Robert D. Thomas/Class Act

NEWS AND LINK: New appointments at the L.A. Phil

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

CK Dexter Haven, who writes an informative Blog entitled “All is Yar,” has a post today about new significant musician appointments by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Phil’s management hasn’t confirmed the story (it rarely does, possibly because these sorts of appointments involve a probationary period) but Mr. Haven seems to be well plugged in to the orchestra and his previous posts on similar stories have been spot on. Here’s the LINK.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

NEWS AND LINKS: Esa-Pekka Salonen wins 2012 Grawemeyer Award for his Violin Concerto

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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When Esa-Pekka Salonen stepped down as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009, it ostensibly was to devote more time to composing. His output has been pretty meager in the last two years (just two short pieces) but Salonen has won the 2012 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his Violin Concerto, which was premiered during Salonen’s final weeks as LAPO music director that spring. The award, which includes a $100,000 cash prize, is one of the most prestigious in classical music.

The official release from the university is HERE Mark Swed has an article in the Los Angeles Times HERE. Among other things, Swed notes that the L.A. Phil becomes the only orchestra to have commissioned and premiered two Grawemeyer Award compositions (Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs in 2005 was the other) and Salonen is the only conductor to have led the first performances of two winning scores (Neruda Songs and his own concerto, which featured Leila Josefowicz as soloist).

When the Violin Concerto was premiered in April 2009, I wrote that it was “a stunning violin concerto, brilliant played by 31-year-old Leila Josefowicz, who was born in Toronto but grew up in Los Angeles and studied with Ronald Lipsett at The Colburn School.” (My entire review is HERE).

For what it’s worth I actually thought Salonen’s Piano Concerto, written in 2007, was a better piece but both are terrific. They joined a list of notable Salonen compositions that included LA Variations (written in 1996) and Wing on Wing, which was composed for the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2004.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

AROUND TOWN/MUSIC: Orchestras in the holiday season

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
A shorter version of this column was published today in the above papers.
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Because the holiday season is dominated by choral music, orchestras have, in the past, tended to shy away from programs in December unless they were holiday-theme oriented (e.g., Handel’s Messiah). This year, things are different.

Esa-Pekka Salonen, who music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 17 years, is in town for two weeks of concerts with his old band (his L.A. Phil title is now Conductor Laureate). Today he’s leading Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 2 and Piano Concerto No. 2, with an old friend, Emmanuel Ax, soloing in the concerto (which, despite its number, was actually the first piano concerto that Beethoven wrote).

The second half of the program is Sirens by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. Soprano Hila Plitmann and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter join the orchestra and Los Angeles Master Chorale in the work, which is based on The Siren Song from Homer’s The Odyssey and is receiving its world premiere this weekend. (Read my review of Friday’s performance HERE.)

Salonen is leading another world premiere Friday, Saturday and next Sunday: the Prologue to Shostakovich’s Orango, an unfinished satirical opera that the composer sketched in 1932 while he was writing his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. Only the 40-minute Prologue was completed in piano vocal score, which was discovered in 2006. The Phil, a large group of soloists, and the Master Chorale will present the work, orchestrated by English composer Gerard McBurney and staged by Peter Sellars. The program concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4. I have more on this concert at the bottom of the review posted above and I’ll add more details on my “Five-Spot” post on Thursday.

On Dec. 8, 9 and 10, Thomas Wilkins — principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra — leads the Phil in a program of movie music as the orchestra’s contribution to the “Pacific Standard Time” series under the auspices of the Getty Museum. Information: www.laphil.com

Elsewhere on the orchestral front:
• The Pasadena Symphony will get into the holiday spirit with a candlelight program Saturday at 7 p.m. at All Saints Church, Pasadena. Grant Cooper, artistic director and conductor of the West Virginia Symphony, will conduct the PSO, vocalist Lisa Vroman, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Donald Brinegar Singers and L.A. Bronze (a handbell ensemble) in an eclectic program of holiday music. Information: www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org

