Classical Folk at Disney Hall

The Los Angeles Master Chorale presents a concert of folk music on Sun., March 29, at 7 p.m. at Disney Hall.

Forty chorus members will join voices in Bartók's "Slovak Folk Songs," Tormis' "Forgotten Peoples Cycle," Poulenc's "Chansons Francaises," Copland's "Old American Songs," and Brahms' "Zigeunerlieder." Music Director Grant Gershon and Assistant Conductor Ariel Quintana will share conducting duties.

Look for our review of this concert early next week.

Sun., March 29, 7 p.m. (pre-concert talk with Gershon and KUSC's Alan Chapman at 6 p.m.)
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012

Tickets are $19 - $124; student rush tickets available at the box office two hours before the performance.
For more information, (213) 972-7282, www.lamc.org.

Wowee, Wow, Wow!

I've got a fever. And the only prescription is more... Walken.

Thank goodness "All About Walken: The Impersonators of Christopher Walken" -- which has been developing a following for quite some time and recently ran for four performances at Theatre 68 on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood last November and December -- returns for two shows at the LA Improv (annex) on Saturday, March 28, at 8 and 10 p.m.

Created, produced and directed by Patrick O'Sullivan, this show is actually as awesome as it sounds. Nearly a dozen actors take on the Academy Award-winning actor who trained as a dancer in musical theater but has a cult following because of his fascinatingly bizarre movie roles, his turns as host of "Saturday Night Live," and, of course, his distinctive speech rhythms and pauses.

The "All About Walken" players don't just run through rote imitations; they have crafted a show that abounds with creativity and plays intelligently with Walken's famous roles, idiosyncratic speech and quirky personality. O'Sullivan and crew -- including Amy Kelly, Dionysio Basco, Kenzo Lee, Lily Holleman, Aryiel Hartman, Joe Dallo, Kate Frisbee, Naathan Phan, Pat McAleenan, Ivet Corvea, and Sascha Rasmussuen -- perform songs, improv, skits, and more. Yes, there is a cowbell, and they do the watch scene, among other favorites.

The show kicks off with O'Sullivan (in a wig that is a character on its own) as Walken doing a version of Nancy Sinatra's hit with a minor adjustment to the lyrics: "These boots were made for ME."

Amy Kelly -- yes, a woman -- does a hilarious fake commercial with Walken as spokesperson for a hygiene product. But she is also a dead ringer for Robert DeNiro in a few scenes that play on the "Taxi Driver" movie, so much so that her role as DeNiro practically overshadows her turns as Walken -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

While everyone is amazing, another woman, a wide-eyed blond named Lily Holleman, also deserves special mention for her spot-on impersonation of Walken.

It might be hard to imagine men and women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities all becoming Walken, so don't try. Go to the show instead, and get ready to laugh your boots off.

Sat., March 28, at 8 p.m., LA Improv, 8162 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles 90046.
For more information, (310) 663-4050, www.myspace.com/allaboutwalken.

The Verdi Chorus is the only ensemble in Southern California that focuses exclusively on performing choruses from opera. The group was founded by Anne Marie Ketchum in 1983 and now boasts more than 50 members and a repertoire of nearly 200 opera choruses.

On the program for the Spring Concert on March 28 and 29, are excerpts from "Maria Stuarda" and "Don Pasquale" by Donizetti, "Cavaleria Rusticana" by Mascagni, "Candide" by Leonard Bernstein, "Un Ballo in Maschera" by Verdi. The chorus will enact scenes from these operas with guest soloists Lori Ann Fuller (soprano), Hak Soo Kim (tenor), and Eugene Chan (baritone).

Sat., March 28, at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., March 29, at 4 p.m.: First United Methodist Church, 1008 11th St., Santa Monica
For more information, (310) 684-3024, www.verdichorus.org.

Photo courtesy of the Verdi Chorus

Schiff Channels Beethoven

Henry Schlinger last reviewed the LA Phil's concert with Martha Argerich.

On Wednesday, March 25, pianist András Schiff performed the next to last recital in his two-season cycle of the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas at Disney Hall. On the program were the Op. 90, Op. 101, and Op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”) sonatas, which Schiff played straight through without an intermission – that’s about an hour and a half of non-stop playing. And as if that weren’t enough, he performed two encores – the first of which wasn’t some little throw away ditty, but rather the “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Schiff’s Herculean performance was technically flawless and revealed a range of dynamics that also showed off the acoustics of Disney Hall. Unfortunately, I cringed at each pianissimo because inevitably someone would cough out loud or something would fall off someone’s lap, breaking the spell created by Schiff’s channeling of Beethoven. But even a camera’s flash and the ringing of someone’s cell phone during the “Hammerklavier” didn’t phase Schiff, who during a recital a few years ago at Disney Hall actually walked off stage after several disruptive noises, including a cane falling down some stairs. While I suppose one could quibble about aspects of his interpretations (for example, he plays some passages a little too staccato for my taste), by and large they were spot on.

