By Susan JAMES Arguably one of the best series reboots in movie history, J. J. Abrams’ second installment of the new Star Trek prequel saga, “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” is a worthy addition to its predecessor. Cleverly written and fast-paced, with excellent CGI riffs on actual space photography, Captain Kirk and his intrepid crew make […]
By Ted AYALA Dmitri Shostakovich’s 1959 “Cello Concerto No. 1” is a compact, grim little piece in four movements that tends to veer off into the darker end of the emotional spectrum for nearly the whole of its 25-minute duration. Not that the composer would have told you or anybody else that. Shostakovich was infamously […]
By Ted AYALA Pacific Serenades brings its 27th season to a close on Sunday, June 3 with a program of chamber music for winds by Mozart, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, and local composer Stephen Cohn. Southern California is enjoying an embarrassment of riches when it comes to chamber music. Pacific Serenades holds its own place of distinction […]
By Michael YEGHIAYAN Supporters of Glendale’s arts and culture community gathered in North Hollywood to help raise funds to the sights of a 1950s newsroom and the sounds of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. The event, aptly named Pops & Props, was held on Saturday at one of the area’s largest prop houses. The […]
By Ted AYALA The last time she was in town, cellist Alisa Weilerstein left a deep impression on local audiences with her playing of Peter Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo Variations.” The 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient returns to Los Angeles for a pair of concerts with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) this weekend, closing out the […]
By Ted AYALA The recent announcement by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) regarding its 2013-14 season startled some of its supporters in Glendale who feared the ensemble may be feeling its way toward a new home. In a press release, the orchestra announced that the first two concerts of its new season would take […]
By Ted AYALA The Glendale Youth Orchestra (GYO) brings its 24th season to a close on Sunday at the Alex Theatre with a program that mixes classical works spanning the 18th and 20th centuries with a little bit of Brazilian jazz. Traditionally, the end of season concerts of the GYO have been a showcase for […]
Take a typical Southern California spring weekend in May, add tall trees, snow-streaked mountain peaks, blue sky and pine-scented air and you have the beginnings of a recipe for family fun. Begun in 1982 as a way to forget winter and welcome the approaching summer, the Lilac Festival started as little more than a bake […]