Beginning tonight, the LA Phil is performing An Evening of Film & Music: From Mexico to Hollywood. The program, curated by John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel, features primarily Mexican composers in the first half. The lone exception is the Tribute to Mario Moreno (Cantiflas) composed by Maurice Ravel (Bolero as it was used in the film El Bolero de Raquel).

The Revueltas music includes music from two film scores that rank amongst his most popular compositions: La noche de los Mayos which is from a 1939 film of the same name and Music from Redes, a 1935 film co-directed by Fred Zinnemann and Emilio Gómez Muriel. Zinnemann is best known for such films as From Here to Eternity and High Noon.

When listening to the music of Revueltas you hear, in my opinion, the future and the past of Mexico. You can hear references to the earliest people there, but also a reaching forward to something new. In both the orchestration and the composition itself, Revueltas offers a soundscape that is wholly original and unlike anything being used for film at the time.

In 1999, the Los Angeles Philharmonic released a recording of Revueltas’ music. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted. This is well-worth checking out as an introduction to Revueltas’ utterly compelling and fascinating music. Amongst the highlights are Sensemayá and Ventanas for Large Orchestra.

The second half features more familiar scores by George Gershwin (An American in Paris), Maurice Jarre (Dr. Zhivago), Leonard Roseman (East of Eden), Miklós Rózsa (Double Indemnity) and Max Steiner (Now Voyager, Casablanca).

If you find yourself at one of this weekend’s concerts and want to hear more of La noche de los Mayos, the entire composition will be performed by the LA Phil with Dudamel in Día de Los Muertos with Dudamel beginning on November 1st.

Also on the program is Villa-Lobos’ Chôros No. 10, “Rasga o Coração, a work for chorus and orchestra by the Brazilian composer. Immediately following that will be Gabriela Ortiz‘s Yanga which the LA Phil premiered in 2019.

Revueltas did not live a long life (he passed away at the age of 40). In addition to being a composer, he was an acclaimed violinist, he fought in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and he was a conductor. He composed over 40 significant works (much of which should still be recorded) ranging from piano solos, orchestral work, ballet scores and songs.

I hope this is the beginning of a greater exploration of Silvestre Revueltas and his music. There is so much here that is begging to be heard and there’s no better way to hear it than to hear it live.

I’ll be at each of these concerts and encourage you to do the same.

Photo: John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel (Courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic)

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During the first half of this concert music by Tan Dun (Concerto for Six), Yi-Wen Jiang (Selections from ChinaSong) and Bright Sheng (Four Movements For Piano Trio) will be performed.

Wang was born in China and joined the LA Phil in 1994. She’s a beautiful musician and audiences may know her best from her on-stage collaborations with composer John Williams. Wang is the featured soloist any year in which the Theme from Schindler’s List is played as part of the Maestro of the Movies concerts.

Wang has performed under music directors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel. She will soon find her third music director on the podium after Dudamel leaves for the New York Philharmonic.

Last week I spoke with Wang about this concert, the significance of the music she programmed and about her musical partnership with Williams. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview with Wang, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: What does the New Year mean to you personally and do you associate any particular music with the New Year?

All New Years means so much for many of us coming from Asia. I heard a comparison that it is like Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. I have to say it is that combined and much more. There are many traditions. Traditions with foods that we eat for Lunar New Year and of course, music. What I’m going to perform, it’s not really traditional New Year’s music. But certainly, as people will hear, it’s very effective. It’s very colorful. It’s going to be very festive. 

I guess being colorful and festive makes it easier for Western audiences to hear Chinese music. 

In fact, as I was practicing Harvest Celebration [one of the ChinaSongs], it came to my mind this is exactly the drum beats and the percussive rhythm that people would feel at a local dance. I’m going to speak at the beginning of the concert. I will ask people who has seen a Lion Dance. They will really associate that with the rhythm that they will hear in Harvest Celebration.

The concert opens with Yi-Wen Jiang’s adaptations of traditional songs. Then you’ve got music by Bright Sheng and Tan Dun. The second half of the program is Mendelssohn’s string quintet. What’s the conversation that you see taking place between the first half of the concert and the second half of the concert?

I actually wouldn’t be the expert right now to tell you. But I do want to mention that to the audience that viola quintet is a form of chamber music that’s less common than a string quartet and a piano trio. Bright Sheng’s piano trio brings back a lot of familiar memories to me melodically. So I recommended that piece and I suggested Yi-Wen Jiang’s transcription of the three string quartet pieces. In terms of Mendelssohn viola quintet, it’s a master work of the chamber music repertoire. What is the connection? I cannot just ignore that when I introduce the program. In terms of how I see that, it’s as if we give you some beautiful hamburgers on the Chinese banquet table.

Selections from ChinaSongs opens the concert. Those are based on traditional songs. What can you tell me about those songs and their cultural significance? 

The first piece is Yao Dance. It means dances of the Yao People. The Yao People is from the south west of China. They are a minority. They love to sing and dance and they have beautiful music. The second one is Shepherd’s Song, and this is folk music from the Inner Mongolia. [It’s] really about the shepherds in the prairie and has a lot to do with singing. Shepherd Song and Harvest Celebration are both very well known as solo music for violin with piano accompaniment. So these two are the pieces that I played many times when I was growing up in China.

Shepherd Song is slow. It’s beautiful. It’s music originally written for a Chinese instrument, which is called suona, which is a double reed instrument. It sounds like an extremely loud oboe. It’s an instrument that people play in festival settings like weddings and New Years. It’s very loud. A composer transcribed that for violin. It’s really a great piece that always brings down the hall because it’s so lively and loud. It’s exciting. It has syncopation. It has rhythmic changes. It’s always a fantastic piece for a performance.

Where do you believe Tan Dun’s work stands in the world of contemporary classical music in general, and in the music by Chinese-American composers?

I really think Tan Dun is very important, if not the most important, living Chinese composer. I always thought that from the very beginning. He always incorporates a lot of elements from back home and not only the familiar melodies that I grew up listening to. He went into places in China that we’ve never been to. I think he’s so innovative. I feel he’s always ahead of all time.

Tan Dun and Bright Sheng were in the same composition class at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. That’s the first class right after culture revolution ended. We always consider that to be the most important and the greatest composition class period in Chinese history. So they both attended and were in that class, and they both came to Columbia University and had their doctorate at Columbia University. We actually turned out to have two composers from the same background and education.

What does it mean to you to have Chinese music part of the programing at the Los Angeles Philharmonic or any other orchestral institution that chooses to program it?

I feel it’s very important. Not only in L.A. Society is so diverse and it’s important that we understand each other’s music and background. So I’m always thrilled to be the interpreter or to introduce that music to a broader audience. Obviously in L.A., needless to say, we have so many people of Chinese heritage.

Increased exposure to non-traditional music and contemporary classical music began in earnest under Esa-Pekka Salonen. Gustavo Dudamel has done a wonderful job of continuing that tradition. What are your hopes that whomever the new music director is announced to replace Gustavo Dudamel will follow in those footsteps and continue to present music from other cultures and from newer composers that don’t traditionally fit into programing?

I have no doubt whoever our next music director will be will be innovative and will bring their new angle and strength in this following champions of modern music. Gustavo came and look at how much music he brought in. We’ve played so much music of South American composers that we really had not a lot of exposure to before. So I feel whoever will come will bring their unique angle on this.

Is it time for a woman to be the music director?

Maybe. We will see. I think we are trying not to put an expectation to fulfill a certain agenda or a role. Yes, we are looking. We are taking our time. We are hopeful. We’ve had Gustavo for 17 years.

I noticed how carefully you skirted around that question. If Gustavo said, hey, there’s a place for you at the New York Philharmonic, would you join him?

I have to say this, I will not. My home is in LA and my part is here. 

One of the advantages of having your home in Los Angeles is the relationship that you’ve developed off-stage and on-stage with John Williams. What can you tell me about your close musical relationship with him and how that developed? 

It all started after I joined the L.A. Phil. My first summer was 1995, and then, in 1998, I remember very clearly when he first programmed a violin solo. On that program it was Sabrina and he was so thrilled. We connected and the rest is history. We have have performed yearly ever since then. So it’s more than 25 years now. I’ve also toured with him. There’s nothing else quite like that.