The last six piano sonatas of Beethoven demonstrate the composer’s growing attraction to Handel as reflected in his increased use of the canon and fugue (in particular, in the fourth movements of Op. 101 and most notably the Op. 106). These baroque techniques are tailor-made for Schiff, who was known as a Bach expert before beginning the daunting project of performing and recording the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas in 2004. And Schiff‘s Bach prowess was clearly in evidence in the three sonatas on Wednesday’s program. He even sounded a bit more like Bach than Beethoven in his playing of the Op. 90 and Op. 101.

But with the opening notes of the Hammerklavier, Schiff was definitely Beethoven sitting at the keyboard pounding fortes (and his feet on the pedals). He clearly conveyed the immense feeling of the 14-minute second movement (Adagio sostenuto), which, in a conversation with Martin Meyer, he called “one of the peaks of Western musical history” that “affects … us in the depths of our mind and spirit.”

Schiff did not leave the stage between the first two sonatas and, following one brief trip offstage after the Op. 101, returned to his instrument and immediately launched into the “Hammerklavier,” startling those who were still talking and rustling into paying rapt attention.

His performance of the “Hammerklavier” was the stuff of legends, and despite the difficulty of the sonata, not only for the performer, but also for the listener, Schiff mesmerized the audience until the very last notes were struck.

After numerous curtain calls and loud cheers, Schiff returned to play the “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” by Bach, which he has also recorded. The Fantasy came in waves of arpeggios that made Schiff’s hands undulate across the keyboard.

Not content with just one encore, even one as difficult (and fitting) as the Bach, Schiff rewarded the audience once more with a piece designed to be the finale, this time a true ditty, Mozart’s “Adagio for Glass Harmonica.”

For many, hearing Beethoven’s later piano sonatas, especially by a performer of Schiff’s caliber in a place like Disney Hall, is a religious experience. Fortunately for us, it will happen one more time next Wednesday, April 1.

Photo courtesy of LA Phil

Striking a Chord

Theodore Bell attended Tuesday's concert at Disney Hall. His last review was the March 8 Musica Angelica concert.

Acclaimed conductor, organist and harpsichordist Harry Bicket and the English Concert joined chords with gifted American countertenor David Daniels on Tuesday, March 24, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This evening of masterworks by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel marked the latest installment in the L.A. Philharmonic Baroque Variations series.

Daniels recently teamed up with the English Concert, the world-renowned chamber orchestra of which Bicket was named artistic director in 2007, for their critically acclaimed recording of Bach cantatas and arias on Virgin Classics. Four of these works were on the program at Disney Hall, and they were every bit as precise and eloquent as the studio-produced versions – perhaps even better given the extraordinary gestural interpretation that Daniels and Bicket brought to the stage.

Though Bicket, the English Concert, and Daniels have performed these works together on many occasions, Tuesday’s concert had freshness, an unmistakable enthusiasm and a comfortable lightness of spirit.

Bach’s First Orchestral Suite (BWV 1066), which opened the program, had all of the instrumental athleticism one would expect. From his keyboard, Bicket charmed intricate melodic lines from the orchestra with large fluid motions, while enhancing each phrase with facial expressions and popping hands. The ensemble stroked the textures and hues of the suite marvelously, and the reeds gave a stellar performance.

Enter David Daniels. His superb voice quality was evident from the first syllable of “Vergnügte ruh” (BWV 170). The stratospheric pitches and even tonal quality across his range attested to his technical prowess. He is indeed a countertenor of the highest order, and in combination with the ever-changing inflection and prosodic nuance he convincingly applied, he proved to be in a class of his own. Katherina Spreckelsen’s mellow oboe d’amore blended perfectly with unison violin as they fused into a single, rich instrument trading phrases and artistically mixing with Daniels’ unique voice.

Spreckelsen was again in the foreground with her alluring warm tone, as she ably captured the plaintive, conciliatory affect of the “Qui sedes” from the B minor Mass. The interplay between the solo oboe d’amore and Daniels was memorable, but although she physically separated from the reeds for that solo, a closer proximity to Daniels and the lute would have improved the intimacy of the sound.

The Bach portion of the program closed with “Erbarme dich” (BWV 244: No. 47) from “Saint Matthew Passion.” The strings gently accompanied Daniels as he shared a soulful story of guilt and mercy. Nadja Zweiner’s violin solos and duos with Daniels were exquisite with her engaging expression and flawless flowing lines. “Erbarme dich” was profoundly beautiful, and clearly an old friend to Daniels, who had sung it years before at his M.M. Recital at the University of Michigan, and obviously many times since. His portrayal was so evocative that its emotion followed me through the intermission.

That mood was broken however, as Handel’s Concerto Grosso (Op. 6, No. 11) opened the second half of the program to recalibrate from the heady Bach to the street-wise Handel and to accommodate the smoldering psychological tension inherent in his themes.

