Visual Spectacles: From Mozart to Gorey

LA Opera's "The Magic Flute," which ended yesterday, transported audiences to an awe-inspiring place of imagination. Beyond Mozart's glorious music and some outstanding voices and performances, the audience was oohing and aahing at Gerald Scarfe's designs: the giant serpent menacing Tamino in the beginning scene; the fanciful, cartoon-like dinosaurs, lions and other creatures; the Queen of the Night with a silver face and curlicue black and purple gown suspended above the stage; the delightful flying bird ship with three cherubic young singers guiding Tamino in his quest to find Pamina; and on and on.

Experience another creative escape from the real world, albeit of a very different sort, when The Edwardian Ball comes to downtown LA's 1927 Tower Theater. A fixture in San Francisco for the past nine years, the Ball comes to LA for the first time on Jan. 31, presented by co-creators Rosin Coven and Vau de Vire Society with LA's own Cirque Berzerk. It brings the tales of American writer/illustrator Edward Gorey to the stage, along with original music, a live band, ballroom dance, and other entertainment. Gorey is the artist, with a macabre bent and a cult following, behind such books as "Gashlycrumb Tinies" and the opening animation of PBS's "Mystery."

The goth and cabaret-inspired Cirque Berzerk will undoubtedly make a fascinating addition to The Edwardian Ball. The troupe of talented trapeze artists, contortionists, stiltwalkers and fire dancers performed a mesmerizing, inventive, sexy and athletic Big Top show at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown last summer.

Circus acts, DJs and an absinthe bar obviously make The Edwardian Ball a very different experience than the opera, and it's doubtful that many operagoers will be flocking to the Tower Theater, but it's interesting to note how LA Opera's "The Magic Flute" and The Edwardian Ball both involve popular illustrators, theatrical artistry and wild imagination.

Doors open and show begins at 8 pm, and all ages are welcome. Costumed attire is encouraged. General admission tickets cost $25, and a limited amount of $75 VIP tickets are available that include reserved balcony seating and hosted absinthe bar, courtesy of Obsello Absinthe (21+ only).

Venue: Tower Theater, 802 S. Broadway, 90014, (213) 629-2939 or www.towertheaterla.com. Tickets and info: www.edwardianball.com.
(photo by Neil Girling/www.theblight.net)

A Closer Look at Gustavo Dudamel

I'm adding a post from a guest contributor. Yesterday, when Gustavo Dudamel appeared at Disney Hall, classical music aficionado Henry Schlinger used the occasion to write down some of his thoughts on the maestro.


Los Angeles rolled the red carpet out today, but it wasn’t for any of the usual suspects. No, the red carpet was rolled out for the new music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel. The hype over the past several months surrounding Dudamel’s succession to the L.A. Phil throne has been nothing short of, well, hype.

The question is whether a 27-year-old, relatively unknown (until his appointment as the L.A Phil music director) kid from Venezuela is everything he’s been touted as being.

Well, from what I’ve seen so far, the answer is an unequivocal “yes.”

I’ve now attended three concerts in which Dudamel conducted the L.A. Phil. The major works on those concerts were the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, and Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. Each of these pieces is in its own way very challenging: the Berlioz because, well, it’s Berlioz; the Beethoven because it is popular and performed often; and the Strauss because it is rarely performed, scored for a huge orchestra, and almost an hour long.

Was the 27-year-old up to the challenge of conducting these works?

In a word—absolutely.

Impressively, Dudamel conducted these works without a score. I’ve seen many much older and more seasoned conductors unable to conduct the Beethoven and Berlioz works without scores. In talking about whether Dudamel would use a score for the Strauss prior to the performance, I guessed that he would because the piece is played so rarely and it is so complex. When he bounced onto the stage and climbed onto the scoreless podium, I sat in disbelief and remained that way during the entire stirring performance.

In every piece I have seen him conduct, Dudamel was in total command of the orchestra, swaying, singing and smiling as they played seemingly only for him. When he is on the podium, he conducts like someone much older and more experienced. Off the podium, however, Dudamel seems more his age. In fact, during his brief time in L.A., Dudamel has been like a kid in a candy store. He seems not to fully comprehend the attention he has received and so far maintains a youthful innocence and honesty.