When I’m asked your favorite conductor, I will bring up John Williams’ name. Who will give you this kind of experience for me?

When you are on stage, immersed in this music and you look up the composer looking down at you – that kind of connection, that kind of gift and experience cannot be replaced.

He has written a violin concerto or two. Maybe you could be a soloist on one of those.

It is my goal. Yes. Someday I will play one of those concertos and not just the three minute solo, which I do love. 

Being a young girl growing up in China, could you ever have imagined this kind of experience with the most beloved film composer of all times, with arguably the greatest orchestra in the United States? What does it mean to you every night when you get on stage, whether you’re a member of of a small ensemble, as you will be Tuesday, or a soloist with the entire Philharmonic?

Thank you for asking me that question, because I feel that every day. I could not have imagined. When I attended the Middle School of Shanghai Conservatory and practiced around the clock. When I came here on a full scholarship to attend Peabody Conservatory. Then when I attended Manhattan’s School of Music and studied under Glen Dicterow, who is a colleague at USC Thornton School of Music. I could not have imagined that my professional path would have taken me this far. Even when I joined the L.A. Phil at age of 26, I could not have imagined how my professional development have evolved and grown.

I have an important part of my career that is teaching now. I already have one former student in the orchestra and I have another incoming former student. This is really the greatest feeling to see the next generation, developing under my guidance.

On your page on USC’s website, you are quoted about your teaching philosophy that, “The intent is always to motivate and to inspire them to become better instrumentalists and complete musicians.” I was intrigued by complete musician. When did you realize you were a complete musician and what does it mean to you? Or how do you define what a complete musician is?

I hope I live by example. You don’t only win the job and play the notes and make a salary. Complete musicians means you’re devoted. That you are involved in music. Your responsibility includes sharing, cultivating, giving, which is so important. I would say at my ripe old age, I feel I’m still changing and hopefully getting better. I’m still hoping to become a better musician, artist and a teacher. That, for me, means you’re complete musician. You are immersed and giving.

Berl Sinofsky [one of Wang’s former teachers] is quoted as saying that, “Music is a higher calling than just a profession or living. It is an effort in understanding something bigger than yourself. It is an effort at striving to be something bigger than you are.” In what ways has music given you that understanding of something bigger and that ability to be something bigger? 

I doubt I can give really a deserving answer to your question. I think that’s a great statement that he gave. I hope to do more is really part of my answer. It’s going to be what I said earlier. I think by really doing good with my music and really becoming more than just a musician by really helping others and be involved and immersed in a community. I think that’s that’s what I’m hoping to do.

To watch the full interview with Bing Wang, please go here.

All photos courtesy of Los Angeles Philharmonic

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My top choice this week is:

JAZZ: undaunted – Lafayette Gilchrist – Morphius Records

I wasn’t familiar with Gilchrist before getting information about this album by the pianist and composer. As a result of listening repeatedly to the five tracks on this superb album, I’m a fan!

Gilchrist is a master of combining a multitude of styles to make it all fresh and alive. It is modern jazz that fully understands the long history that preceded him from New Orleans to Duke Ellington to hard bop.

Joining Gilchrist are bassist Herman Burney; trombonist Christian Hizon; drummer Eric Kennedy; percussionist Kevin Pinder and saxophonist Brian Settles.

undaunted is being released digitally, on CD and a limited-edition vinyl (which I bet sounds amazing). It’s impossible not to enjoy this album.

Here are my other selections for New In Music This Week: November 3^rd

CHORAL: PENDERECKI: SACRED CHORAL WORKS – Latvian Radio Choir/Sigvards Klava – Ondine 

Polish composer Penderecki’s music gets a gorgeous performance in this album by the Latvian Radio Choir. This recording assembles eight of the composer’s works dating from 1965 – 2012. This album opens with his O gloriosa virginum from 2009 and closes with Missa brevis from 2012.

All of the works are performed a cappella and most of them are written, all or in part, in Latin. This is simply a beautiful album. 

CLASSICAL: PENITENCE & LAMENTATION – Byrd Ensemble – Scribe Records

First there is no relation that I’m aware of between myself and composer William Byrd. To acknowledge the 400^th anniversary of composer William Byrd’s death, the ensemble that takes its name from him has released a terrific new album that includes four of his works; 2 works by Thomas Tallis (whom you might know from Ralph Vaughan-Williams’ Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis); one work each by Robert Carver; Thomas Crecquillon; Nicolas Gombert and Robert Ramsey.

The highlight of the album to me is the world premiere recording of Fallings by Nico Muhly. 

This is a beautifully performed album.

CLASSICAL: KRONOS QUARTET PERFORMS PHILIP GLASS – Kronos Quartet – Nonesuch Records – Vinyl Only Release

First released in 1995, this album by Kronos Quartet features four string quartets written by Glass. The album opens with his String Quartet No. 5 which was composed for Kronos Quartet.

That work is followed by his String Quartet No. 4 (Buczak); String Quartet No. 2 (Company) and String Quartet No. 3 (Mishima) which is an adaptation of his score for the 1985 film, Mishima.

The line-up in 1995 that appears on this wonderful album is Hank Dutt on viola; David Harrington on violin; Joan Jeanrenaud on cello and John Sherba on violin.

For those who aren’t sure about the music of Philip Glass, this album will convince you of his brilliance. 

CLASSICAL: WAVES – Bruce Liu – Deutsche Grammophon

Pianist Liu was the winter of the 18^th Chopin Piano Competition in 2021. After releasing an album of Bach’s French Suite No. 5 earlier this year, Liu returns with a convincing program of music by French composer Charles-Valentin Alkan; Jean-Philippe Rameu and Maurice Ravel.

My favorites on this recording are the 5 Miroirs, M.43 by Ravel and his performance of seven of Alkan’s 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys. Two of them run barely over half-a-minute but are showstoppers.

CLASSICAL: PINES OF ROME – San Francisco Symphony/Esa-Pekka Salonen – SFS Media

Conductor Salonen and the SF Symphony performed this work in a concert in June of 2022. It is the latest in their partnership with Apple Music Classical. But here’s the good news: these recordings are only exclusive to Apple Music Classical for six months. After that they will be made available on other streaming outlets.

Ottorino Respighi’s tone poem was composed in 1924 and debuted the same year. It’s a four-movement work that runs approximately 21 minutes. It is part of a trilogy of compositions celebrating Rome. The other two are Fontane di Roma and Feste Roma. It happens to be one of my favorite works by Respighi.

I heard Salonen conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a performance of this work in 2019. It was wonderful and no doubt this recording is, too.

CLASSICAL: INFINITE REFRAIN: MUSIC OF LOVE’S REFUGE– Randall Scotting and Jorge Navarro Colorado– Signum Classics

Countertenor Scotting and tenor Colorado pair up for an album of music by composers Boretti, Castrovillari; Cavalli; Legrenzi; Monteverdi; Monteverdi and Stradella that explore gay love in the 17^th century.

In the album notes Scotting writes about Venice as a city that by 1650 was “notable for over a a century for its freedom from religious fanaticism with several accounts of outed or persecuted people finding sanctuary amongst its more permissive culture.”

Scotting reveals these songs without any of the religious or social baggage that was present at the time. He allows these songs to be heard with fresh ears in a fascinating way.
Of course, none of this would matter if it weren’t beautifully performed…and it is.

CLASSICAL (adjacent):  PHOENIX RISING – Silkroad Ensemble – self-released

This EP comes from a July 28, 2022, live performance at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. There are four tracks beginning with the traditional, O, Death arranged by Rhiannon Giddens. That is followed by Ekla Cholo Re (arranged by table musician and ensemble member Sandeep Das) and Ho-Oh, composed by ensemble member Kaoru Watanabe. The recording closes with a beautiful performance Peter Gabriel’s Biko arranged by Colin Jacobsen.