The dramatic opening of “Ombra cara” from “Radamisto” evoked the supernatural as Daniels’ character sang to the ghost of his wife (who is actually alive). Daniels gazed into the audience as if it was a mirror, and every nuance seemed genuine as he portrayed these charged emotional states. Merging that delivery with his rarefied countertenor range and voice quality was uncannily riveting. The pianissimo string coda was particularly effective; it felt like a tender embrace.

The “Furibondo” from “Partenope” leapt from the stage. While Daniels’ dramatic manner mesmerized the eye, his mastery of baroque ornamentation and vocal bravura astonished the ear. He brilliantly peeled through Handel’s characteristic coloratura passages, engineering a fascinating sonic ride with all of the valleys, peaks, and turns that the composer demanded.

The evening closed with the mad scene from “Orlando,” in which Daniels masterfully elicited a wide range of emotions in rapid succession. Daniels again found himself portraying the insane, this time in the underworld’s mind-altered 5/4 time. He was simultaneously convincing and entertaining in this 18th-century version of March Madness.

The encore, an aria from Act 3 of “Radamisto,” was a gentle ending to the night. The harpsichord, lute, and solo cello and basso backed Daniels with a transparent accompaniment that gave opportunity for his voice to shine one more time. Bicket’s harpsichord was more pronounced than it had been throughout the evening and created their first real duo.

What a delightful experience it was to listen to the best of the baroque repertoire performed by such outstanding and unique artists – and in a venue with few equals, if any.

If you have never heard Daniels before, find a way to hear him when he returns for the Messiah at Disney Hall in December. His ticket to stardom was his beautiful countertenor, but clearly his artistic star has risen far beyond the range of his voice.

Six More Sonatas

András Schiff concludes his series of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas at Disney Hall with two recitals on Wed., March 25, and Wed., April 1.

Still left in Schiff's chronological journey are Nos. 27-32. The "Hammerklavier" (No. 29), on this week's program, is considered one of the greatest piano sonatas ever written. The final recital includes the technically demanding No. 32.

Schiff, quoted in publicity materials from the LA Phil, said of the last concerts: “In all six sonatas of the last period there are moments, and sometimes even whole movements, that subvert the music’s seriousness, and show us what you could call the composer’s humorously angry or playfully improvisatory side.”

Wed., March 25, 8 pm: Beethoven Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90; No.28 in A, Op. 101; and No. 29 in B-flat, Op. 106, “Hammerklavier.” (no intermission)

Wed., April 1, 8 pm: Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109; No. 31 in A-flat, Op. 110; and No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111. (no intermission)

Tickets are $17-$92. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification required, one ticket per person, cash only.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000, www.laphil.com

Rock Me, Amadeus

People have always looked forward with excitement to a new release from the latest hot musician -- even in the 18th century with Mozart at the piano. In that sense, classical was no different than contemporary rock. Perhaps Falco said it best when he sang, "Come on and rock me, Amadeus."

More than 200 years later, you can still hear Mozart performed probably any weekend you choose, but how many music fans do you know flocking to hear the latest works of contemporary classical composers? Did you even know there are a lot of them? Well, there are, and Southern California’s Mark Carlson, founder and artistic director of Pacific Serenades, is one.

Carlson has personally received more than 40 commissions . And he’s obviously a champion of new music: By the end of this season, Carlson will have commissioned and premiered 94 works from 51 different composers with the chamber music ensemble he founded in 1982.

Pacific Serenades’ latest world premiere -- to be presented March 21, 22 and 24 -- is a composition by Carlson called “View From a Hilltop,” a piece for clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello and piano (no flute, though that is Carlson’s instrument) that is all about family and friends. He was commissioned by extended family members (owners of Leavens Ranches in Ventura County) to write the piece in honor of his 81-year-old aunt. And longtime Pacific Serenades musicians/friends will perform. Clarinetist Gary Gray has been with the group since 1987, violinist Roger Wilkie since 1988, cellist David Speltz since 1989. Pianist Joanne Pearce Martin has been on the board for 15 years.

In the tradition of the ensemble’s programming classics from the chamber music repertoire along with new works, the “Music Among Friends” concert will include Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A Minor, Op. 114, and Ravel’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano.”

Get out there and experience Carlson’s new release. You can say you knew him when…

Sat., March 21, 8 p.m.: private home in Tarzana ($55)
Sun., March 22, 4 p.m.: Neighborhood Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena ($32). The Gamble House, next door to the church, offers a discounted tour at $8/person to Pacific Serenades patrons on concert dates only. One-hour tours begin promptly at 2 and at 2:40 pm. Reservations are required at least 48 hours in advance of the concert date by calling (626) 793-3334, ext. 16.
Tues., March 24, 8 p.m.: UCLA Faculty Center, 405 N. Hilgard Ave., on the UCLA campus in Westwood ($32). Parking is available for $9 in Lot 2. Pacific Serenades patrons can dine at the UCLA Faculty Center prior to the concert. Reservations can be made by calling (310) 825-0877.

