Strong Force at Hollywood Bowl with John Williams, Kobe Bryant
/L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant emerged from his retirement to narrate his poem “Dear Basketball” to an animated film and music by Williams.
Read MoreLA Phil Closes Season with Brilliant Bartok Cycle and Janáček Fanfare
/At each concert, Yuja gave the audience their money’s worth – mind-blowing flashy encores of Mozart’s Turkish rondo and Carmen variations, in her own virtuoso improvisational style...
Read MoreLA Phil Presents Double Bill of Schubert Symphonies and Mahler Songs
/It wasn’t until the “Great” Symphony No. 9 that maestro Dudamel became completely in tune with Schubert, achieving a fine sense of balance between relaxed joie de vivre and bursts of intensity.
Read MoreCast Change Adds Vocal Glamour to L.A. Opera’s Final ‘Tosca’
/
As Cavaradossi, tenor Russell Thomas apparently saves his best for last and sings with rining Italianate tone and slancio that have heretofore escaped him.
Read MoreIn OC debut, British Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor Plays with Fire and Elegance
/
It was apparent from this concert that Mr. Grosvenor comes from a long line of British pianists – Paul Lewis, Christian Blackshaw, Clifford Curzon, et al – who combine a fine virtuoso technique and great polish in their playing.
Read MoreA Thrilling Ring Cycle in a Nutshell
/
The best thing about this concert was that one never had the sense that these were just excerpts; instead, one was carried satisfyingly onwards to the gods’ twilight and the destruction of Valhalla.
Read MoreL.A. Opera Ends Main Season with Unexpectedly Entertaining ‘Tosca’
/
Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky looks imperious as the eponymous prima donna Floria Tosca, sings powerfully with Scarpia, and sweetly with Cavaradossi, floating some poignant pianissimo high notes and spinning long, creamy lines of great beauty.
Read MoreA Vibrant, Spiritual Bach B-Minor Mass From Stuttgart's 'Gaechinger Cantorey'
/The Cantorey’s 31-member choir and 30-player Baroque orchestra were the perfect size to convey the work’s grandeur without sacrificing the agility and clarity in the 4- and 5-part choruses
Read MoreSalonen Returns to L.A. for an All-Sibelius Program
/
The concert started off with the nationalistic Finnish tone poem Finlandia, a perennial favorite among Hi-Fi enthusiasts, here sounding spectacular in its dynamism and bold colors.
Read MoreMaestro Mirga in Concert of Mozart, Haydn and Alpine Horns
/
Pianist Stephen Kovacevich got through Mozart's C-minor turbulence with perfect poise and poetic refinement, conveying the shades of autumn without too much melancholy. He was accompanied by Mirga’s equally sensitive conducting on the podium...
Read More