The members of Silkroad Ensemble are Jeffrey Beecher on bass; Das on table; Haruka Fujii on marimba/caxixi/djembe; Giddens on banjo and vocals; Maeve Gilchrist on Celtic harp; Mario Gotoh on viola; Joseph Gramley on multiple percussion instruments; Yo-Yo Ma on cello; Wu Man on pipa; Karen Ouzounian on cello; Mazz Swift on violin and vocals; Kojiro Umezaki on shakuhachi; Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion and Reylon Yount on yangqin.

The ensemble is joined by Francesco Turrisi on accordion and frame drums.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC:  KINETIC – Kinetic Ensemble – Bright Shiny Things

Anyone who thinks that contemporary classical music is atonal, non-melodic and built mostly on atmosphere should listen to Kinetic. This 16-piece string orchestra from Houston makes a persuasive argument for the work of four composers on this mesmerizing debut release: Patrick Harlin; Paul Novak, Nicky Sohn and Daniel Temkin.

All of the compositions on this 12-track release revolve around themes of nature. The album opens with Harlin’s The Wilderness Anthology which is probably my favorite of all the works on Kinetic. The combination of string orchestra and pre-recorded audio from remote eco-systems from around the world is incredible.

Equally impressive are Novak’s A String Quartet is like a Flock of Birds; Sohn’s What Happens if Pipes Burst” and Temkin’s Ocean’s Call for String Orchestra (a close second for my favorite composition on this album).

JAZZ:  CONTINUANCE – Joey Alexander – Mack Avenue Records

Pianist Alexander showcases his compositional skills on Continuance. Four of the seven tracks were written by him. His choice of covers is led by I Can’t Make You Love Me, best known for Bonnie Raitt’s version (though it has also been recorded by George Michael, Adele and others.)

Of Alexander’s original compositions, I’m most impressed by Why Don’t We.

Joining Alexander on this album are John Davis on drums and Kris Funn on upright bass. Trumpeter Theo Croker joins for four of the seven tracks.

JAZZ: THE FUTURE IS NOW – The Chick Corea Elektric Band – Candid Records

Pianist and composer Chick Corea toured with his Elektric Band throughout 2016, 2017 and 2018. This album runs nearly two hours and features nine tracks. All but one of these songs were composed in whole or in part by the late Corea.

The members of The Elektric Band (all original members) are Frank Gambale on guitar; Eric Marienthal on saxophone; John Patitucci on bass and Dave Weckle on drums.

This recording – compiled by Corea before his death in 2021, comes in a 3-LP set and a 2-CD set in addition to being available for streaming.

MUSICALS (adjacent):  CATCH A FIRE 50^th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS – Bob Marley – Ume

The London musical Get Up Stand Up! closed at the beginning of this year. But it is inevitable the musical (whether in its current form or revised) will find its way to American theaters. Before it does, this deluxe re-release of Marley’s 1973 album that exposed the world to the song of that musical, has been released in massive package of music Marley fans will want to devour.

The 3LP vinyl edition includes the original studio album, a concert from the Paris Theatre in London from May 24, 1973, a third LP with extended and/or alternate versions of the songs, plus an EP with three live performances from The Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, England from May of 1973. The 3 CD edition contains all the same music. The digital release does NOT include the Paris Theatre concert.

VOCALS:  MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING – Stephanie J. Block – Club44 Records

Okay, it’s official. I’ve succumbed to holiday music. But who can resist the ever-inspiring Stephanie J. Block? There are songs you’d expect (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; O Holy Night) and songs you might not know (Manhattan in December; Winter White) and one new song, When You Hold Me in Your Arms (It’s Christmas) written by David Zippel and Wayne Haun. The latter is a duet with Block’s husband, Sebastian Arcelus.

The family affair continues on Little Drummer Girl in which their daughter, Vivienne Arcelus, contributes vocals as well. 

I put up every possible resistance to this (and every other Christmas album that crosses my computer) and this was just impossible not to love. 

VOCALS: CHRISTMAS WISH – Gregory Porter – Blue Note/Decca Records

Porter just has one of those voices that makes you pay attention. Porter wrote three new songs for this album: Christmas Wish (which mixes some Gospel traits with the same energy that Revival has) plus the ballads Everything’s Not Lost and Heart for Christmas.

Joining Porter for What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve by Frank Loesser (composer of Guys and Dolls) is Samara Joy. Their voices meld together beautifully. Most surprisingly, Porter takes one Christmas songs that, for me, ranks as traditionally one of the most depressing songs ever – Christmas Time Is Here and makes it compelling.

That’s my list of the best of what’s New In Music This Week: November 3^rd!

Enjoy the music and enjoy your weekend.

Main Photo: Francesco Clemente’s art as used on the cover of Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (courtesy Nonesuch Records)

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My top pick is:

JAZZ:  THE LOVE SUITE: IN MAHOGANY – Roy Hargrove Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center – Blue Engine Records

It’s amazing to think that this nearly 50-minute suite was written by a then 23-year-old Hargrove. It makes it abundantly clear how much great music we lost when he passed away in 2018.

This live recording from 1993 is the only time Hargrove played The Love Suite: In Mahogany in its entirety. That alone makes this an essential album. Until you listen to it. Then you realize how truly incredible this work is.

Joining Hargrove, who, of course, plays trumpet are Ron Blake on tenor saxophone; Marc Cary on piano; Jesse Davis on alto saxophone; Andre Hayward on trombone; Gregory Hutchinson on drums and Rodney Whitaker on bass.

I love this album and hope it someday gets a vinyl release. All I can say is wow!

The other titles making New In Music This Week: October 13^th are:

CLASSICAL: RAVEL PIANO CONCERTOS – Alexandre Tharaud with Orchestre National De France – Erato

At the age of 35 pianist Tharaud recorded Ravel’s complete works for piano. Now twenty years later he releases his performances of the two Ravel piano concertos: Piano Concerto in G Major and Concerto for the Left Hand.

Also on this recording is a performance of Manuel de Falla’s Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain.  Like the Ravel concertos that precede it, this is a three-movement work for piano and orchestra.

Tharaud’s passion comes through clearly in this very welcome release.

CLASSICAL:  AFRICAN AMERICAN VOICES II – Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Conductor Kellen Gray leads the RSNO in performances of works by Margaret Bonds, Ulysses Kay and Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson on this album.

Up first are the seven movements of Bonds’ Montgomery Variations. The Concerto for Orchestra by Kay follows. I wasn’t familiar with his workand really enjoyed this three-movement work. The album closes with Taylor-Perkinson’s Worship: A Concert Overture.

This is the first commercial recording of these works and for that reason alone, this is an important record. But the music itself is quite good and isn’t that the reason we listen to music in the first place?

CLASSICAL:  KONGSGAARD VARIATIONS – San Francisco Symphony – Apple Music Classical

Swedish composer Anders Hillborg was asked to compose a piece celebrating Arietta Winery in Napa Valley. The label on Arietta’s wine has music notation in Beethoven’s handwriting of his last piano sonata. The winery, of course, takes its name from that music.

Hillborg takes Beethoven’s music as a springboard for this fascinating composition.

This SF Symphony recording comes from an October 2021 concert in which pianist Yefim Bronfman makes a quick cameo. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted the concert.

This is another in the symphony’s series of digital-only spatial audio recordings and is only available on Apple Music Classical.

CLASSICAL: JEAN SIBELIUS’S SYMPHONY NO. 5 – San Francisco Symphony – Apple Music Classical

Another in their series like the Kongsgaard Variations, this recording of the Sibelius is from a concert that Salonen conducted in June of 2022.

Sibelius was commissioned to write this three-movement symphony to celebrate his 50^th birthday. Though originally written in 1914-1915, the final version (and the one most performed) is the revised version written from 1917-1919. It carries the nickname Finlandia.

Salonen has recorded this symphony before. His 1999 recording on Sony Classical is, I believe, out of print, but has quite the photo of the conductor. Hearing his taken on this music 23 years later is a treat.

CLASSICAL:  SONIC ALCHEMY – Sonic Alchemy –  Sono Luminus

Pianist Mina Gajić, cellist Coleman Itzkoff and violinist YuEun Kim perform music by Mozart, Arvo Pärt and Pēteris Vasks on this beautiful album.