One might figure that anyone who has had as many accolades heaped on him as Dudamel has would become cocky. But I have never witnessed a more humble conductor than Dudamel. I have yet to see him take a bow for himself; rather he steps down from the podium and stands with the orchestra during the audience applause. When called back onto the stage by cheers, whoops, hollers, and whistles, he has not climbed back on the podium and taken a bow, but again has stood with the orchestra. At the conclusion of one piece that featured a soloist, Dudamel stood deferentially behind the soloist clapping. When pianist Simon Trpceski was called back for an encore after performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a concert last March, Dudamel, who was still on stage, sat down on the podium to listen. It was spontaneous and informal, but very powerful.

As if Dudamel’s musical prowess isn’t enough (which it is), his humility and modesty has won over this fan, and any doubts I had about the L.A. Phil’s decision to hire him vanished the first time I heard him conduct. Deborah Borda and the Board of Directors have hit an even longer home run with Dudamel than perhaps they did with Esa-Pekka Salonen, who himself was a huge score.

Gustavo Dudamel

Oh My GustavO Dudamel!

Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil's music director designate, is the talk of the classical world right now. It's easy to understand why, not only when you watch him conduct an orchestra with unbridled passion, but also when you hear his ideas about the power of classical music to change lives.

At a press conference announcing the LA Phil's 2009/10 season yesterday at Disney Hall, President Deborah Borda compared Dudamel's vision to Barack Obama's: It focuses most of all on hope. The 27-year-old conductor has already started YOLA, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, based on "el Sistema" in his native Venezuela, a program that provides free music lessons to 250,000 children whose alternatives are often crime and drugs in the poor, violent neighborhoods of that country.

When Dudamel speaks about music changing kids' lives, improving the world, and offering peace and hope, he's speaking from experience. He told "60 Minutes" that: "The music saved me. I'm sure of this. With all these bad things around you, you are exposed to these things, very close. The music give me a way to be far of these things."

Dudamel started music lessons at 4 (he plays violin) and was appointed music director of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in 1999. He sees YOLA, like "el Sistema," as a model for the rest of the world. Composer John Adams, who was appointed Creative Chair of the Phil and joined Dudamel and Borda onstage, commented that young people in Caracas actually think classical music is cool. Dudamel could be our great hope of changing perceptions here.

Also part of his goal as music director is to make concerts more accessible to the community at large. Dudamel's first concert on Oct. 3, 2009, at the Hollywood Bowl will feature Beethoven's Ninth -- and be free to the public. For a sneak peek at next season, visit www.laphil.com.

Griffith Observatory

At the Griffith Observatory, you can find a bust of James Dean and a sculpture of Albert Einstein. The juxtaposition of these two famous, yet very different, figures is fitting for a landmark in LA since science and cinema both reign here.

Dean starred in the 1955 film "Rebel Without a Cause," which features interior and exterior scenes shot at the Observatory, and the monument to his work is located outdoors where the Hollywood sign is visible on the hills behind it. The grounds of the Observatory and the views of the hills, the ocean (on a clear day), and the city are part of what make this place so incredible.

The Einstein statue sits on a bench in the Gunther Depths of Space exhibit gallery near the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater (Spock!). Sit down next to him to get a perspective on "The Big Picture," the largest accurate astronomical image in existence (152 x 30 feet) created at nearby Caltech in Pasadena. It contains millions of stars and galaxies but represents only the amount of night sky that would be covered by Einstein's finger held a foot from his eyes.

Another example of the meeting of science and entertainment is "Centered in the Universe," the show that's been at the Samuel Oschin Planetarium since Fall 2006 when the Observatory reopened after extensive renovations. With the most advanced star projector in the world, one of the largest domes (75 feet), a 3-D digital film, and live narration, the show lives up to Hollywood-size expectations.

"Centered in the Universe" takes the audience through time and space, with graphics that will blow you away (or make you think the room is spinning), even providing a glimpse of the Big Bang. Executive Producer Ann Hassett, who with husband Bob Niemack has produced numerous award-winning documentaries, told me back in 2007 when I saw the show twice (before returning again just recently): "We were in the middle of Hollywood, and they [the Friends of the Observatory and Director Dr. E. C. Krupp] didn't want it to be seen as just another dusty, old educational film." They got it right. It's exciting, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining -- almost like a Disneyland ride for the mind.