Student tickets available for $5 March 22 and 24.
For more information, (213) 534-3434, www.pacser.org.

Musica Angelica

Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra’s next concert features Sacred Lenten music written in the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries by such composers as Gaspar Fernandes, Hernando Franco, Francisco Lopez y Capillas, and Juan de Lienas as well as an anonymous 16th-century Missa written in Brazil and a St. Matthew Passion written in 17th- century Mexico.

Featured soloists from the award-winning Concord Ensemble include Paul Flight (3/21) and Daniel Roihl (3/22), countertenors; Pablo Corá and N. Lincoln Hanks, tenors; Shawn Kirchner, baritone; and Aaron Cain and Scott Graff, bass-baritones.

Sat., March 21, 8 p.m.: Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
Sun., March 22, 7 p.m.: First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, 1008 11th St., Santa Monica

Tickets are $39.
For more information, (310) 458-4504 , www.MusicaAngelica.org.

A Legendary Pianist, an Energetic Conductor and a Great Orchestra

Guest Contributor Henry Schlinger reviewed the March 15 concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

In what certainly can be described as a rare treat, the legendary Argentinian pianist, Martha Argerich, performed the Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by the young Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in a series of concerts March 12-15.

I’ve always thought it would be interesting to attend each of the four concerts over a weekend to see whether and how the soloist, conductor and orchestra change over the course of the concerts, especially as they become accustomed to the acoustically sensitive and tricky Disney Hall and to each other. I don’t know how the first three concerts were, but Sunday’s showed a legendary pianist, an energetic conductor, and a great orchestra all in almost perfect sync.

I have looked forward to hearing Argerich in person for a long time. And what better work to hear her perform than the Ravel, which has become a signature piece for her since she first recorded it with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic in 1967. In the ensuing 40+ years, Argerich has lost none of her pizzazz at the keyboard. She handled the lengthy trills, especially in the slow movement (Adagio assai), with precision; and she beautifully rendered the elegant simplicity of that movement. In the Allegramente and in the Presto, Argerich’s hands danced over the keyboard with the youthfulness of the 26-year-old she was in 1967. She dazzled the audience with her technique and artistry, bringing them to their feet as soon as the last notes sounded.

Argerich was brought back onstage for an encore and was joined by Nézet-Séguin in a piano four-hands version of the last movement (“Le Jardin Feerique”) of Ravel’s ballet for orchestra “Ma Mère l'Oye” (Mother Goose). Only a pianist of Argerich’s stature and confidence could share the spotlight of an encore with someone else at the piano. But, then again, she has been sharing the spotlight with talented conductors, such as Abbado and former husband Charles Dutoit, her entire career. Nézet-Séguin held his own, covering much of the keyboard while Argerich handled the melody at the upper end.

Sunday’s audience was then treated to a second encore with Argerich playing the “Mazurka Op. 24, No. 2, C Major” by Chopin. After that, she finally had to take Concertmaster Martin Chalifour’s hand and lead the orchestra offstage to silence the audience’s clapping and screaming.

The concert opened with a performance of “La Valse” by Ravel, a symphonic poem whose composition was interrupted by World War I during which Ravel served as an ambulance driver. “La Valse” was originally titled “Vien” (Vienna) and was supposed to be a tribute to that great city and the waltzes so intimately associated with it. But Ravel’s experience in the war probably changed his vision of it. According to composer George Benjamin, “Whether or not it was intended as a metaphor for the predicament of European civilization in the aftermath of the Great War, its one-movement design plots the birth, decay and destruction of a musical genre: the waltz.” Still, “La Valse,” a series of waltzes from the tender to the raucous, is richly and expertly orchestrated as one would expect from Ravel.

The concert concluded with a stirring performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, a work composed in 1937 and described by the composer as “a Soviet artist's reply to just criticism,” referring to Stalin's displeasure with his opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.” Politics aside, the Fifth Symphony in D minor (the key of Beethoven's Ninth and many other great symphonies) stands on its own as pure music. And as such, it has remained his most popular work.

In all three works, the 34-year-old Nézet-Séguin, who is artistic director and principal conductor of Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montreal and was recently named music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, showed why he is a rising star. His conducting was so expressive that if one was unfamiliar with any of the pieces on the program, they could have simply watched him to see what instruments or sections were supposed to play and with what dynamics. Nézet-Séguin led the orchestra with precise control through the full range of dynamics from the quietest pianissimos to the loudest fortissimos.

At the conclusion of the Shostakovich, the audience again rose to their feet, hollering not only for Nézet-Séguin, but for the orchestra that the Angelenos in attendance clearly cherish.