The two works by Mozart (Fantasia in D minor, K. 397 and Fantasia in C minor, K. 475) will no doubt be familiar to fans of his work. Two of the three works by Pärt will probably be familiar (Fratres and Spiegel im Spiegel) to you.

The surprise and the real discovery on this album is the work by Vasks. I wasn’t familiar with him at all. Gajić opens the album with a solo performance of Balta Ainava (White Scenery) that is incredibly beautiful. Castillo Interior (Interior Castle) is equally compelling.

This isn’t a traditional trio album which makes it all the more compelling. There are solos, duets and trios – but it’s all beautifully performed.

JAZZ:  UNCLE JOHN’S BAND – John Scofield – CM

Who else besides incredible guitarist John Scofield would put out an album that features his renditions of songs made famous by Leonard Bernstein, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan and Neil Young? Then he augments this recording with seven originals of his own.  

Joining Scofield on this terrific album are bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart. This 71 years young musician is taking a look at himself and knows there’s a place for him and this incredible music somewhere amongst your collection.

That’s not just a weekend full of great music, it’s a week’s worth of listening pleasure.

Here ends my list of New In Music This Week: October 13^th. See what I told you, pretty damn lucky after all. After all, isn’t seven a lucky number?

Enjoy the weekend.

Enjoy the music.

Main Photo: Part of the album art for The Love Suite: In Mahogany (Courtesy Blue Engine Records)

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An Alpine Symphony with Salonen – October 27^th – October 29^th

Any concert that offers a world premiere of a new composition by Esa-Pekka Salonen (particularly one he conducts) is definitely one to see.

Salonen’s Tiu opens the concert. It is then followed by Nico Muhly’s Shrink which is a 2019 violin concerto written for Pekka Kuusisto who performs it at these three concerts.

The program closes with Richard Strauss’ tone poem from 1915. It’s a very large work employing close to 125 musicians and runs 45-50 minutes.

Photo of Esa-Pekka Salonen by Andrew Eccles (Courtesy SF Symphony)

Dudamel Leads Khachaturian – November 4^th – November 5^th

The music of Aram Khachaturian doesn’t often get performed in concert halls. So this concert that features both his piano concerto (performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet) and music from his ballet music for Spartacus is a welcome part of the season. 

The second half of the program includes Tower for Frank Gehry by Thomas Adés. (Much of the season is dedicated to Gehry.)

This will be the U.S. Premiere of Tower. The concert closes with Leos Janacek’s Sinfonietta.

Dudamel Leads Das Rheingold – January 18^th – January 21^st

Another program in this season’s celebration of Frank Gehry is this concert performance of the first opera in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle. 

As with many concert performances of operas at the LA Phil, this will be more than just people standing up and singing. Gehry is the scenic designer for the concerts; Alberto Arvelo is the director and Cindy Figueroa is the costume designer.

The cast include Ryan Speedo Green as Wotan; Raehann Bryce-Davis as Fricka; Jochen Schmeckenbecher as Alberich; Simon O’Neill as Loge; Barry Banks as Mime and the always reliable and copelling Morris Robinson as Fasolt.

Last Days – February 6^th

The last days of Kurt Cobain, as loosely presented in Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film, are the focus of this opera by composer Oliver Leith and librettist Matt Copson (who co-directs and is the art director for this concert). 

Last Days received a 4-star review from Andrew Clements of The Guardian in October of 2022 upon its premiere at the Royal Opera House in London.

As with that production, Anna Morrisey is co-director here. Also cast members Agathe Rousselle, Mimi Doulton, Henry Jenkinson and Patricia Auchterlonie return to sing their roles of Blake, Delivery Driver and Housemate; Magician and Superfan, respectively.

Most excitingly, composer Thomas Adés conducts this one-night only performance.

Ravel and Adés – February 9^th – February 11^th

If you like Adés as much as I do, you will also want to attend one of these three concerts which finds the work of Maurice Ravel paired with two works by Adés.

The program opens with The Tempest Symphony which is a 22-minute piece he created based on music from his opera, The Tempest. The work had its world premiere in Dresden in June of 2022.

That is followed by Ravel’s Piano Concert for the Left Hand with Kirill Gerstein

The second half opens with the Concert for Piano and Orchestra by Ades also with Gerstein as the soloist. The concert closes with Ravel’s La valse. Best of all you get to hear Adés conduct his own music.

Mälkki Conducts Brahms – February 23^rd – February 25^th

Two of these three concerts will feature the U.S. Premiere of Fett by Enno Poppe (the “Casual Friday” concert does not include this work). Susanna Mälkki conducted the world premiere with the Helsinki Philharmonic in May of 2019. It’s a 25-minute work and is at the podium for these concerts.

Each program opens with the Academic Festival Overture by Brahms and it closes with the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with soloist Daniil Trifonov at the piano. (Reason enough to see this program if you ask me!)

Philip Glass: The Complete Etudes, 1-20 – March 19^th

Four pianists team up to perform all 20 etudes by composer Glass. They are Timo Andres, Anton Batagov, Jenny Lin and Maki Namekawa. What else do you need to know? 

John Adams’ City Noir – March 22^nd – March 24^th

John Adams will be leading the LA Phil in this concert that opens with Stravinsky’s Song of the Nightingaleand closes with Adams’ City Noir which was commissioned by the LA Phil. The 35-minute work had its world premiere with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil on October 8, 2009.

In between these two pieces is the world premiere of a new piano concerto by Timo Andres. It was composed specifically for pianist Aaron Diehl.

This is certain to be a fascinating performance.

Recitals – various dates

Okay, so this is probably cheating a little bit. But there are three recitals (even though they are all good this year) well-worth your time and money.

James McVinnie, an amazingly talented musician, has a solo recital playing the organ and piano on November 12^th. He’ll be performing works by Bach, inti Figgis-Vizueta, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Nico Muhly and Gabriella Smith.

On May 1^st Víkingur Ólafsson will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His long-anticipated recording of this work is being released on Deutsche Grammophon on Friday, October 6^th.

A solo recital by Yuja Wang is something I won’t miss and neither should you. She performs on May 12^th. The program hasn’t yet been announced.

Dudamel Leads Mozart and Strauss  – May 2^nd – May 5^th

These performances (except the Casual Friday date) begin with the world premiere of a new work by Andreia Pinto Correia. The concerts all feature pianist Maria João Pires performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9, “Jeunehomme.” Pires doesn’t often perform in Los Angeles, so this is a great opportunity to see one of the world’s best.

The last composition on the program in Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote. It’s a 40-minute work inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17^th-century novel.

There’s plenty more to choose from throughout the season. These are my picks of the 10 LA Philharmonic concerts not to be miss during the 2023-2024 season.

Main Photo: Gustavo Dudamel (Photo ©Stephan Rabold/Courtesy Fidelio Arts)

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Our top pick is:

OPERA:  IN A GROVE – Opera by Christopher Cerrone and Stephanie Fleischmann (In a Circle Records)

In February of 2022 I published my interview with composer Cerrone and librettist Fleischmann about this opera which is based on the same short story that inspired Akira Kurosawa’s classic film Rashomon.

Opera News said of In a Grove, “An opera that will linger long in my memory.” Now it can find a place in your memory with the release of this album. I love it and can’t wait to see a full production (hopefully sooner as opposed to later.)

Here’s what else is New In Music This Week: July 21^st:

CLASSICAL:  YSAŸE: 6 SONATAS FOR VIOLIN SOLO, OP. 27 – Hilary Hahn (Deutsche Grammophon)

This recording by violinist Hahn is the Gramophone Magazine Recording of the Month and for good reason. This isn’t commonly recorded music and Hahn performs it here as it it was music she had been performing her whole life.

Composer Eugène Ysaÿe lived from 1858 to 1931 and was born in Belgium. He composed numerous works for solo violin including cadenzas for concerti by Beethoven, Brahmas, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.

If this is your first introduction to Ysaÿe’s work, you are going to be richly rewarded.