Griffith Observatory, 2800 E. Observatory Road, (213) 473-0800, www.griffithobservatory.org

LA Phil Celebrates Salonen and (a little early) "Spring"

On Friday and Sunday, Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the LA Phil in Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," the very piece that he chose for the first public concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in October 2003. Salonen, now in his final season with the Phil, has often revisited Stravinsky's work over the past 17 years. He explained his fascination with the Russian composer at a press event last year when he said,  "I know he is the heart of all that is new in the music of the last century and this century."

In 1913, "The Rite of Spring" was revolutionary. The ballet about a pagan ritual of human sacrifice with dissonant music and unconventional dance movement actually caused a riot at its premiere. Perhaps that is a common response to genius ahead of its time, as "The Rite of Spring" has proven to be one of the most important compositions that exists. Leading the orchestra in this incredibly complicated and rousing piece, the 50-year-old Finnish conductor will show that his passion for music is no less fiery than incoming music director 27-year-old Gustavo Dudamel. 

Salonen's programming, the sound of the orchestra, and the architecturally and acoustically magnificent Disney Hall (which Salonen played an important role in bringing to fruition by working closely with architect Frank Gehry) have brought the Phil to the elevated place where it now stands. In January 2006, The New York Times wrote that LA was overtaking NY as the symphonic capital of the nation.

Salonen ends his tenure with eight concerts in April, but you'll only be able to hear "The Rite of Spring" this weekend. If you miss it, there's a disc with a live recording in the gift shop. It's a rare chance to own a CD featuring Salonen and the Phil at Disney Hall. 

Friday, Jan. 16, 8 pm

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2 pm

Also on the program: Leos Janacek's "Sinfonietta" and the world premiere of Louis Andriessen's "The Hague Hacking"

On tap Thursday and Saturday is the West Coast premiere of fellow Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's "La Passion de Simone," directed by Peter Sellars with dance and voice, including soprano Dawn Upshaw and the LA Master Chorale.

Thursday, Jan. 15, 8 pm

Saturday, Jan. 17, 8 pm

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

Movie Awards Season

It's awards season, and that means as a Screen Actors Guild member, I have a few weeks to see as many of the nominated films as I can before voting for the SAG Awards. I've seen a few movies in the past week that I highly recommend: "Gran Torino," "Frost/Nixon," and "The Visitor."

Though not in the running for a SAG Award, "Gran Torino" is a must-see. Who could have known that the guy who played Dirty Harry decades ago would end up making such sensitive movies as "Million-Dollar Baby," and now this. Eastwood does an entertaining job as Walt Kowalski, an intolerant, bigoted curmudgeon who slings both well-known and creative epithets left and right, and owns a mint 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Kowalski is the minority in a Michigan neighborhood filled with immigrants, but he gradually softens toward a young Asian (Hmong) brother and sister next door and takes the boy under his wing. A former auto worker and decorated Korean War veteran, Kowalski steps in Dirty Harry-style when the youngsters are harrassed by their gangster cousin. Full of tenderness and humor, the film also turns intensely dramatic, as any Eastwood fan would expect.

"Frost/Nixon" could have been boring since we know the story, but it was completely engaging. Frank Langella was incredible as the only president ever to resign over a scandal that could have ended in impeachment. In the film, Richard Nixon refers to the interviews with British talk show host David Frost (played with urgency by Michael Sheen) as a duel, and the drama unfolds on multiple levels as Frost is banking his whole career and savings on a news interview for which he seems entirely out of his league. Since the end of the Bush presidency is coming in a week and Obama did not commit to investigating any possible improprieties during that administration, this movie is very timely and much more than a mere glimpse of history. Ron Howard, who directed such popcorn movies as "Splash" and "Cocoon," has gone even deeper than "A Beautiful Mind" with this one.