ArtNight Pasadena

Friday, March 13, is ArtNight Pasadena, when the city gets into full party mode with 14 cultural venues offering free admission and performances. The world-class Norton Simon Museum, the lively Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena Jazz Institute, Pasadena City College and Art Center College of Design are among the many options. Local restaurants offer special treats as well. 

Start at City Hall, the gorgeous 1927 California Mediterranean structure designed by Bakewell and Brown, where you can enjoy some music before jumping on the free shuttles that circulate the ArtNight route. This arts extravaganza happens twice a year, in the fall and spring. The fall '08 event brought in 14,000 people, so plan accordingly. For more information, visit artnightpasadena.org.

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center offers a day of music, theater and more on Saturday, March 13. For information on that event, visit www.playhousedistrict.org.

Beautiful Baroque

Guest contributor Theodore Bell reviewed Musica Angelica’s March 8 concert. He is a flutist and composer, and a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Music and the UCLA Doctoral Program in Psychology.

Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra lived up to its ever-broadening reputation, as guest conductor and noted violinist Ilia Korol (who took Music Director Martin Haselböck’s place) and cellist Phoebe Carrai joined strings to create a timeless afternoon of musical delights this past weekend. The March 8 program, titled “Italian and French Masters,” featured music by Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Marie Leclair, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

When concertmaster Korol joined the musicians on stage and the strings found their traditional pitch, the very special timbre from the soloists’ instruments was immediately evident. My vantage was superb, and the acoustic properties of UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall were adequate for the small ensemble, although not ideal.

The program opened with the Italians represented by Albinoni’s Concerto Grosso (Op. 10, No. 11). Korol capably conducted the ensemble, capturing every nuance of the score. The energetic Albinoni splashed like a sonic aperitif that gave the ensemble opportunity to find a comfortable unity of spirit that would carry through the concert. Initially the sectional players occasionally overwhelmed Korol, and the violas found it difficult to be heard, but they found their target and ended in an extraordinarily precise unison.

Cellist Carrai brought to bear her international reputation as a performer, recording artist, and scholar as well. Vivaldi’s Concerto in b minor for Violoncello, Strings and Basso Continuo is less often performed, but what a pleasure to hear it played by such competent hands. Her articulation was understated but still lively, complementing her artful phrasing and on-target tempos. Her instrument sang gloriously.

Carrai’s intense interpretation and exuberant manner skillfully contrasted lively, happy themes with interludes of quiet introspection. She was emotionally engaging, constantly teasing the attention. The Largo presented with a wonderful lyrical theme, and the depth of this soulful and heartfelt rendition was truly moving. The Allegro was blinding in its speed; a few uncharacteristic harmonics inevitably attested to the blazing motifs flying from her fingers. It felt like she was relaying something important, while attempting not to alarm. The breadth of virtuosity and sensibility produced a warm, graceful gravitas.

The irrepressible joy of melody, as only Vivaldi, Il Prete Rosso (The Red Priest), could score, was brought to life as the nucleus of the program and embodied in the two violin concerti (RV 149, 158), each with its own unique character. Both featured a three-movement allegro-andante-allegro form – a tiramisu for the ears! I anticipated boredom from the two of them back-to-back, but how wrong I was. The contrasting punctate opening motif and complementary flowing melodies of the G Major were a treat. Korol’s lyric solo over a light pizzicato orchestration was a wonderful ending to the Italian program, and a clear demarcation to the rich French style to follow. Korol brought the full range of his expressive talents to the performance. With his mastery of baroque interpretation, Korol is singularly capable of bringing to life the string virtuosity of the composer – and he pulled it off flawlessly.

The choice of Leclair’s Concerto for Violin (Op. 10, No. 6) in G Minor was effective, like a carefully selected French vintage. Bravi to the organizers of the program! Leclair’s excitement of returning to Paris is evident in Opus 10, and Korol’s inspired lyricism and virtuosity brought Leclair’s mature “forty-something” exuberance en vie. His virtuosity was apparently effortless and mind-boggling in its precision. The various duos with the other members of the ensemble were mesmerizing and left the listener with a complex, lingering sweetness.

The conclusion for the evening was a lovely Charpentier suite in d minor: Concert pour les Violes. Charpentier’s brilliance as a musician and scholar shined through this work. The violins blended beautifully, but each was able to exert its own unmistakable personality to the counterpoint. The ensemble performed with impeccable attention to detail, from their approach to the trills to the ever-present dynamic contrasts.

The Préludes formed a complementary pair, the first lush and full, the second quick and light; a listener cannot resist inviting these charming tunes into the psyche to linger long after the concert has ended. The Sarabande was almost arrhythmic in its feel, but the contrasting gigue Angloise incited a kinetic reaction throughout the audience. Alas, the suite (and the evening) came to a close with a beautiful Passacaille.

The performers graced us with a much-warranted encore. The Passacaille served the purpose; it was even better the second time around. Korol was beautifully animated, and the blend and surety of the instruments were even better projected than in the initial playing.