CLASSICAL:  SLEEP & UNREMEMBRANCE/THE RITE OF SPRING – San Francisco Symphony (Apple Music Classical)

If you are a fan of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s work as a conductor, you’ll want to check out these two new recordings from concerts performed by the SF Symphony in March 2022.

The first is Elizabeth Ogonek’s Sleep & Unremembrance. The composer was inspired by Wislawa Szymborska’s poem While Sleeping for this work. 

The second is a work I’ve heard Salonen conduct several times with the Los Angeles Philharmonic: The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. It’s a work that seems just a powerful and modern today as it did when it was first performed 110 years ago.

No matter how many recordings you’ve heard of The Rite of Spring, I find there’s always something fascinating about hearing the way individual conductors and different orchestras perform this groundbreaking work.

Both of these recordings are only available on Apple Music Classical.

JAZZ:  A.R.C. – Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Barry Altschul (ECM Records Digital Release)

This 1971 trio album from pianist/composer Corea is notable for the way they start the album: Wayne Shorter’s Nefertiti. That’s a ballsy way to start an album. And it only gets more interesting from there.

Holland plays bass and Altschul is the drummer for this album which was recorded in 1971 and came out the same year. All three musicians composed the second track, Ballad for Tillie and Holland composed Vedana. The rest of the compositions were written by Corea.

JAZZ:  ILLUSION SUITE – Stanley Cowell (ECM Records Digital Release)

There are quite a few digital releases from ECM’s early years being released this week and this album by pianist Cowell may be my favorite. Bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Jimmy Hopps join Cowell for the six tracks on this album that was released in 1973.

This was Cowell’s third album as a leader, his second album as a trio. I think you’ll find a lot to love on this album and will probably find yourself listening to more of Cowell’s music as a result of the joy Illusion Suite brings.

JAZZ:  INFLATION BLUES – Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition (ECM Records Digital Release)

This album was recorded in 1982 and released in 1983. Drummer/pianist DeJOhnette composed all five songs: Starburst, Ebony, The Islands, Inflation Blues and Slowdown. He’s joined on this album by Chico Freeman on tenor and soprano saxophone plus bass clarinet; John Purcell on baritone and lato sax, flute and clarinet and Rufus Reid on bass. Trumpeter Baikida Carroll joins for all but Ebony.

Inflation Blues received great reviews upon its release. It’s well worth your time.

JAZZ:  THE GOLDEN SÈKÈRÈ – Douyé (Rhombus Records)

The songs on this album by vocalist Douyé are much better known than she is. But one listen to her renditions of Cherokee, Speak Low, My Funny Valentine and more will prompt repeated listens.

Then you’ll do as I did and look up her other albums which includes 2019’s Quatro and 2017’s Daddy Said So (which includes an incredible version of Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life).

JAZZ:  SOL DO MEIO DIA – Egberto Gismonti (ECM Records Digital Release)

Gismonti is a guitarist, pianist and composer from Brazil. If you’re expecting Brazilian jazz or music in the style of Gilberto Gil, this album isn’t for you. There is some improvisation here that could be right at home in jazz clubs today (particularly by Jan Garbarek on soprano saxophone on the last track of the album). There’s also some of the most beautiful music to be heard as well, particularly Coração.

All tracks were composed by Gismonti.

JAZZ:  CONCEPTION VESSEL – Paul Motian (ECM Records Digital Release)

This 1973 album was the first album by drummer/composer Paul Motian as a bandleader. He was joined in this album byguitarist Sam Brown, flautist Becky Friend, bass player Charlie Haden, pianist/flautist Keith Jarrett and violinist Leroy Jenkins.

There’s a topicality to the titles on this album which serve as a signpost to the era in which it was written and performed. They include Ch’i Energy, American Indian: Song of Sitting Bull and Inspiration from a Vietnamese Lullaby. Motian composed all six tracks on Conception Vessel.

JAZZ/FUNK: EN MEDIO – Garrett Saracho (Impulse! Records/Ume)

If you don’t know this album from 1973, don’t be surprised. In spite of tremendous critical response and the support of artists from Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Saracho’s album failed to get the attention it deserved.

For the album’s 50^th anniversary the album is getting a wide vinyl release (it’s also available digitally.) When you hear the work of the then 23-year-old Saracho, you’ll be amazed at the fusion of styles and how prescient his work actually was.

JAZZ:  THE COLOURS OF CHLOË – Eberhard Weber (ECM Records Digital Release)

This was the first record by double bassist and composer Weber. The album was released in 1974. There are four tracks on this album which is Weber’s best known:  More Colours, The Colours of Chloë, An Evening with Vincent Van Ritz and the epic No Motion Picture.

Is it true jazz? Symphonic jazz? Is this album a product of its time or a truly ambitious work that stands the test of time? There’s only way to find out. Listen to it!

VOCALS: IN A BROADWAY BAG – Bobby Darin (Direction Records)

The Bobby Darin estate has released five albums from his Bespoke Label. This album from 1966 finds Darin singing some of Broadway’s best-known songs including Mame, Don’t Rain on My Parade and Feeling Good.

Darin’s style is a throwback to a different time, but his passion for the material is present in this recording.

Those are our picks of the best of What’s New In Music This Week: July 21st.

Enjoy the music and enjoy your weekend.

Main Photo: Extraction from the cover for In a Grove

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The title comes from a poem by 14th-century Sufi poet Hafiz. The full phrase is:

When
The violin
Can forgive the past

It starts singing.

Gupta, whom I first got to know when he was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, certainly makes his instrument sing. He joined the orchestra as its youngest member when he was 19. In 2018 he received a MacArthur Fellowship.

In addition to being a gifted musician he’s also the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, an organization that works with members of Los Angeles’s community that are often pushed to the margins of society: the homeless, the addicted and the incarcerated.

When we spoke last week via Zoom, I asked Gupta about the album, the art of listening and about music as an act of giving and receiving. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. (If you want to see and hear the complete interview, please go to Cultural Attaché’s YouTube channel here.)

In the liner notes you wrote “In the music of my childhood, I found a key to reinvention.” You’re obviously referring to the work by Bach. At the time that you found that key to reinvention was that something you were looking for? 

As a musician, as a violinist, I feel that every day I pick up the instrument is an opportunity to reinvent myself better. Better in the image of the instrument, which will always be better than me, better in the image of the composer’s living or recently dead or long dead, who are often also humbling figures in in one’s psyche. 

I’m currently reading halfway through Paul Elie’s book Reinventing Bach, which is an incredible, incredible book about how Bach was constantly reinventing himself and how the players, the musicians who found themselves making Bach’s music, especially recording Bach’s music, found keys to reinvention for themselves and for the technology that they were using. So Albert Schweitzer for the LP and [Pablo] Casals and Glenn Gould and Yo-Yo [Ma] and so on and so forth. So I was particularly interested in reinventing myself in the image of Bach, who was reinventing himself three hundred years ago to the year in seventeen twenty when he wrote these six pieces for unaccompanied violin.

If you look at this album I would assume that there would be a lot of people who would have said this isn’t a path to success. So how important was it for you to take a risk and to define yourself by following your instincts as opposed to following the traditional path to success?

I think that for much of my life I have been incredibly lucky to have lived many different iterations of the traditional pathways of success. I won my first audition that I ever took for the Philharmonic when I was 19. I still don’t know how that happened. I was incredibly lucky to also see what traditional success looked like from the perspective of being in a Harvard neuroscience lab and seeing what the top scientists were studying. I think that whether we’re looking at neuroscience or traditional classical music and looking at the greatest soloists of the time, there is a sort of externally imposed assumption that that person has kind of fit into a niche and has risen exponentially because the niche exists. 

I had to make this album because I had to make this album. And that is an incredibly vulnerable act, because as an artist, immediately one asks oneself, what is this just inherently narcissistic? Am I being selfish by imposing my will upon the most precious resource that any human being has, which is their time? But hopefully what any creative endeavor accomplishes is the ability to create a portal that mirrors, or a lens of one’s attention in time, to be able to give oneself a glimpse to say, you know what, I have the right to create something, too. I have a voice. I have something to say. We all have something to say. Whether we’re going to sit ourselves down and apply ourselves to the craft of creating, manifesting something from that capacity, is the work before us.