Look for "The Visitor" on DVD. Ubiquitous and talented character actor Richard Jenkins, who also played the gym manager in "Burn After Reading" (a quirky, fun movie with hilarious work by John Malkovich, George Clooney and Brad Pitt), is a lonely, unhappy, rather lifeless college professor from Connecticut who goes to his NY apartment for a conference in the city to find an illegal immigrant couple, a Syrian musician and a Senegalese jewelry-maker, living there. When Jenkins' character finds they have nowhere to go, he invites them to stay. The Syrian man teaches him the drum and, over time, helps him find his rhythm in life. The beat kicks up a notch when the Syrian man is arrested and detained, and the professor takes a leave of absence to immerse himself in his new friends' plight. It's not important that the film doesn't present both sides of the immigration issue, because it's about emotional connection of the best sort, unexpected and life-affirming.

Robert Graham's Sculptures

If you go to the opera this month, plan to get there a little early and have a cocktail on the Music Center Plaza. While you're there, take in the ambiance, which is enhanced by fountains, white lights, and sculpture. In particular, check out "Dance Door," an open door with reliefs of dancing figures by sculptor Robert Graham. Recognized as one of LA's most important artists, Graham died on Dec. 27, 2008 at the age of 70.

Graham's work can be seen across the country in civic monuments such as the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C. Public artwork in LA includes the "Great Bronze Doors" at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the "Olympic Gateway" at the Memorial Coliseum, and female torsos on Rodeo Drive and in Venice, the latter visible from a window in the artist's studio.

I had the great fortune and honor to meet Robert Graham about a year ago, after interviewing him on the phone for an article on his exhibit of sculpture and paintings at the USC Fisher Gallery. Graham's assistant called after "My Tour With Robert" was published (in December 2007 in the weekly newspaper where I was arts and entertainment editor) and said the artist wanted to invite me to his new studio in Venice because I had written their "favorite article." (The California Newspaper Publishers Association liked it too. I received honorable mention, top 10% in the state, in the category of "writing" for that article.)

I got a tour of the sunlit space, which forms a kind of compound with the home he shared with actress/wife Anjelica Huston and her production office. The bottom level was a gallery and the upper one a working studio. He was smoking a cigar as he showed me his latest work: paintings of the female nude done with brushes dipped in hot, black wax (which went on display at Ace Gallery in Beverly Hills in March). Graham and I sat and chatted for a while, though we're both on the quiet side. When I inquired about the price of his tiny sculptures on display at the Fisher Gallery, he was embarrassed to say. But I told him why I wanted to know: to see if I could afford one. As I expected, $3,000 to $10,000 was not in my price range, so he got up and found a teeny, tiny silver sculpture about the size of my fingertip (a study for the series at the gallery) and said, "Here, this is for you."

Graham made a career-long study of the female figure using live models. He told me this about his sculpture: "Everything is dance. When you look at these great athletic events and you see these movements of the bodies, it's awesome."

"The Magic Flute" at LA Opera

Who couldn't use a little magic in their lives, given all the doom and gloom out there? It turns out LA Opera programmed  "The Magic Flute" at just the right time, offering a chance to start the otherwise slightly foreboding new year with a fanciful story and the exquisite music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The visually arresting show is actually a revival of Peter Hall's 1993 production, with sets and costumes by Gerald Scarfe. You may have seen Scarfe's cartoons in The New Yorker, and he designed the animation in "Pink Floyd: The Wall," so expect some characters to look more like mythical creatures than people. Of course, that just adds to the captivating tale of Prince Tamino (Matthew Polenzani, Joseph Kaiser) who attempts to rescue Pamina (Marie Arnet, Erin Wall), daughter of the Queen of the Night (L'Ubica Vargicova, Albina Shagimuratova), from Sarastro (Gunther Groissbock, Morris Robinson). The revival is made fresh with the LA Opera debuts of each of those singers and several others. There's been a lot of talk lately about how entertainment fared well during the Great Depression because people needed an escape. LA Opera's "The Magic Flute" could be just the ticket in these woeful economic times (prices start at $20).

Opening night: Sat., Jan. 10, 7:30 pm

Sun., Jan. 11, 2 pm

Fri., Jan. 16, 7:30 pm

Sat., Jan. 17, 7:30 pm

Sun., Jan. 18, 2 pm

Wed., Jan. 21, 1 pm

Thurs., Jan. 22, 7:30 pm

Sat., Jan, 24, 7:30 pm

Sun., Jan. 25, 2 pm

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., LA 90012, (213) 972-8001, www.laopera.com