• The Colburn Orchestra continues its season next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Ambassador Auditorium as guest conductor Gerard Schwarz leads the ensemble in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and Takemitsu’s From Me Flows What You Call Time, with a local percussion ensemble, Smoke and Mirrors, as soloists in the Takemitsu piece. For Schwarz, it’s something of a homecoming. Prior to becoming music director of the Seattle Symphony, Schwarz held a similar position with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which used to perform in Ambassador. Information: www.colburnschool.edu

• Music Director Jeffrey Kahane will lead his Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on Dec. 10 at the Alex Theater in Glendale and 11 at Royce Hall, UCLA. Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum will be the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra. The program also includes music by Ravel, Respighi and Thomas Adés. Information: www.laco.org
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

OVERNIGHT REVIEW: Esa-Pekka Salonen and Los Angeles Philharmonic premiere Hillborg's "Sirens" at Walt Disney Concert Hall

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Los Angeles Philharmonic; Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 2 (Emmanuel Ax, soloist)
Hillborg: Sirens (Hila Plitmann and Anne Sofie von Otter, soloists; Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Friday, November 25, 2011 • Walt Disney Concert Hall
Next concerts: Tonight at 8; tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Info: www.laphil.com
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Esa-Pekka Salonen, who was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s music director from 1992-2009 and is now its conductor laureate, returned home to Walt Disney Concert Hall (which he was instrumental in getting built) for the first of two programs this season. During both weeks, he’s leading a world premiere — last night it was Sirens, a 33-minute piece by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. Next week it’s the recently discovered prologue to an unfinished Shostakovich opera (more in Hemidemisemiquavers below).

Sirens is based on a section of Homer’s The Odyssey, although in the preconcert lecture Hillborg revealed that he composed some of the music first and then found a text that seemed to fit what he had written. As the composer explained in the program magazine: “In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses who lured sailors with their enchanting music and voices to come to the rocky coast of their island, where they would kill them. In Homer’s tale, Ulysses — curious as to what the Sirens sound like — orders his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast, not to release him no matter how much he begs, while their boat is passing the island of the Sirens. In this way he will be able to hear their deadly singing, which no man has heard and survived.”

Hillborg uses soprano Hila Plitmann, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Los Angeles Master Chorale to portray the Sirens, who flatter Ulysses’ ego, appeal to his mind and soul, and sing seductively (Hillborg uses English translations of The Sirens Song, along with additional text that he wrote; the words were projected as supertitles).

Underneath all of this, the orchestra delivers wave after wave of sound, sometimes melodic, occasionally dissonant, with percussion and piano interjecting sharp spikes into the tonal wash. The Master Chorale singers also whistle, whisper and produce other sound effects.

Overall the effect was hypnotic; in the warm hall there were undoubtedly a few people lulled to sleep. Von Otter (who used a score) and Plitmann (who didn’t) were positioned on either side of Salonen conducted with a score, as is almost always the case, but didn’t use a baton for the Hillborg piece. The percussion section (not large by the standard of Hillborg’s contemporaries) was notable for not including timpani. Lighting changes and even a tinkling cell phone at the end added to the effect.

Plitmann’s radiant soprano voice blended well with von Otter’s creamy mezzo; the two often sang extremely close, intertwined harmonies. Overall, I found Sirens to be an interesting — if not fully compelling — rendition of the Sirens story. After the performance, Hillborg came onstage to bask in the sustained applause, which was extended to all concerned.

The audience noticeably thinned out for Sirens as opposed to the all-Beethoven first half of the program, which began with Salonen leading a dramatic reading of the second Leonore Overture (one of four overtures that Beethoven composed for his only opera, Fidelio). Salonen made effective use of the work’s silences, particularly in the opening measures (when Disney Hall is silent, the effect can be magical) and Chris Still was the offstage trumpeter.

To these ears, at least, the highlight of the evening was Emmanuel Ax’s work as soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (which, despite its number, was really the first of the five piano concerti that Beethoven wrote). Ax’s crystalline tone was perfect for his concept of this piece, which alludes firmly to both Mozart and Haydn. Every phrase — indeed, every note — was carefully thought out and lovingly sculpted — the entire performance was a study in lyrical elegance.