It feels like listening is an art form that is that is fast fading into a dying art form. And I’m wondering, as a musician who relies on people to listen, what your thoughts are or hopes that I’m wrong. 

For me, listening is an act of love. And I am taught this every time I visit the community of people who have become a family to me in Skid Row. In fact, several years ago, there was a man named Brian Palmer, who I became quite close with. He was a member of a choir in Skid Row, and he was the one who said, “One act of love I know for sure is to listen.” Where we listen, how we place our attention in the world, is really where we direct the most precious resource we have: our time, our focus, our attention. You know, it’s not only that music and art are being commodified, but our very attention itself is the greatest commodity that everyone seems to be bidding for. And so listening to music, to even a track of the album, is something that I know I can never take for granted. Anyone who has taken the time to listen to this album has has given the most precious thing that they can possibly give. And I am incredibly honored and grateful that that has happened. 

Hafiz wrote that “The heart is a thousand stringed instrument that can only be tuned with love.” How does your four-stringed instrument allow you not to just express love, but to receive it and through that have an impact on the world in which you live?

I recorded this album in a very special sanctuary here in Pasadena, where I live, at All Saints Church. Even though the church was empty I knew that I was in communion with something more than myself. When I entered that space, it wasn’t just about the acoustics, it was a kind of spiritual acoustic. When I played a note, it was not just an act of putting a note into the space, but using my ears to listen to how that space was giving something back to me. And in that moment of exchange and reciprocity is created in a mutual way such that I relax. I open. I’m more able to be vulnerable. And I kind of allow that heart to open up just wide enough so that it’s exposed six feet to the microphone that’s receiving what happens to be coming out of my instrument. So that point of mutual reciprocity and exchange makes playing music both an act of giving, but more importantly, an act of receiving, just as you’ve put it so beautifully.

All photos of Vijay Gupta by Kat Bawden (Courtesy Shuman Associates)

To see the complete interview with Vijay Gupta, please go to Cultural Attaché’s YouTube channel here.

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What makes it so interesting? Imagine combining the amazing jazz music of legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd with the piano stylings of the endlessly creative Jason Moran. Okay, maybe that’s not unique on its own. After all, they did release Hagar’s Song in 2013.

Now combine their brilliance with Alonzo King LINES Ballet and you have the main attraction on Saturday’s program, Azoth. Lloyd and Moran composed the music, performed and recorded it for this work by King which had its world premiere in 2019.

The title is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “mercury regarded by alchemists as the first principle of metals.” King takes the concept of transforming metals into creating spiritual gold by transforming hearts and minds.

Also on the bill at Segerstrom are works from their repertoire that feature music by Gabriel Fauré, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer. This is a precursor to their 40th anniversary celebrations which begin next year.

I’m personally an enormous fan of both Lloyd and Moran’s work that seeing dancers move to it will certainly be the highlight of my weekend.

By the way, if you are a fan of Jason Moran and live in the Southern California area, he has an intimate show on Monday, September 13th at 2220 Arts & Archives (formerly the Bootleg Theater). The show is presented by Just Jazz Presents and LeRoy Downs. For tickets please go here.

On October 1st, Alonzo King LINES Ballet will perform at the San Francisco Symphony’s Re-Opening Night Gala. They will be performing Alberto Ginastera’s Estancia Suite. Also on the program are works by John Adams, Silvestre Revueltas and songs performed by Esperanza Spalding that were written by Wayne Shorter. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the orchestra. This concert will also be performed on October 2nd.

For tickets at Segerstrom Hall please go here. For tickets to Re-Opening Night Gala at San Francisco Symphony, please go here. For tickets to San Francisco Symphony’s October 2nd performance, please go here.

To attend any of these events, including Moran’s solo piano show, you must show proof of vaccination.

Update: This post has been updated to more accurately reflect the COVID vaccination requirements at all three venues.

Photo: James Gowan of Alonzo King LINES Ballet (Photo by RJ Muna/Courtesy Alonzo King Lines Ballet)

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You might be asking why six operas when there are seven days in the week. This celebration of Strauss begins and ends with Der Rosenkavalier, but two different productions.

The 1982 production that opens this week is being streamed for the very first time. As is the 2002-2003 season production of Ariadne auf Naxos and the 1994-1995 season production of rarely-performed Arabella.

All productions become available at 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST and remain available for 23 hours. Schedules and timings may be subject to change.

The Met is heavily promoting their Met Stars Live in Concert series and the planned resumption of performances in the 2021-2022 season, so you’ll have to go past those announcements and promos to find the streaming productions on the Metropolitan Opera website. 

If you read this column early enough on July 5th, you’ll still have time to see the 2019-2020 season production of Glass’ Akhnaten that concludes Celebrating American Composers week.

Here is the full line-up for Week 69 at the Met:

Monday, July 5 – Der Rosenkavalier – FIRST SHOWING

Conducted by James Levine; starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Blegen, Luciano Pavarotti, Derek Hammond-Stroud and Kurt Moll. This revival of the 1969 Nathaniel Merrill production is from the 1982-1983 season.

It was in Dresden in 1911 that the world was first introduced to Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. The libretto was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Two sources served as inspiration for the opera: Moliere’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and the novel Les amours du chevalier de Fabulas by Louvet de Courvai.

Several relationships are tested in this comic opera. The Marschallin, having an affair with Octavian, a much younger count, feels that her age is becoming an issue not just for him, but for her. Baron Ochs is engaged to Sophie and he asks Octavian to deliver the customary silver rose to his bride-to-be. She, however, falls in love with Octavian. What will it take to sort out real love and who will find themselves together and who will be alone at the end of the opera?

Donal Henahan, writing in the New York Times, singled out Te Kanawa for praise

“Miss Te Kanawa, portraying the Princess von Werdenberg for the first time at the Met, gave an emotionally restrained and inward performance that put one in mind of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s similarly studied Marschallin. Miss Te Kanawa, whose voice is neither the largest nor the most opulent in the soprano world, is nonetheless a singer of exquisite taste and delicate sensibility. A beauty of extraordinary bearing, she held the audience in her hand with her mirror monologue at the close of the first act and commanded the stage regally in the great closing trio.”

Tuesday, July 6 – Elektra – Sixth Showing

Conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, Burkhard Ulrich and Eric Owens. This Patrice Chéreau production is from the 2015-2016 season.

Richard Strauss’s Elektra had its world premiere in Dresden in 1909. The libretto was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and was based on his 1903 drama of the same name.

For a one-act opera, Elektra has a tangled web of intrigue at its core. Simply put, Elektra is enraged by the murder of her father, King Agamemnon. Elektra’s mother, Klytämnestra, convinced her lover, Aegisth, to kill her husband. Once Elektra finds out, she is out for nothing short of total revenge and enlists her brother, Orest, to kill their mother.

When Elektra was first presented, critics were deeply divided. Perhaps none more so than Ernest Newman, then London’s most important former music critic and playwright George Bernard Shaw. Newman found the opera abhorrent. Shaw fiercely defended it. Their argument about the merits of Strauss’s opera were published in a series of letters in The Nation.

Of this production, the New York Times‘ Anthony Tommasini said,

“…nothing prepared me for the seething intensity, psychological insight and sheer theatrical inventiveness of this production on Thursday night, conducted by the brilliant Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mr. Chéreau’s partner in this venture from the start. A superb cast is headed by the smoldering soprano Nina Stemme in the title role.”

Wednesday, July 7 – Ariadne auf Naxos – FIRST SHOWING

Conducted by James Levine; starring Deborah Voigt, Natalie Dessay, Susanne Mentzer and Richard Margison. This revival of the 1993 production by Elijah Moshinsky is from the 2002-2003 season. 

Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos had its world premiere in Stuttgart in 1912. The libretto is by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

This is really an opera-within-an-opera. Two different sets of performers have been brought together at the home of a rich man. One group is a serious ensemble of opera singers who embrace the highest of dramatic operas. The other is a group of comedians who are set on acting out an Italian comedy. Their host, seeing that time is quickly running out, asks them to perform their separate works together.

