Recommended recordings of the pieces performed by the Pacific Symphony on its programs in September. Shostakovich: Festive Overture. Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, conductor. Chandos. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1. Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Krill Kondrashin, conductor. Martha Argerich, piano.
Bernstein at the Skirball
I went to the “Leonard Bernstein at 100” exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, an entertaining way to beat the excessive heat. The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 2, is organized by the GRAMMY Museum
Remembering ‘The Passion of Ramakrishna’
During my career as a music critic, I had the pleasure of reviewing two performances of “The Passion of Ramakrishna” by Philip Glass, which Pacific Symphony revives this week and takes to Carnegie Hall on April 21. The first time
Instant recording libraries: Classical CD box sets for Christmas
[This article was first published in 2016. Some of the prices may have changed, but the general situation discussed is the same.] Browsing through the Amazon classical music section recently, in search of ideas for Christmas, I once again noticed
Compare and contrast: Mozart’s ‘Rondo alla Turca’ played by Glenn Gould, Lang Lang and Friedrich Gulda
Review: Dover Quartet plays ‘Voices of Defiance,’ music of Ullmann, Laks and Shostakovich
By TIMOTHY MANGAN Reading the liner notes to the Dover Quartet’s “Voices of Defiance” before I listened to it was probably a mistake. They gave me the impression that the recording would be tough, unpleasant going. The three pieces were
Pacific Symphony tubist releases new recording
Longtime Pacific Symphony tubist Jim Self has released a new recording. Like several others of Self’s recordings, this one is jazz. It’s called “Floating in Winter,” and it features both originals and standards. With John Chiding on guitars, Self plays tuba
Audio: Prokofiev ‘Scythian Suite’
When I was in college, a brass player majoring in music, the Chicago Symphony set the gold standard for brass playing, and my fellow music students and I always listened to their records with mouths agape. I was reminded of
First classical record
My memory is a little foggy on some of the details. I was in high school, already a burgeoning trombonist, and already getting in amongst my mother’s collection of classical LPs. At some point, though, I decided to buy one
Playlist: Neglected symphonies
Here’s a neglected symphony sampler for your listening assessment. What, exactly, is a “neglected symphony,” you ask? In this case, these are works which your curator — me — has decided are worthy of at least a few more performances