Salonen enforced brisk tempos throughout and the orchestra accompanied Ax sensitively. After sustained applause, Ax delivered a gentle, lyrical encore: Schumann's Fantasiestücke, Op. 12, No. 1
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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• Lucinda Carver’s preconcert lecture was longer than usual (45 minutes), partly because Hillborg showed up unexpectedly to join in. Among his musical influences, Hillborg listed Steve Reich and Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys).
• Sirens was the fourth Hillborg piece to be played by the L.A. Phil. One of those was Eleven Gates, which Salonen and the Phil premiered in 2006. That, said Hillborg, was when he met Betty Freeman, the local philanthropist who commissioned more than 400 new works over the last 40 years of her life. Hillborg dedicated Sirens to both Salonen and Freeman.
• When Salonen retired as the Phil’s music director, one of the stated reasons was to allow him to devote more time to composing. So far, he’s delivered just a couple of pieces: Dona Nobis Pacem, a five-minute unaccompanied work for female voices that the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus sang earlier this year in a tribute concert to Ernest Fleischmann, and Nyx, a 17-minute work for orchestra that was premiered last February in Paris and in October by the Atlanta Symphony.
• Next week’s concerts (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will feature the world premiere of the Prologue to Orango by Shostakovich. The Phil describes this work thusly: “Orango is an unfinished satirical opera by Shostakovich, sketched [in 1932] while he was writing Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. He and his librettists conceived ‘a political lampoon against the bourgeois press,’ concerning a human-ape hybrid. Of the projected Prologue and three acts, only the 40-minute Prologue was completed, in piano vocal score, which was just discovered in 2006.” Read the complete program note HERE.

The Prologue includes parts for 10 soloists and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. It is being staged by Peter Sellars with lighting by Ben Zamora. Gerard McBurney, who orchestrated the prologue, will offer a preconcert lecture an hour before each program.

A Los Angeles Times article on the piece is HERE.

• The second half of next week's program will be Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4, which was composed just a few years after Orango. This was the symphony that was not played for 25 years after it was written, a consequence of the composer’s run-in with Soviet authorities over Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. Laurel E. Fay’s program note says that one of the two conductors who were eager to conduct the symphony was Otto Klemperer, who at the time was the L.A. Phil’s music director. Whether the symphony would have been played in L.A. isn’t spelled out; ultimately the LAPO premiere would not take place until 1989 under the baton of André Previn. (Read the full program note HERE).

• Expect next week’s program to last a bit longer than a normal concert. The Prologue to Orango is 40 minutes long and the symphony, one of Shostakovich’s longest, takes an hour. The orchestration for the symphony (2 piccolos, 4 flutes, 4 oboes (4th = English horn), 4 clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 timpani, percussion (bass drum, castanets, cymbals, orchestra bells, snare drum, tam-tam, triangle, xylophone), 2 harps, celesta, and strings) is the largest of Shostakovich’s 15 symphonies.

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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Five-Spot: What caught my eye on November 24, 2011

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Normally each Thursday morning, I list five events that peak my interest, including (ideally) at least one with free admission (or, at a minimum, inexpensive tickets). However, because of the Thanksgiving holidays, I’ve only found two events — admittedly important ones — for this week’s listing. However, there are also some upcoming events that are worth adding to your calendars.
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• Tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic: Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to the Phil

Whether it’s a case of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” or the fact that the L.A. Phil always seems to play with extra fervor under the baton of its former music director, whenever Esa-Pekka Salonen (pictured right) comes “home” to conduct the LAPO it’s a special occasion. For those new in town or to classical music, the now-53-year-old Finnish-born Salonen was the Phil’s music director for 17 seasons (1992-2009), the longest tenure among the 11 people to hold the position.

This weekend is the first of two consecutive Salonen programs: Beethoven’s Leonore Overture, No. 2 and Piano Concerto No. 2, along with the world premiere of Sirens by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg.