In 1998 Voigt, Dessay and Mentzer all performed this opera in the same production. Critics and fans were overwhelming in their praise. Three years later the trio reunited in hopes of filming their performances, but Dessay was having voice issues and withdrew. On this, the third production with the trio, they were able to capture the performance.

In his New York Times review, Anthony Tommasini gave high praise to Dessay:

“With breezy confidence, Ms. Dessay dashed off Zerbinetta’s coloratura flights, pushed to comic excess in her daunting showpiece aria. Though hers is a light, lyric voice, Ms. Dessay’s warm and focused sound carried easily throughout the house. A poised and natural actress, she has this character nailed. Explaining herself to the composer, Zerbinetta protests that she is not just some coquette, but a thoughtful soul puzzled by the mysteries of the heart. Yes, she enjoys the attentions of men. But what can she do when they come in such variety? By taking these sentiments seriously, Ms. Dessay makes Zerbinetta humane and achingly funny.

Thursday, July 8 – Capriccio – 3rd Showing

Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, starring Renée Fleming, Sarah Connolly, Joseph Kaiser, Russell Braun, Morten Frank Larsen and Peter Rose. This revival of the 1998 John Cox production is from the 2010-2011 season.

As the Countess, Fleming must make one decision that resonates in a second way. Does she prefer words or music? And by extension, does she prefer the poet or the composer that make up the love triangle in this opera.

When Fleming decided to do the role of the Countess in this opera by Strauss in 2011, it was the first time she had performed the full opera at the Met. Anthony Tomassini of the New York Times was impressed:

“The role suits her ideally at this stage of her career, and she sang splendidly. The performance over all, sensitively conducted by Andrew Davis and featuring a winning cast, made an excellent case for this Strauss curiosity, his final opera, which had its premiere in Munich in 1942 in the midst of World War II.”

Friday, July 9 – Salome – Third Showing

Conducted by Patrick Summers; starring Karita Mattila, Ildikó Komlósi, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser and Juha Uusitalo. This Jürgen Flimm production is from the 2008-2009 season. 

Richard Strauss’ one-act opera had its world premiere in Dresden in 1905. Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name inspired the opera. In fact, the libretto is from Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of Wilde’s play. 

During a meal Princess Salome is having with her step-father, King Herrod, she is warned to ignore the screams coming from the prophet Jochanaan (John the Baptist). Concurrently a guard, Narraboth, can’t keep his eyes off Salome. After hearing Jochanaan cursing her mother and being rebuffed in efforts to visit the prophet, she convinces Narraboth to take her to see him. Her attraction to Jochanaan sets off a series of events that won’t end well for anyone.

If you’ve read these previews before we have been unable to find any performance clip from this production. Do you have a link to share with us? If so, please send it our way!

Anthony Tommasini, in his New York Times review, raved about Mattila’s performance:

“Vocally Ms. Mattila is born to this daunting role, singing with an eerie combination of cool Nordic colorings and raw power. She can spin a Straussian melodic line with sumptuous lyricism. But when Salome erupts in a spasm of twisted desire or childish petulance, Ms. Mattila unleashes chilling, hard-edged top notes that slice through Strauss’s king-size orchestra.

Saturday, July 10 – Arabella 

Conducted by Christian Thielemann; starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Marie McLaughlin, Helga Dernesch, Natalie Dessay, David Kuebler, Wolfgang Brendel and Donald McIntyre. This revival of the 1983 Otto Schenk production is from the 1994-1995 season.

Arabella had its world premiere in 1933 in Dresden. It marked the sixth and final collaboration with his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Though the Waldners are a Count and Countess, they have fallen on hard times. They are trying to find a suitor for the title character, Arabella, but come up with a plan to have their youngest daughter, Zdenka, dress up like a boy to save money. She’s actually in love with one of Arabella’s admirers, Matteo. Arabella is convinced she’ll know the right man when she sees him and has promised to make a decision by the end of the Coachmen’s Ball. Poverty, disguise, mistaken identity and bizarre promises lead this comedy to its inevitable happy ending.

Edward Rothstein, writing for the New York Times, said this opera seems like a relic from a past that pre-dates its creation:

“Arabella, after all was the authors’ attempt to recapture the success and spirit of their triumph from a quarter-century earlier, Der Rosenkavalier. Only in this work, completed just before the Nazis came to power, there is no Marschallin to represent nobility of spirit as well as birth; the jesting, meant to recall the Vienna of Die Fledermaus, is also forced. Arabella seems to yearn for a past when one could healthily yearn for a past. It is an image of an image, leaving behind a feeling that by 1933, when the opera was first performed, even nostalgia wasn’t what it used to be.”

Sunday, July 11 – Der Rosenkavalier – Third Showing

Conducted by Sebastian Weigle; starring Renée Fleming, Elīna Garanča, Erin Morley, Matthew Polenzani, Marcus Brück and Günther Groissböck. This Robert Carsen production is from the 2016-2017 season.

No need to repeat the history of the opera and its synopsis here. We’re going straight to the clip!

With this production, Fleming retired the role of Marschallin from her repertoire as she gradually made her exit from full productions. Anthony Tommasini, writing in the New York Times, closed his review by stating:

“Der Rosenkavalier is not just about the passage of time and aging, but also about the importance of knowing when to let something, or even someone, go — in all stages of life. Ms. Fleming may be letting go of opera productions. We’ll see. Predictability is not a significant component of diva DNA. But she can look forward to many years of concerts and other artistic projects. And she sang beautifully on this milestone night for her, and for opera.”

That’s the complete line-up for Week 69 at the Met. We don’t have any word just yet as to what the next week has in store of us. Stay tuned!

Enjoy your week! Enjoy the operas!

Photo: Deborah Voigt in Ariadne auf Naxos (Photo by Marty Sohl/Courtesy Metropolitan Opera)

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They do, however, have great roles for performers such as Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Elza van den Heever, Jennifer Larmore, Patrice Racette, Sondra Radvanovsky and Nina Stemme.

Since the Met is re-running productions as the bulk of their weekly streaming schedule, I’m going to mix in interviews with the performers and creators in place of clips to avoid the redundancy of showing the same few clips available. Let me know your thoughts!

All productions become available at 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST and remain available for 23 hours. Schedules and timings may be subject to change.

The Met is heavily promoting their Met Stars Live in Concert series and the planned resumption of performances in the 2021-2022 season, so you’ll have to go past those announcements and promos to find the streaming productions on the Metropolitan Opera website. 

If you read this early enough on May 3rd, you’ll still have time to see the 2008-2009 season production of Puccini’s La Rondine which concludes City of Light week.

Here’s the full line-up for Week 60 at the Met:

Monday, May 3 – Strauss’s Elektra STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, Burkhard Ulrich and Eric Owens. This Patrice Chéreau production is from the 2015-2016 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously available last year on April 20th, August 31st and November 26th and this year on March 25th.

Richard Strauss’s Elektra had its world premiere in Dresden in 1909. The libretto was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and was based on his 1903 drama of the same name.

For a one-act opera, Elektra has a tangled web of intrigue at its core. Simply put, Elektra is enraged by the murder of her father, King Agamemnon. Elektra’s mother, Klytämnestra, convinced her lover, Aegisth, to kill her husband. Once Elektra finds out, she is out for nothing short of total revenge and enlists her brother, Orest, to kill their mother.

When Elektra was first presented, critics were deeply divided. Perhaps none more so than Ernest Newman, then London’s most important former music critic and playwright George Bernard Shaw. Newman found the opera abhorrent. Shaw fiercely defended it. Their argument about the merits of Strauss’s opera were published in a series of letters in The Nation.

Of this production, The New York Times‘ Anthony Tommasini said,

“…nothing prepared me for the seething intensity, psychological insight and sheer theatrical inventiveness of this production on Thursday night, conducted by the brilliant Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mr. Chéreau’s partner in this venture from the start. A superb cast is headed by the smoldering soprano Nina Stemme in the title role.”

Tuesday, May 4 – Handel’s Rodelinda

Conducted by Harry Bicket; starring Renée Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Andreas Scholl, Iestyn Davies, Joseph Kaiser and Shenyang. This revival of Stephen Wadsworth’s 2004 production is from the 2011-2012 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously available last year on June 14th and November 2nd and this year on January 16th.