The evening was a timeless respite from our modern times. Musica Angelica continued its record of providing Southern California with masterworks more and less known, authentically performed with scholarly virtuosity, in an intriguing program obviously crafted as an art itself. What a joy. Were my expectations unreasonably high? Yes. Were they met? Oh yes!

Photo from previous performance / courtesy of Musica Angelica

1950s 'Shrew'

"The Taming of the Shrew" opens at A Noise Within tonight. Shakespeare's comedy about love, marriage and relationships gets a 1950s Italian spin, with music by crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett helping to set the mood.

The production, directed by co-founder/artistic director Geoff Elliott, will feature Allegra Fulton (Katherine), Steve Weingartner (Petruchio), Apollo Dukakis (Baptista), Alan Blumenfeld (Grumio) and Tom Fitzpatrick (Gremio).

Founded in 1991 by Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, A Noise Within is the only classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the country dedicated solely to producing classical drama from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams. The company has produced more than 120 plays and earned 26 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

Sat., March 7, 8 pm
Sun., March 8, 2 and 7 pm
Wed., March 25, 8 pm
Thurs., March 26, 8 pm
Fri., March 27, 8 pm
Sat., March 28, 2 and 8 pm
Wed., April 22, 8 pm
Thurs., April 23, 8 pm
Fri., April 24, 8 pm
Sun., May 3, 2 and 7 pm
Wed., May 6, 8 pm
Thursday, May 7, 8 pm
Sat., May 16, 2 and 8 pm
Sunday, May 17, 2 and 7 pm

Tickets: $44 (Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday matinees), $40 (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, Saturday matinees)

A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale 91204.
For more information: (818) 240-0910, ext. 1, www.ANoiseWithin.org.

Up next at A Noise Within... Ibsen's "Ghosts" runs Sat., March 21, through Sat., May 9.

Classical Choices This Weekend

Southwest Chamber Music's program on Saturday, March 7, and Monday, March 9, includes music by two Americans and a Czech composer who influenced music on the other side of the globe.

Wadada Leo Smith's String Quartet No. 3, "Black Church,"
Charles Ives' String Quartet No. 1, “From the Salvation Army"
Dvořák’s Quintet in A Major for Piano and Strings

Smith's String Quartet No. 3, "Black Church," is a lyrical blues-spiritual composition with references to West African drumming ensembles. Smith, a trumpeter, composer and Cal Arts educator, is well-known for his contributions to jazz and world music.

Quintessential American composer and New England native Ives was often inspired by hymns and patriotic songs. He wrote String Quartet No. 1, “From the Salvation Army,” in 1896.

The concert ends with Dvořák’s Quintet in A Major for Piano and Strings, which celebrates Czech nationalism.

Sat., March 7, 8 pm, (pre-concert talk with Artistic Director Jeff von der Schmidt at 7:30):
Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena 91103.

Mon., March 9, 8 pm, (pre-concert talk with Artistic Director Jeff von der Schmidt at 7:30):
Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012.

Tickets: $38 (General), $28 (Senior), $10 (Student w/ID)
For more information: (800) 726-7147, www.swmusic.org.


Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra presents a concert of Italian and French masters: Albinoni, Vivaldi, Leclair and Charpentier. Ilia Korol, concertmaster of Musica Antiqua Cologne, the Bach Ensemble and Spanish Baroque Orchestra, will be the guest conductor, and cellist Phoebe Carrai, director of the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra, will appear as soloist.

The program has changed since the concert was announced and will include:
Albinoni: Concerto Grosso, Op. 10, No. 11
Vivaldi: Concerto in B Minor for Violoncello, Strings and Basso Continuo
Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in G Major, RV 149
Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in A Major, RV 158
Leclair: Concerto for Violin Op. 10, No. 6 in G Minor
Charpentier: Suite in D Minor, Concert pour les Violes

Sat., March 7, 8 pm: Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
Sun., March 8, 4 pm: Schoenberg Hall on the UCLA campus (near the Westholme entrance).
Tickets: $39 to $55, students $15
For more information: (310) 458-4504, www.MusicaAngelica.org.

Look for our review of this concert early next week!

Vienna Nights

Guest contributor Henry Schlinger reviewed the Vienna Philharmonic's March 3 and 4 concerts at Disney Hall. He is a musician and classical music aficionado.

After several curtain calls following a glorious performance of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony by the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra at Disney Hall on Tuesday night, the conductor, Zubin Mehta, held up his hand to quiet the cheering audience and told them that he had dreamt of playing for them with the Vienna Philharmonic since 1962.

In two different concerts on consecutive nights this past week, Mehta led the renowned orchestra in programs whose highlights were two great ninth symphonies by composers who lived in Vienna: Anton Bruckner who had moved there relatively late in his life, and Franz Schubert who was born and who died there.