Sirens is scored for large orchestra, mixed chorus (the Los Angeles Master Chorale), and two soloists: soprano Hila Plitmann and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. The 30+ minute piece was commissioned by the late Betty Freeman and dedicated both to her and to the conductor. Salonen has a three-minute video on his Web site (LINK) where he discusses the work’s genesis and speaks lovingly of Freeman, who he described as “sorely missed and a great supporter of new music.”

Hilborg writes of the piece: “In Greek mythology, the Sirens were murderous bird-women who used their voices to lure sailors to their island. In Homer's The Odyssey, Ulysses orders his crew to plug their ears and tie him to the mast so he will be able to hear, and survive, the deadly singing.
• The calm sea starts stirring, ghostlike whispers emerge from the depths, strange fragmented voices agitate the surface. The scene suddenly clears and the Sirens appear.
• The Sirens try to lure Ulysses in numerous ways: they flatter his ego; they appeal to his mind and soul, promising him they'll disclose all the secrets of the world; and they sing seductively, arousing him.
• Then the Sirens' true monstrous identity is revealed, as their powerful singing transforms into horrendous screaming. The hallucination dissolves and all reverts back to calm sea, as Ulysses' vessel sails out of danger.”

Read the complete program note HERE.

Emanuel Ax, a long-time collaborator with both Salonen and the Phil, will be the soloist in the concerto, which (despite its number) was actually the first piano concerto that Beethoven composed. Well-known harpsichordist and conductor Lucinda Carver will deliver a lecture an hour before each concert. Information: www.laphil.com

• Friday at 9 p.m. on PBSSoCal TV (aka KOCE)
Los Angeles Opera’s production of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino

The PBS series Great Performances taped the world premiere of Il Postino (The Postman) by Southern California composer Daniel Catán. Plácido Domingo stars as Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Charles Castronovo sings the title role, and Grant Gershon conducts.

The opera was based on Ardiente Pacienca (Burning Patience), a 1985 novella by Antonio Skármeta, and the award-winning (and beloved by many) 1994 film, Il Postino, by Michael Radford, but Catán turned it into his own very special and, as it turned out, final work (the composer died unexpectedly last April). A link to the laudatory reviews, including mine, is HERE.

Information (including a video preview clip): www.pbsssocal.org
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For the “futures” section of your calendar:

The Metropolitan Opera had originally scheduled two “Live in HD” telecasts for December: Handel’s Rodelinda, starring Renée Fleming with Harry Bicket conducting, on Dec. 3; and Gounod’s Faust, with Jonas Kaufman in the title role and Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting a new production, on Dec. 10.

The company has added two “encore” presentations (i.e., previously recorded telecasts), both of which are worth attending: Mozart’s The Magic Flute on Wed., Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel the following evening. There are several things that make these productions noteworthy:
• They’re short (The Magic Flute clocks in at 110 minutes and Hansel and Gretel runs 123 minutes) as opposed to Rodelinda and Faust, both of which are more than four hours in length.
• They’re both sung in English.
• They’re both labeled as “family friendly.” The Magic Flute was staged by Julie Taymor with the same sort of puppet and fantasy magic that characterized her production of The Lion King. The fairy tale setting of Hansel and Gretel is equally enchanting. Both are great for adults and kids alike.

A couple of added bonuses:
• Hansel and Gretel was one of the last roles (The Witch) for the great English tenor, Philip Landridge, who died on March 5, 2010 just a few months after this production aired.
• The Magic Flute was conducted by James Levine and it’s no telling how long it will be before we see the Met’s music director back in the pit (he’s recovering from back surgery).

One downside: you’re going to have a hard time finding a theater locally for Hansel and Gretel, at least as of this writing. While The Magic Flute will be shown at the Alhambra Renaissance 14, Covina 17 and Puente Hills 20, the closest theater (to me) for Hansel and Gretel is the Cinemark 14 in Long Beach, which does have the advantage of being within walking distance of the Metro Blue Line stations at 1st St. and the Long Beach Transit Mall.

