Schoenberg, Schoenberg & Mehta at Disney Hall

Music
Not a new law firm, although the gent on the left, E. Randol Schoenberg, is an attorney. And he is a friend of artsmeme. This charming backstage-at-Disney-Hall portrait taken January 10, 2020 features Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, following a pithy program at the L.A. Phil of music by Wagner and ...

Get serious, Los Angeles!

Music · Visual arts
Richard Valitutto, Pianospheres Jan 14photo: Jonathan Nesteruk It’s January. So, no excuses. Clear the eggnog out of your noggin — and get ready for some serious art. In Los Angeles, it’s all around us. Artists and their presenters are hitting the new decade afresh, and with force. It does not get headier than the L.A. ...

Julius Eastman comes to Los Angeles

Music
by 
Composer Julius Eastman | Photo by Donald Burkhardt Ed. note: Composer Julius Eastman’s “Gay Guerilla,” an initially dappled minimalist excursion for four pianos that morphs into a weighty, deeply personal anthem — nearly a hymnal — had its Los Angeles premiere at last night’s Jacaranda’s “Indivisible” concert. To mark the occasion, arts·meme is  pleased to ...

1791 was a very good year, says the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Music
Not loving 2017? The Los Angeles Philharmonic has a solution for that. Our symphony orchestra is offering a visit to Walt Disney Concert Hall — that’s already a nice escape — with an added fillip, the delicious prospect of traveling back in time. The year is 1791, the final one of Mozart’s life. It was ...

Bringing ballet to Beethoven: Melissa Barak @ the L.A. Phil

Dance · Music
We chatted recently with Melissa Barak, artistic director of Barak Ballet, concerning her upcoming choreographic contribution to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s annual gala concert September 29 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The festive all-Beethoven program includes not only the Philharmonic but its conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, doing double duty with the Simon Boliivar Symphony of Venezuela. ...

Review: Lucinda Childs’ “Available Light” @ Disney Hall 6

Architecture & Design · Dance · Music · Reviews
It was the silver-mesh curtain draped across Disney Hall’s “McFries” pipe organ that gave the performance its first “wow” moment. Almost as though architect/set designer Frank Gehry tossed a throw-rug over a messy sofa to ‘red up for the guests. But Gehry’s living room is none other than L.A.’s stellar fantastic transformational concert hall named ...

Hungarian maestro Peter Eötvös to conduct @ Jacaranda

Music
We’re super fascinated to learn that the acclaimed Hungarian composer-conductor Peter Eötvös (pronounced urt-vursh) will soon take part in a mini-residency in Los Angeles. It all kicks off with Eötvös’s personal participation in FIERCE BEAUTY, the January 12 edition of contemporary music series Jacaranda, Music at the Edge. He’ll conduct the U.S. premiere of his ...

What the performing arts look like in Los Angeles

Dance · Music
A post-performance picture captures the youth and vigor of the performing arts in Los Angeles today. Review of the concert one post below, or click here. With Miguel Perez, Lillian Rose Barbeito, Ja-Young Jessie Kim, Merett Miller Shah, Melissa Bourkas, Hai Kai, Andrew Cowan, Andrew Wojtal and Tina Finkelman Berkett at The Walt Disney Concert ...

REVIEW: The Los Angeles Philharmonic dances! 2

Dance · Music · Reviews
A big week for dance in Los Angeles: first came the premiere of L.A. Dance Project under the direction of Benjamin Millepied. Then followed Thursday’s symphony gala celebrating what Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel called, in pre-concert remarks, “a union of the arts.” Dance shared the stage, rather marvelously, with our symphony orchestra. Grand ...

You up there in the rafters, stop chewing gum! Gustavo Dudamel conducts Mahler’s Eighth @ the Shrine

Music
We don’t have airs, we don’t have pretenses. We’re not Europe, we’re not New York. It’s the Wild West, and we like it like that. What we do have, in spades, is space. Yes, space. Room to move, grow, think, and innovate. And in our big barn of a Shrine Auditorium, with its hefty square ...