Handel’s opera had its world premiere in London in 1725. The libretto is by Nicola Francesco Haym who revised Antonio Salvi’s earlier libretto. Scholars have long considered Rodelinda to be amongst Handel’s finest works.

Queen Rodelinda’s husband has been vanquished and she is plotting her revenge. Multiple men have plans to take over the throne, but they have Rodelinda to contend with who is maneuvering herself to prevent that from happening. She is still faithful to her husband who is presumed dead.

Fleming and Blythe appeared at the Met in these role in the first revival of this production in 2006.

James R. Oestreich, in his review for the New York Times, said of Fleming’s return to Rodelinda, “But it would be asking too much of a singer like Ms. Fleming to revamp her technique in midcareer, so there was inevitably some disjunction between stage and pit. Ms. Fleming painted her coloratura in broad strokes, but it was enough that she threw herself and her voice wholeheartedly into the considerable drama.”

Wednesday, May 5 – Thomas’s Hamlet

Conducted by Louis Langrée, starring Marlis Petersen, Jennifer Larmore, Simon Keenlyside and James Morris. This Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser production is from the 2009-2010 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously available last year on May 5th and November 25th.

Ambroise Thomas collaborated with librettists Michel Carré and Jules Barbier for this opera. Shakespeare’s play obviously is the inspiration, but they based their libretto on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas and Paul Meurice. Hamlet had its world premiere in Paris in 1868.

French composer Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas is not the best known of opera composers. Over a two-year period he wrote the two operas for which he’s best known: Mignon and Hamlet.

Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, believes his Uncle Claudius and his mother, Gertrude, were involved in his father’s sudden death. As Claudius ascends the throne, Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father asking Hamlet to avenge his murder. This becomes Hamlet’s sole purpose at the expense of other responsibilities. Amongst those responsibilities is his relationship with Ophelia who, convinced these distractions mean Hamlet doesn’t lover her, descends into madness. Will the Prince be able to do as his father’s ghost requests and what will be the price if he does?

Anthony Tommasini, in his New York Times review, raved about Keenlyside in the title role. “The opera is also a star vehicle for the right baritone in this punishing title role. Simon Keenlyside, the Ralph Fiennes of baritones, was the acclaimed Hamlet when this production was introduced, and he dominated the evening here. His singing was an uncanny amalgam, at once elegant and wrenching, intelligent and fitful. Handsome, haunted and prone to fidgety spasms that convey Hamlet’s seething anger and paralyzing indecision, Mr. Keenlyside embodied the character in every moment, and you could not take your eyes off him.”

Thursday, May 6 – Bellini’s Norma

Conducted by Carlo Rizzi; starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja and Matthew Rose. This David McVicar production is from the 2017- 2018 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously available last year on April 5th and September 20th and this year on January 20th and March 29th.

Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma had its world premiere in Milan in 1831. The libretto was written by Felice Romani based on Alexandre Soumet’s play Norma, ou L’infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide).

The opera is set during Roman occupation of Gaul. Norma, the Druid high priestess, has been abandoned by the Roman consul, Pollione, the father of her two children. He has fallen in love with his wife’s friend, Adalgisa. Norma is devastated when she learns of his betrayal and his plans to marry Adalgisa. This leaves Norma in the position of having to figure out what to do with her children and whether or not to exact revenge on Pollione. 

Maria Callas made Norma a signature after she first performed in a 1948 production at Teatro Comunale di Firenze. She gave 89 performances in the part. The role is considered the Mount Everest of opera. 

James Jorden examined what makes this role so challenging in a 2017 article for the New York Times that ran just before this production opened. You can read that story here.

Friday, May 7 – Berg’s Wozzeck STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; starring Elza van den Heever, Gerhard Siegel, Peter Mattei and Christian van Horn. This William Kentridge production, which had its debut in Salzburg in 2017, is from the 2019-2020 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously available last year on July 16th and November 22nd.

This first opera by Austrian composer Alban Berg is based on an unfinished play of the same name by Georg Büchner. Berg wrote the libretto as well. Wozzeck had its world premiere in Berlin in 1925.

This dark opera tells the story of the title character who is a soldier. During a conversation about decency with his Captain, Wozzeck is ridiculed for having a child out of wedlock. The mother of that child, Marie, is unfaithful to Wozzeck and that betrayal leads to tragic outcomes for them both.

Anthony Tommasini, writing for the New York Times, said of this production, “…few works look at life with more searing honesty than “Wozzeck.” The issues that drive this wrenching, profound opera are especially timely: the impact of economic inequality on struggling families; the looming threats of war and environmental destruction; the rigid stratification — almost the militarization — of every element of society.

“Those themes resonate through the artist William Kentridge’s extraordinary production of Wozzeck, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday evening. That it arrives as 2020 beckons feels right.” 

I wonder what Tommasini knew about the year 2020 would have in store for us all when he wrote this review.

Saturday, May 8 – Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

Conducted by Patrick Summers; starring Patricia Racette, Maria Zifchak, Marcello Giordani and Dwayne Croft. This revival of Anthony Minghella’s 2006 production is from the 2008-2009 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously made available last year on April 17th and September 24th

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is every bit as popular as La Bohéme. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa wrote the libretto based on John Luther Long’s short story, Madame Butterfly and on the 1887 French novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti. David Belasco turned Long’s story into the play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy in Japan. Puccini saw the play in 1900 in London. His opera had its world premiere in 1904 at La Scala in Milan.

Cio-Cio San falls in love with an Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy named Pinkerton while he is stationed in Japan. They hold a wedding ceremony that Cio-Cio San takes very seriously. When Pinkerton has orders to go back to the States, she awaits his return. Unbeknownst to Pinkerton, Cio-Cio San has gotten pregnant and given birth to a son. When he finally does return with his American wife, Cio-Cio San is devastated. (If this sounds like the musical Miss Saigon, it is because Madama Butterfly served as the inspiration for that musical.)

Steven Smith, writing in the New York Times praised Racette’s performance as Cio-Cio San.

“Returning as Cio-Cio-San, the 15-year-old former geisha of the title, was the soprano Patricia Racette, whose first appearances in this production last season drew resounding acclaim. Her singing was robust, nuanced and passionate, befitting a performer of her skill and experience.

“Even more striking was the dramatic specificity with which she inhabited the role. Her facial expressions, gestures and physical tics were those of an innocent, trusting girl, incapable until the end of accepting abandonment by Pinkerton, her American husband. In every dimension Ms. Racette’s effort was exceptional; hers is a performance not to be missed.”

Sunday, May 9 – Handel’s Agrippina STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Conducted by Harry Bicket; starring Brenda Rae, Joyce DiDonato, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Duncan Rock and Matthew Rose. This David McVicar production is from the 2019-2020 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that was previously made available last year on August 8th and October 27th and this year on March 21st.

George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina has a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. The opera had its world premiere in 1709 in Venice at the Teatro S Giovanni Grisostomo which was owned by Grimani.

Agrippina is the Roman empress who is fixated on the idea of having her highly unqualified son, Nerone, take over the throne. To do that, she will stop at nothing to get her husband, Claudio, to cede it to him.

Though McVicar’s production was first staged in Brussels in 2000, this marked the first ever Metropolitan Opera production of Agrippina. Conductor Harry Bicket lead from the harpsichord and audiences and critics were enthralled.

Zachary Woolfe, in his review for the New York Times said, “Three centuries on, Agrippina remains bracing in its bitterness, with few glimmers of hope or virtue in the cynical darkness. But it’s irresistible in its intelligence — and in the shamelessness it depicts with such clear yet understanding eyes.”

That closes out Week 60 at the Met. Next week’s theme features alumni from the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions.

Do you know who some of their alumni are? Let me know your thoughts in our comments section.

Enjoy your week and enjoy the operas! (Even if some of these mothers are nasty!)

Photo: Kate Lindsey and Joyce DiDonato in Agrippina (Photo by Marty Sohl/Courtesy Metropolitan Opera)

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