Information: www.metoperafamily.org
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

NEWS: Former L.A. Phil Associate Concermaster Irving Geller dies at age 85

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

Irving Geller, who served as associate concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for nearly 25 years in a career that spanned nearly a half-century with the orchestra, died on Nov. 16 at the age of 85. Following is the Phil’s media release:

Irving Geller, Associate Concertmaster and first violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1951-1999, passed away peacefully on November 16, surrounded by friends and family. Mr. Geller, born January 10, 1926, is survived by his wife, actress Helen Geller, his children Paul and Valerie, and grandchildren Juliana, Aaron, James and Greyson.

Irving Geller was born in Warsaw, Poland, and began his musical studies at the age of five. He made his solo debut at age ten, playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Hull House Symphony Orchestra in Chicago. Performances as a recitalist and orchestra soloist brought the young violinist many awards and critical praise.

While still in his early teens, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where his music studies continued and he appeared as soloist with various orchestras and on radio.

Geller then became Assistant Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra; following his three years in Texas he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1951, becoming one of its youngest members. He has served as Concertmaster of the California Chamber Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Society (comprised of Los Angeles Philharmonic members), and other musical organizations in the Los Angeles area.

For nearly 25 years, he was the Philharmonic's Associate Concertmaster.

Drafted as a machine gunner in the infantry of the U.S. Army, Geller received the Purple Heart after being injured at the “Battle of the Bulge” (1944-45).

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 20, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary located at 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90045 at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Irving’s name to the Jewish National Fund, Trees for Israel or the American Cancer Society.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Five-Spot: What caught my eye on November 17, 2011

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Each Thursday morning, I list five events that peak my interest, including (ideally) at least one with free admission (or, at a minimum, inexpensive tickets). Today’s grouping covers a wide geographical area:
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• Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa
Pacific Symphony; Carl St.Clair, conductor — Music Unbound: Mahler’s Symphony No. 9
The latest installment of the orchestra’s Music Unbound series focuses on Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. Although the concert begins at 8 p.m., the preconcert program at 7, created by Joseph Horowitz, features actors Jenny O’Hara and Nick Ullett performing in “I Beg You to be Truthful” — The Marriage of Gustav and Anna Mahler: A Self-Portrait in Letters. The 30-minute presentation is based on Gustav Mahler: Letters to his Wife, edited by Henry-Louis de La Grange and Günther Weiss in collaboration with Knud Martner. There will also be a display of the Mahlers’ letters in the lobby. Info: www.pacificsymphony.org

Z• Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Santa Monica
Jacaranda’s tribute to Henryk Gorecki
Jacaranda is one of the area’s most impassioned (and excellent) advocates of new music. This program will pay tribute to the Polish composer who died Nov. 12, 2010. Pianist Mark Robson will perform Gorecki’s first published work (Four Preludes, Op. 1) and the Calder Quartet and Lyris Quartet will join Jacaranda’s chamber orchestra in other Gorecki works. Info: www.jacarandamusic.org

• Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Sexson Auditorim, Pasadena City College
Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra; Jo Stoup, conductor
This program could have fit in the “free or nearly free” category below because tickets are just $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. In a program entitled “The French Connection,” Stoup leads her young musicians in Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Ravel’s Rhapsodie Español and other non-French works. Info: www.pymo.org

• Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall
László Fassang, organist
This is a good weekend for organ lovers (see Timothy Howard’s program listed below). At Disney Hall, Bach and Liszt will dominate Hungarian organist László Fassang’s program as he plays music by J.S. Bach (Toccata and Fugue in F Major), Robert Schumann (Four Fugues on B-A-C-H, Op. 60), Max Reger (Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H, Op. 46) and Liszt’s Fantasy and Fugue on Ad nos salutaren undam) and finishes with his own improvisations on Bach and Liszt themes. Info: www.laphil.com

And the weekend’s “free admission” program …

• Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Pasadena Presbyterian Church
Timothy Howard, organist
Improvising is pretty much of a lost art with the notable exception of organists, who — because of proclivity or church job requirements — relish the opportunity (see Fassang above). One of the best at improvising is Timothy Howard, whose weekly worship service efforts often include a postlude improvisation on the final hymn (full disclosure: PPC is my home church and I sing with Tim, so — as the late, great columnist Molly Ivins often wrote — you can take this strong recommendation with a grain of salt or a pound of salt).

