By Charly SHELTON “Iron Man” is the reason we have Marvel movies today. The success of the first Iron Man movie in 2008 led to the creation of all the other movies that played into The Avengers and beyond. The lackluster X-Men movies were popular but not enough to get the ball rolling on a […]
By Ted AYALA It may have been overcast and pouring outside Pasadena’s Presbyterian Church on Sunday night, but the verdant tones of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus defied the stormy weather with a program that was fragrant with spring blossoms. The music of Benjamin Britten figured prominently in a program that spanned Baroque music, Canadian […]
By Ted AYALA In the early 20th century, with the film industry not yet out of its infancy, composers for the silver screen drew from concert music and opera to light their way as they charted new modes of expression. Things have come full circle since those days, as the latest Gernot Wolfgang chamber work […]
Local author offers reflection on a time well spent. By Tyler BIDDLE “How did a California boy like me end up in this crazy, topsy-turvy, upside-down world of Indonesia?” writes Paul Burghdorf in his new memoir, “Good Morning, Mr. Paul.” The story is a look inside the most defining years in his life serving as […]
By Mary O’KEEFE There are times when an audience is taken to another realm, when the world around them seems to stand still, and all sit in awe of the performance on stage. That moment happened on a recent Saturday when Daniel Chaney, Kirstin Fife and Connie Grisham took to the stage for a benefit […]
By Ted AYALA The Pasadena Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Saturday afternoon marked not only the end of its 2012-13 season, it was also the final chapter in a brief, and sometimes turbulent, period in the orchestra’s history that was triggered in May 2010 by the unexpected dismissal of Jorge Mester. Mester had been the orchestra’s […]
By Charly SHELTON There is something special about seeing a movie on the big screen. It brings back memories of going to the movies with your parents and friends, seeing the now classic films in their heyday when they were new. Nobody expected “Pirates of the Caribbean” to be such a success. In fact, they […]
» Video Game Review By Michael WORKMAN “Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt.” Gamers will be hearing this line in their sleep for a long time now that Irrational Games “BioShock Infinite” has been released. Players take on the role of Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton agent that must find a mysterious girl to […]
By Ted AYALA Youth, specifically the seemingly carefree days of childhood, have long been a source of inspiration for artists across the centuries. There would scarcely be room in this entire paper to list all the composers who have sought to evoke the freshness and wonder of childhood in their music. Of these, Robert Schumann, […]