The signature piece on Tuesday night was the Symphony No. 9 by Bruckner in D minor. With the exception of a couple of missed notes in the horns -- unfortunately at the worst possible time at the end of the Adagio when the horns must hold a high F# pianissimo for the final four measures -- the orchestra played flawlessly. The tempo in Scherzo was a bit slow for my taste (even slower than Carlo Maria Giulini’s 1989 performance with this same ensemble on Deutsche Grammophon), but not so slow that it really mattered.

For me, it is difficult to comment critically on the performance because I am a Brucknerd, and like most Brucknerds, the chance to hear the Ninth performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta in Disney Hall is as close as it gets to a religious experience. That the symphony has that effect isn’t entirely accidental as Bruckner, who had grown up as a church organist and who had composed a fair amount of sacred music, wrote music to carry the listener away. Of course, I wasn’t the only Brucknerd in attendance on Tuesday night. You could tell some of them from the way they were moving to the pile-driving rhythms during the Ninth Symphony’s Scherzo.

The programming of the first half of the concert, which included Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade and four songs by Joseph Marx, however, was puzzling. Although the performances were fine, compared to the drama and grandiosity of the Ninth they seemed insignificant. But maybe that was the point: not to make too many demands on the audience in preparation for the Bruckner.

Wednesday night’s concert was more balanced. The first half contained a stirring performance of Wagner’s "Rienzi" overture, followed by a fine reading of the Chopin Second Piano Concerto in F Minor with Lang Lang as the soloist, with the second half devoted to another “great” ninth symphony, that of Franz Schubert.

At 27 years of age, Lang Lang has already been a superstar for several years, and in the Chopin, he displayed the technical wizardry and flair that earned him that reputation, though perhaps to a fault. To be fair, however, he showed that he could also play with delicacy, especially in the Larghetto.

Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic’s performance of the Schubert was exactly what one would expect and want from the orchestra of the composer’s hometown. The performance was tight from the opening horns to the final sforzando diminuendo. Mehta often showed his pleasure with the orchestra’s playing with smiles; he clearly enjoyed their performance as much as the audience did.

But let’s be real, even with Lang Lang on the program, the real stars were Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic. In case you didn’t already know, Los Angeles classical music fans love their favorite son, Zubin Mehta, who was Music Director of the LA Phil between 1962 and 1978, and was named Honorary Conductor of both the LA Phil and the Vienna Philharmonic. He’s the only conductor I’ve ever seen who elicits cheers and bravos from an audience when he walks out on stage even before he lifts his baton. But he clearly feels at home here, and this week, like a man bringing his lover home to meet his family for the first time, Mehta brought this orchestra home to meet his family in LA.

‘Frost/Nixon’ Live

If you saw Ron Howard’s Oscar-nominated film, “Frost/Nixon,” you know what a dramatic duel of words and wit David Frost’s 1977 television interviews with President Richard Nixon were. Now, Center Theatre Group gives LA the chance to see the play on which that movie was based and experience the optimal format for this battle of wills. “Frost/Nixon” runs March 12-29 (preview March 11) at the Ahmanson Theatre.

Olivier Award-winning director Michael Grandage, who directed Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in the original London production of Peter Morgan’s 2006 play, comes to the downtown LA stage with a cast of 10, including Alan Cox and Stacy Keach in the respective title roles. Morgan, who wrote the screenplay for Howard’s film, was also the screenwriter for films such as “The Queen” and “The Last King of Scotland.” “Frost/Nixon,” his first play, received three Tony nominations (best play, direction and actor) and won one (Frank Langella as Nixon).

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012, (213) 628-2772, www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Photo by Carol Rosegg/Courtesy of CTG: Alan Cox as Frost and Stacy Keach as Nixon

Kirk Douglas and His Namesake Theater

Not since the grand opening in 2004 of Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre has the man it’s named for graced its stage. Since he didn’t perform that time, CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie has been waiting for Douglas’ return to the Culver City venue. That wish has finally been fulfilled, as the 92-year-old Hollywood legend will perform a new one-man show about his life, “Before I Forget,” directed by Jeff Kanew. Douglas has plenty of interesting material, which he has explored in a few autobiographies, starting with 1988’s “The Ragman’s Son.” Born in New York to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Douglas worked his way out of his familial poverty to become an Academy Award-nominated screen star with work in such films as “Champion,” “The Bad and the Beautiful,” and “Lust for Life,” as well as other classics like “Spartacus.” Douglas’ most recent memoir, “Let's Face it: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning,” was published in 2007.

Performances will be on Fridays, March 6 and 13, at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, March 8 and 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25.