In addition to two of his own hymn improvs, Howard’s program — music by César Franck, Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Tournemire, Herbert Howells and Marcel Dupré — will feature pieces originally improvised and later written down. A bonus is hearing the music played on the church’s 112-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ, one of the largest and most important instruments in Southern California. Info: www.ppc.net
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

OVERNIGHT REVIEW: LA Opera's "Roméo et Juliette" at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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LA Opera: Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette
Saturday, November 12, 2011 • Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Next performances: November 17 at 7:30 p.m. November 19 and 20 at 2 p.m.
Information: www.laopera.com

Nino Machaidze and Vittorio Grigolo play the lead roles in LA Opera’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, now playing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
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I’m not sure exactly when it hit me — probably somewhere near the end of the balcony scene of Gounod’s Roméo et Juiette last night — but it sort of crept up on me that it’s been several years since LA Opera mounted a really bad production. If you liked the company’s presentation of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (which I emphatically did), then the weakest evening in quite some time was last season’s presentation of Lohengrin and even if you didn’t think much of the production concept (which I didn’t), that performance had much to recommend it.

Last season began with the scintillating production of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino and also included The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, Il Turco in Italia and The Turn of the Screw — all top-notch presentation. This season opened with Eugene Onegin and Cosi Fan Tutte, the former (as I wrote) often riveting, the latter one of the best things that LAO has ever done. That’s quite an impressive run and Roméo et Juiette, a revival of LA Opera’s 2005 production, certainly adds to that list.

At least some of the reason for the success has been the company’s ability to cast imaginatively with singers who have either been relatively unknown (e.g., Charles Castronovo in Il Postino) or taking on a role for the first time (e.g., Patricia Racette in The Turn of the Screw). Tonight was yet another chapter in that ongoing story.

Gounod’s retelling of the famous Shakespeare tale isn’t a great opera (although it isn’t as bad as some critics think). Considering that (as Michael Hackett noted in his preconcert lecture) Gounod and his librettists, Jules Barbier and Michael Carre, were translating Shakespeare’s 16th century English play about a story set in 15th century Verona into a in 19th century opera in France that we’re viewing in the 21st century, it’s a wonder that it works as well as it does.

However, there’s no real reason to mount this opera unless you have two special singer-actors in the starring roles. In 2005, LAO led with Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko who were just emerging as the hottest couple in the operatic firmament.

In his program-book letter, LAO General Director Plácido Domingo wrote, “Although I have been eager to revive Roméo, I was willing to wait until I could find the perfect duo for the title roles.” The wait was worth it, and if you haven’t seen Vittorio Grigolo and Nino Machaidze as the star-crossed lovers, you should certainly get yourself to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for one of the last three performances because they are special. Although it’s always risky to make these sort of predictions, you may one day look back and say, “I was there.”

In view of the fact that the lead characters are supposed to be adolescents who can pour out miles of mature adult singing, Gounod was seeking the impossible, roughly equivalent to Wagner’s troubles in casting the title role of Siegfried (the two operas were written at about the same time; Roméo et Juliette premiered in 1867, nine years before Siegfried).

However, the 34-year-old Grigolo and the 28-year-old Machaidze are about as close to the ideal as we’re going to get and that’s a good thing on several fronts. For one thing, John Gunther’s imaginative sets — sort of a cross between an erector set and Disneyland’s New Orleans Square — require Grigolo to scamper up and down metal ladders, often while singing his heart out. For another, the two genuinely seem inflamed with each other, always a good thing when portraying these most famous lovers — in fact, they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other once they first met (well, don’t you remember what it was like to be a teenager with hormones raging?).

More importantly, Grigolo and Machaidze sing gorgeously — boy, do they ever. Gounod gives them five love duets and plenty of other opportunities and they take full advantage. Grigolo — who is making his LAO debut with this role — exudes power with virtually every note; in fact, one wished for an occasional lighter touch just as a change of pace but that’s a very minor kvetch. Machaidze, who we’ve seen twice before with LAO, was more nuanced in her singing. However, she could match Grigolo note for note in volume and was even more smoldering than he was.

