An inside look at James Levine’s lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera…. The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony have a new contract, negotiated without rancor…. John Williams’ next “Star Wars” film will be his last…. Here’s a fresh idea for a
That time Philip Glass was in a whisky ad
“In the Spring of 1984, I had just finished writing Akhnaten and I was getting ready for a double opening at the Houston Grand Opera and at the Stuttgart Opera. I had already used up all the commission money to
Audio: Ravi Shankar
People of a certain age, including your scribe, remember when virtuoso sitarist Ravi Shankar became famous in the 1960s, celebrated especially among the young. It seemed to me that most households had, along with the records of Herb Alpert, some
Pops season announced
Pacific Symphony unveiled programming today for its 2018-2019 pops season, seven programs each repeated twice, running October to June. Richard Kaufman returns for his 28th season as principal pops conductor. All performances are held in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom
Expanding your repertoire: ‘Sensemaya’ by Revueltas
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940) was one of the most remarkable Mexican composers of the 20th century. His music combines modernist, folkloric and primitivist elements and is notable for its vitality and vibrancy. His most famous work is “Sensemayá,” inspired by a
A Philip Glass playlist
St.Clair and Pacific Symphony bound for Carnegie Hall in salute to Philip Glass
By TIMOTHY MANGAN Carl St.Clair and Pacific Symphony are about to make a big trip, in case you hadn’t heard — a trip to Carnegie Hall. Conductor and orchestra have been invited to perform at the venerable venue on Saturday,
El Sistema alum joins Pacific Symphony
By ERICA SHARP After finishing runner-up at her previous audition, Kaylet Torrez, the newest member of Pacific Symphony, knew she had to win the next one. It had become her dream ever since her move to Los Angeles. With renewed
Books on classical music: Some essentials (2)
Having a few books of music criticism — the right ones, at least — is an essential part of any serious classical music lover’s library. Good music criticism teaches us how to listen to and think about music. A great
Orchestration by Ravel
I’ve always loved the way this piece — the “Habanera” from “Rhapsodie espagnole” — is orchestrated, the whole thing, but particularly the aromatic chord change from minor to major starting at the one minute mark in this recording and repeated