“Before I Forget” is part of DouglasPlus, a series of theater events including readings and other minimally staged shows. A family show called “Darwin” on Saturday, March 14, at 10:30 am and 2 pm will feature the adventures of a scientist and his creation, “an electro-luminescent wire dinosaur” named after the English naturalist whose 200th birthday (Feb. 12) is being celebrated across the world. This hybrid of theater, puppetry, music and dance created by Corbin Popp and Ian Carney is free to Culver City residents (all others $20). Next up is Mike Daisey’s monologue, “How Theater Failed America" March 18-21, followed by Michael Sargent and Bart DeLorenzo's world-premiere play “The Projectionist” March 26-28 and April 2-3, and then Matt Sax and Eric Rosen’s “Venice,” a hip-hop musical loosely based on “Othello.” Tickets to each of those shows are $20.

Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232, (213) 628-2772, www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. The theater also has a great Lounge (with a full bar and food) that becomes a post-performance hang-out with DJs spinning tunes on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Photo courtesy of CTG

Surreal 'Ring'

LA Opera’s “Das Rheingold” brings a number of unusual references – try Dali and Picasso, Fellini, and “Hellraiser” on for size – to the 19th-century Wagner opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

With this first installment in the company’s historic foray into Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle, director and designer Achim Freyer introduces a surreal motif that sets the stage for three more productions that will continue the story about a magic ring that grants its bearer dominion over a fantastic world of dwarfs, giants, gods and mortals.

Freyer, a renowned artist known for provocative work in European theater, opera and visual arts, made his LA Opera debut in 2002 with Bach’s “B Minor Mass” – which got boos from the audience, at least partly because that piece is not usually staged in theatrical fashion – and returned in 2003 with a production of “La Damnation de Faust.”

In his dream/nightmare vision of “Das Rheingold,” Freia and the Rhinemaidens have bloody-looking red mouths and bald white heads, reminiscent of demons from a horror film. In the beginning, they float ominously with their mirror images in the flowing waters of the Rhine River, created of billowing fabric agitated by people underneath.

In general, the characters seem somewhat abstract and rarely move about the stage or seem to interact with each other. The gods, Wotan, Fricka, et al, wear costumes seemingly inspired by "Hellraiser," and stand behind Dali- and Picasso-like cut-outs that serve as both set design and costume, emphasizing the sense that Freyer (and co-costume designer daughter Amanda Freyer) has created a live painting on stage. (Fricka’s long fake arms actually recalled a character in the surreal “fishy, fishy” scene in Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life.”)

Unfortunately, baritone Gordon Hawkins, as Alberich, is hidden inside a huge dwarf head the entire evening. The costume may be interesting, but it distances the character from the audience.

Loge, played by Arnold Bezuyen, received the most applause at the curtain calls, perhaps because he moves, looks and acts more naturally as the Joker- and devil-inspired demi-god with a red, flame-like costume and four arms.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg; the visual circus grows to vast proportions, as if an impossible number of clowns keep stepping out of a tiny vehicle. There is too much going on at any one time: There are projections of colored bands or swirling rings on a scrim that remains between the stage and audience (created with co-lighting designer Brian Gale), light sabers and giant hands, and even a parade of bizarre circus characters near the end of the opera.

Freyer undoubtedly wanted to create a spectacle worthy of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. It is, after all, the biggest work in Western music, consisting of four operas totaling about 15 hours, and making it the most ambitious project – both financially and artistically – that an opera company can undertake.

While Freyer’s style sometimes dazzles, it also distracts from Wagner’s music, which was sung marvelously by all the cast, performed wonderfully as always by the orchestra, and conducted as passionately as ever by Music Director James Conlon.

It’s not a fait accompli that an elaborate and visually lavish production will overpower the music and libretto. For instance, LA Opera’s last show, “The Magic Flute,” was a fabulous success, drawing ooh and aahs from the crowd.

Even so, it is always exciting to see new work, and this “Das Rheingold” is something creative enough to draw new audiences from beyond the opera circle – lovers of fantasy and sci-fi and artists of all sorts – as long as people are still shelling out for entertainment in this economy.

And speaking of the economy, by the time all is said and done – including next month’s “Die Walkure,” next season’s “Siegfried” and “Gotterdammerung,” and the presentation of all four operas consecutively in 2010 – the cost is expected to reach $32 million. LA knows it is lucky to have such generous patrons of the arts, like Margaret and David Barry, Dr. Armin and Barbara Sadoff, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. When those names were projected on the supertitles screen, there was plenty of applause. The Broads donated $6 million, and, without them – let’s face it – there might not be much of an art scene in LA.

You have to hand it to General Director Placido Domingo and Conlon for dreaming big and aiming to put LA Opera on the world map. As Conlon once said, “I want to see LA Opera become a hub of Wagnerian activity in the coming years so as to instill our audience, and especially our young people, with a thirst for this fantastic mix of glorious music theater, the world of myth and human relationships.”

Thousands of opera fans travel to take in every new production of the epic series. It will be fascinating to see the global response to this one.

Photo by Monika Rittershaus/Courtesy of LA Opera: Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan), Gordon Hawkins (Alberich), and Arnold Bezuyen (Loge)