missed.

For tickets go here.

Photo of Junction Trio by Shervin Laivez (L-R Conrad Tao, Stefan Jackiw and Jay Campbell)/Photo courtesy of Jcttrio.com)

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