The other parts are far less fulfilling — blame Gounod. The most impressive last night were Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan in LAO’s Ring) as a noble Friar Laurence and Renée Rapier, a University of Iowa grad who had a saucy, scene-stealing turn as Stephano. Rapier is part of the company’s Domingo-Thornton Young Artists Program, one of six current or former DTYAP members in the cast.

Ian Judge, who directed the original production in 2005, came back for the revival. Gunther’s set slid, turned and revolved enough to allow Gounod’s five acts to be played as just two (the evening clocked in at about 3:15). The fight choreography by Ed Douglas and the lighting design by Nigel Levings were particularly effective.

Domingo accompanied his singers sensitively, although his overall concept could have done with a bit more Gallic flare and nuance. James Conlon he isn’t but this was a solid performance and, frankly, nobody comes to this opera solely to hear the orchestra, which continues to be one of the company’s strong points. The LAO chorus sang strongly thoroughly the evening.

Ultimately, as noted earlier, this was another in a string of strong LAO productions over the past three seasons. As the company moves into its second quarter-century, that’s healthy sign and one that bodes well for the future.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

PREVIEW, PHOTOS AND LINK: Celestial Opera opens season in South Pasadena

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
This article will be published tomorrow in the above papers.
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Celestial Opera: Dido and Aeneas by Purcell; The Impresario by Mozart
Sung in English with English supertitles
Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. Lecture one hour before each performance.
The Women’s Club of South Pasadena; 1424 S. Fremont Ave., South Pasadena
Tickets: $25 adults; $20 students and seniors
Information: 626-628-3305; www.celestialopera.org

(Left) Christina Wagenet (Belinda) and on Danielle Marcelle Bond (Dido) will perform in Celestial Opera’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas beginning tomorrow at The Women’s Club in South Pasadena. Photo by Frances Chee.
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For many people, the word “opera” conjures massive productions with star-studded casts on a big stage (with equally big ticket prices). If you want that this month, Los Angeles Opera is reviving its production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. But opera doesn’t always have to be done that way.

For 14 years, Celestial Opera Company has offered innovatively staged productions that have offered young professional an opportunity for artistic growth while, at the same time, presenting enjoyable, cost-effective evenings for a loyal public. Celestial Opera demonstrates that good things can come in small packages, too.

Throughout its history, Celestial Opera has presented many of the genre’s most famous works (e.g., Tosca, La Traviata, The Magic Flute). However, this fall’s programs — which opens Saturday and Sunday at The Women’s Club of South Pasadena and continues next weekend — combines two lesser-known, one-act works: Dido and Aeneas, by English composer Henry Purcell, and Mozart’s The Impresario. Both works will be sung in English with English supertitles.

“Last spring I went to a recital by a former student of mine,” relates Judy Townsend, Celestial Opera’s founder, artistic director and producer. “One of the pieces on the program was from Dido, which I remembered from my own performing days, and I thought how great this would be for our company. However, it’s pretty short and as I thought about something to pair with it, The Impresario came to mind — Mozart always sells!”

Each of the two operas, directed by John Dennehy, Jr., is presented with sets and costumes that the company builds or resourcefully comes up with. “We work very hard to create appealing sets for pennies on the dollars,” says Townsend. “We've been extremely lucky to have incredibly resourceful stage and technical directors that make it all work somehow.”

Joshua Thomas Heaphey will conduct a string quartet with harpsichord (for Dido) and piano (for The Impresario). “These actually approximate the sort of musical forces that Purcell would have used in the Baroque period and Mozart in the Classical era,” notes Townsend.

Each production is double-cast. Danielle Marcelle Bond and Tamora Wood will sing the role of Dido, while Matthew Welch and Glenn Fernandez will portray Aeneas. Keiko Clark and Cynthia Leigh will alternate as Madame Goldentrill in The Impresario, while Reyna Zack and Amy Bonn Lee will portray Mademoiselle Silverpeal.

“When we began in 1998,” relates Townsend, “most of our singers were interns who were just starting out. Now they’re all professionals. Southern California has a plethora of great singers and many come from long distances to sing with our company. This year’s casts include people who live in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire.”

