Rosie, her cat Buttermilk, and her creator Maurice Sendak, at Skirball Center 2
Apr
28
2024
Maurice Sendak, Rosie and Buttermilk, her Cat , character studies for Really Rosie animation,1973, watercolor and ink on paper, 13 ¾ x 15 5/8”©The Maurice Sendak Foundation Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) is much known as the artist/creator of acclaimed children’s books Where the Wild Things Are (1963), In the Night Kitchen (1970), and Outside Over There ...
artsmeme to abraham: let’s talk ‘requiem: fire in the air of the earth’!
Feb
17
2023
Kyle Abraham | Credit: Peter Hönnemann artsmeme founder debra levine recently enjoyed a zoom conversation with the very talented kyle abraham, who has been a choreographer ‘du-moment’ for nearly 15 years. this interview was commissioned, and first published, by the soraya, where a.i.m. by kyle abraham will perform his ‘requiem: fire at the center of the ...
Hélène Grimaud, with Wild Up & wild wolves 2
Jan
16
2023
Ed. note: This story by Debra Levine, commissioned and published by the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for the Arts, is reprinted with permission. As a child growing up in Aix-En-Provence, the French-born piano virtuoso, Hélène Grimaud, was rambunctious. Her parents, both professors, clambered to channel her energy. Lessons in martial arts, tennis, and ballet ...
‘Mozart of Modern Dance’ visits Santa Monica’s Broad Stage
Jun
1
2022
It is problematic calling yourself “the Mozart of …” anything. And yet, that’s how the choreographer Mark Morris, in his press materials, chooses to frame his creativity — as the “Mozart of Modern Dance.” Morris, 65, whose 42-year-old Mark Morris Dance Group will present four performances of his 2006 creation, “Mozart Dances,” at Santa Monica’s ...
1791 was a very good year, says the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Aug
6
2017
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 ...
Mozart’s magic to mend regrettable U.S.-Cuban cultural rift
Jan
19
2017
A truly inspirational story on the cusp of Inauguration Day comes from Sony Classical music. It’s a new album release, April 21, by pianist Simone Dinnerstein playing Mozart concerti with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra. In June, the Orchestra will also make its American debut in a series of concerts, the first time an orchestra of ...
Classical audacity at The Broad
There are three extraordinary opportunities to experience daring, innovative classical music at The Broad Stage this fall. First, the Isango Ensemble of South Africa re-imagines Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Then the local, stellar, Calder Quartet will perform twice, once with soprano Yulia Van Doran and then with film composer Bear Mcreary. The best Mozart operas ...
Mozart @ 18 in Glyndbourne’s “La Finta”
Haven’t heard of La Finta? Not to worry, few people have. Written when the composer was but 18 years old and very (very) rarely performed, the anonymous text is primarily to blame: The Podesta (Mayor) is in love with his new gardener Sadrina, which is too bad for the servant Serpetta who more than fancies ...
ENO ‘Cosi’ conjured at Coney Island
How do you solve a problem like Cosi — Mozart’s Job-like musical glory of messing with the minds of two women on a bet, just to prove that they’re “like that”? In the words of Peter Sellars, prior to his revisionist diner production more than twenty years ago: “Is this the most offensive anti-feminist opera ...
Coens recycle musical rivalries in “Inside Llewyn Davis”
The closing moments of the Coen Bros “Llewyn Davis” distinctly refer to a struggle between two artistic strivers; the rapidly imploding and unsuccessful Llewlyn, a fictional character, eclipsed by a real-life rival who burned brighter — Bob Dylan. The film also hearkens an earlier aristic rivalry between a bright star and a perpetual under dog: ...