By Ted AYALA Conductor Mei-Ann Chen’s appearance last year at the Pasadena Symphony made quite a stir in the audience. Her style: bold, aggressive – and loud. Attributes that perhaps were at times a mismatch for her program of Tchaikovsky and Korngold at the Pasadena Symphony’s (PSO) opening concert last season. She opened the PSO’s […]
By Ted AYALA For local lovers of French chamber music, this last year has proven to be a feast for the ears. Lark Musical Society’s Dilijan Chamber Series continued the buffet with their own foray into French music on Sunday at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles with a distinctive program that focused on lesser-known […]
By Ted AYALA When Taiwanese-born conductor Mei-Ann Chen last appeared on the Ambassador Auditorium’s stage, she left an indelible impression in Pasadena. Delivering a rousing, square-jawed Tchaikovsky 5th that left audiences cheering and people speculating that the Pasadena Symphony’s search for a permanent music director – currently its season operates under a rotating roster of […]
By Natalie MAIER The Glendale Art Association’s annual Fall Salon begins today, Oct. 4 and continues through Oct. 27. It will be located at White’s Art Framing and Restoration Gallery on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose. An artists’ reception, open to the public at no charge, will take place on Oct. 7 from 5 p.m. to […]
By Polet BAGATOURIAN Everyone it seems who lives in La Crescenta knows about Once Upon A Time bookstore. A quaint little shop set in Montrose, the “family bookstore” has been around since 1966. Although an avid reader myself, I had never really seen the need to visit. With the advent of ordering the books I […]
By Ted AYALA There were moments of poignancy, but no tears. Only smiles, laughter and the shared delight of audience and musicians alike in good music – no mournful elegies here. The Pasadena Symphony and Pops’ tribute concert on Saturday evening on the steps of Pasadena’s City Hall gathered several hundred music lovers to honor, […]
By Ted AYALA At Camerata Pacifica’s inauguration of its 23rd season at Zipper Hall last Thursday, audiences were welcomed not with a tepid, toe-dip into the musical waters, easing some of their listeners into the organization’s always lively programming. Rather, artistic director Adrian Spence and friends cheerfully dunked their audience into an aural experience that […]
By Ted AYALA Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 3 “Sinfonia espansiva” and 2 “The Four Temperaments” New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Alan Gilbert Dacapo 6220263 | SACD | List price: $16.99 Alan Gilbert’s tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic has so far been a […]
By Ted AYALA Arthur Honegger: Symphonies Nos. 3 “Liturgical” and 1 Basel Symphony Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies Sinfonieorchester Basel SOB 002 | DDD | List price $18.99 A few weeks ago, I had an exchange online with a musician living in Europe. The subject was whether Arthur Honegger qualifies as a “neglected” or “forgotten” composer. […]