It all adds up to a potentially intriguing evening (or afternoon). “Although some of the music from Dido will be familiar,” says Townsend, “many people have never seen either of these productions staged. For them, and for others, we think this will be an evening of revelation.”

(L-R) John Dennehy, Jr., Reyna Zack, Carlos Samaniego, Keiko Clark and Joey von Buhler play in Mozart’s The Impresario in a production by Celestial Opera. Photo by Frances Chen.

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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• The back story to The Impresario (Der Schauspieldirektor) is worthy of an opera itself. Using a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, Mozart wrote The Impresario as an entry in a musical composition sponsored on Feb. 7, 1786 by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The competition was to pit a German singspiel against an Italian opera. The competing Italian entry was the opera buffa Prima la musica, poi le parole (First the Music, then the Words) by Antonio Salieri. The concept was outlined in the motion picture Amadeus, although the work was not identified. The Impresario was written at the same time and premiered later the same year as Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and has a bit of Figaro’s flavor.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Five-Spot: What caught my eye on November 10, 2011

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Each Thursday morning, I list five events (six this week) that peak my interest, including (ideally) at least one with free admission (or, at a minimum, inexpensive tickets). Here’s today’s grouping:
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• Tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Semyon Bychkov and the Labèques
Bychkov, one of the hottest guest conductors around these days, conducts Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances to conclude the program. In the first half, the classical world’s most popular piano duo, Katia and Marielle Labèque, will play an arrangement of Ravel’s Rapodie Espagnole for two solo pianos and then join the Phil for the world premiere of Concerto for two pianos and double orchestra "Battlefield" by Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon. This will mark the first concert appearance at Walt Disney Concert Hall of Marielle with Bychkov, who is her husband. Information: www.laphil.com

• Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at The Women’s Club of South Pasadena Celestial Opera: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Mozart’s The Impresario
The intrepid local opera company offers the two one-act operas sung in English with English supertitles, with sets and costumes, accompanied by a string quartet and harpsichord (for the Purcell) and piano (for the Mozart). I’ll have a preview story posted tomorrow on this Blog and in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News. Information: www.celestialopera.org

• Saturday at 8 p.m. at Neighborhood Church, Pasadena
Musica Angelica salutes its founders
Lutenist and guitarist John Schneidermann will join Hideki Yamaya, guitar and lute, violinists Janet Strauss and Susan Feldman, cellist William Skeen, tenor Daniel Plaster and Denise Bries on viola da gamba in a program that honors Michael Eagan and Mark Chatfield, who founded Musica Angelica in 1993. Eagan, a lute player, died in 2004, while Chatfield, a cellist, passed away in 1998. The duo formed the ensemble that has become one of the world’s Baroque music groups. The concert repeats Nov. 13 in Santa Monica. Information: www.musicaangelica.org

• Sunday at 7 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Master Chorale: The Little Match Girl Passion
Grant Gershon conducts 32 members of the Chorale and solo instrumentalists in The Little Match Girl Passion, the Pulitzer Prize-winning work by David Lang, which is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and influenced by Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. This will be an expanded version of the piece that was premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The program also includes the U.S. premiere of James Newton’s Mass and two Bach motets. Information: www.lamc.org

• Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Show at Barre Theatre, Los Angeles
Susan Egan and Georgia Stitt: The Secret of Happiness LIVE
Susan Egan originated the role of Belle in Disney’s Beauty and Beast musical on Broadway. Georgia Stitt is an award-winning Broadway composer and arranger. Together, they make a powerhouse team and this program features selections from their new upcoming album. If you’re interested and/or intrigued, read the attendance details carefully — this is a small theater. Information: showatbarre.inticketing.com

And the weekend’s “free admission” program …

• Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pasadena Christian Church
Sunday at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Pasadena
Crown City Symphony; Marvin Neumann, conductor
Lawrence Sonderling, a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s violin section, will be the soloist in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. The program also includes Rossini’s Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers and Mozart’s Symphony No. 25. Information: www.crowncitysymphony.org
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.