In today’s Orange County Register online, I review last night’s performance by the Pacific Chorale of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” with Eric Owens in the title role.
Click here to read my review, or pick up a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper.
‘Rite’ Jones
I got an announcement in my email yesterday (Friday) that the Deutsche Grammophon and Decca labels will band together in celebration of the 100th anniversary of “The Rite of Spring” (or, as it is invariably known in the higher intellectual circles here in O.C., Le sacre du printemps) to release a 20-CD box set “including every version in their respective catalogs” of the epic work. The recordings date from 1946-2010.
There’s no word on the number of “Rites” that’ll amount to, but they could easily fit 40 on 20 CDs. It’s supposed to be released before the end of 2012.
I also can’t name all of the recordings that will be included in the set, not being that complete of a “Rite” nerd, but surely we’ll get performances conducted by Ansermet, Monteux, Dorati, Karajan, Ozawa, Markevitch(?), Solti, Maazel, Dutoit, Boulez, Bernstein … who else? I don’t think we’ll get Muti (whose fantastic recording is on EMI) or Stravinsky (who recorded with CBS).
I have to admit I think the set is a bit much. There are limits to comparing interpretations, I believe. Nevertheless, I want it.
John Alexander: 40 years with the Pacific Chorale
In today’s Orange County Register online, I interview John Alexander, who begins his 41st season as conductor of the Pacific Chorale on Sunday performing Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” with Eric Owens in the title role.
Click here to read my article, or pick up a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper.
Parker Quartet performs Pärt, Britten and Beethoven
In today’s Orange County Register online, I review last night’s concert by the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet.
Click here to read my review, or pick up a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper.
Conrad Tao performs with Pacific Symphony
In today’s Orange County Register online, I review last night’s Pacific Symphony concert with conductor Carl St.Clair, pianist Conrad Tao and a slate of standards.
Click here to read my review, or pick up a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper.
Lebrecht notes Mangan’s comeback
My return to the classical realm has been noted by none other than Norman Lebrecht on his Slipped Disc blog at the Arts Journal.
The post includes a photo of the formerly bearded me with Tim Page. Thanks, Norman.
Last item
From today’s Orange County Register online, and tomorrow’s print version, Page 2:
Last item
It has been our pleasure to serve you as the ruthless people columnist these past two-plus years, but as a philosopher once said, “All bad things must come to an end.”
Today is our (as in Timothy Mangan’s) last celebrity column. We will be returning to our first love, reporting on and reviewing classical music, elsewhere in these pages. Someone less cranky will take over here.
It’s not that we don’t love celebrities. You, dear reader, know that we do. Oh, the times that we’ve had.
We’d like to thank those readers (Mom) who dropped us a note saying how much you enjoyed these columns.
We’d also like to thank those readers who told us they hated the column. But we can’t.
Don’t be sad. We’ll all get over it. Then we’ll die.
Besides, we’ll always have Lindsay, the “Herbie Fully Loaded” star, who starred as Liz not Dick.
-30-
[Champagne tonight.]
Dudamel’s Mahler’s 8th
“If it doesn’t sweep the Grammys in every eligible category, I’ll eat all the Mahler recordings in my collection.” — Sedgwick Clark, Musical America
Read the whole thing here.
Editor’s note
Despite appearances, I am not yet back full-time on the classical music beat. Some of you have been asking.
I carved out some time from the celebrity column and got a sub to write it in order to do my three most recent reviews.
But I’m still on celebs for now, and am missing a lot of stuff I’d like to cover. I have no ETA for my re-assignment back to classical, but it should happen soon-ish, and I’ll let you all know. If I haven’t drunk too much champagne to do so, that is.
Support Classical Life
Classical Life
Classical Life 