Received a blurb from the LA Phil the other day, which in all caps proudly declares “LA PHIL LAUNCHES MICROSITE CELEBRATING INCOMING MUSIC DIRECTOR GUSTAVO DUDAMEL” … Kaboom!… Here’s the relevant bit (my bolds): On September 24, 2009, the LA Phil launched a microsite celebrating the arrival of incoming Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. Introducing audiences worldwide to Gustavo in new and engaging ways, the comprehensive microsite, located at http://www.laphil.com/gustavo, features videos such as Gustavo’s first rehearsal with the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra, the LA Phil’s video tribute “Welcome Gustavo,” and the press conferences unveiling Gustavo’s inaugural season and appointment
Read moreA few great concerts you might be able to catch, or might be missing: Carlsbad, CA: (25-27 Sept.) Sure, everybody goes here, about midway between LA and San Diego, just for Legoland California… But for the next few days, everyone should forget Legoland and instead head to the sixth annual Carlsbad Music Festival. The Calder Quartet and California EAR Unit will be playing all kinds of new music, including pieces by John Luther Adams, Daniel Wohl, Keeril Makan, Matt McBane, Ryan Brown, and Yannis Kyriakides. Premieres abound! And the weekend is given over to these ensembles supporting their special guest,
Read moreApropos our earlier news about the cutbacks to Marvin Rosen‘s “Classical Discoveries” and “Classical Discoveries goes Avant-Garde” programs on WPRB radio: I’ve just received the good word from Marvin himself that — due in large part to all your messages of support —the station has decided to keep “Classical Discoveries goes Avant-Garde” in the schedule, each Wednesday from 11AM until 1PM ET. Marvin also writes: “I’ve been asked by the Classical Director to let you all know how WPRB feels. Please see her quote to me below”: “Please thank your listeners for me and for the whole of WPRB management,
Read moreNo composers or musicians on the list of MacArthur “geniuses” this year. Is this possible? Let’s play a game. Who should have been on that list from our team? Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Ferrante & Teicher are getting together again.
Read moreNina Kotova premieres a new work by Christopher Theofanidis this weekend in Dallas. In the second part of looking at the new work, I spoke with the soloist about the piece, and learned more about how the piece came into being. Listen to our conversation: mp3 file The concert takes place Thursday, Friday & Saturday – and more performances coming up in Asia & Europe.
Read moreOur New York based readers may want to check out the opening concert of Archipelago, the new concert series by New Amsterdam Records, at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. It’s this Friday, September 25th, and will feature performances by violist Nadia Sirota and percussion quartet Line C3. Music by Nico Muhly, David T. Little, and Carl Schimmel, with premieres of pieces by Marcos Balter and Our Lady J. Doors open at 7, and the show starts at 8. Tickets and more information here (use discount code “NEWAM” for online ticket purchases). I haven’t been to Galapagos since they moved to
Read moreThis week, the Dallas Symphony premieres a new concerto written for cellist Nina Kotova. Christopher Theofanidis is teaching at Yale and about to embark on two new operas for Houston and San Francisco. He took some time out last week to let me know more about the work and what he’s been up to! Listen to the conversation: mp3 file Tomorrow, a post with the soloist, who also composes…
Read moreWasn’t it just a couple weeks ago we were singing praises to WPRB’s Marvin Rosen for his annual all-day, all-modern radio marathon — not to mention how great his year-round advocacy for promoting new and lesser-known music in general was? So imagine the shock to learn just this week, that WPRB is suddenly cutting Marvin’s regular Wednesday 5:30AM to 11:00 “Classical Discoveries” show to run only from 6:00 to 8:30, and deleting his afternoon “Classical Discoveries Goes Avant-Garde” program altogether! For more than a decade Marvin has been sharing his wide listening experience and deep enthusiasm with all kinds of
Read moreLeon Kirchner died today after a long illness. NewMusicBox has an obit. We’ll add more as we find them. The Boston Globe had a 90th-birthday interview with Kirchner just this past January. Anthony Tommasini Jeremy Denk Beautiful older piece by Jeremy WGBH Interview Stanley Silverman John Adams
Read moreSome years back I stumbled across The Open Space website, a creation of Perspectives of New Music stalwart Benjamin Boretz. PoNM was one of those forbidding obstacles every composition student of the 60s, 70s and 80s had to traverse and come to terms with; a journal more like a fair-sized paperback book, seemingly filled with discussions of Babbitt, Boulez, Webern, Carter, terrifyingly dense theories of pitch-class, set theory & etc. — many of us felt like we budding composers were suddenly expected to be quantum physicists rather than simply artists… Yet tucked into many issues might also be some nugget
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