The WQXR blog (one of my favorites) dipped into a question yesterday about the legend of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring debut. If you’ve ever taken a class about 20th century music, you’ve probably heard the tale: boos screamed, cat-calls shouted, musicians, dancers and concertgoers afraid for their safety… My favorite bit was something about one audience … Read more
Vocal focus in the summertime* Southern CA Vocal Events Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights Hope you’re all staying cool and relatively smoke-free in this crazy heat wave! Staying indoors is good, but there are enticements to be had. Here are just three options over the next week that may lure you from home a/c to car … Read more
If you’ve read this blog or the Lauri’s List site and newsletters, you’re probably aware that our summer concert series launched its third season last night. Of course, we cannot offer an actual review our own event, but here are a few notes about what occurred, for those of you who missed it: With a … Read more
The Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles, founded by E. Scott Levin and Ariel Pisturino, specializes in presenting quirky chamber operas which can be performed in under an hour, using small casts and piano accompaniment in an intimate space. On November 7 and 8, they showcased two works: George N. Gianopoulos’s The Last Silent Voice – a world … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights Viva l’opera! This week is overflowing with opera, and not the same old thing: Starting Friday night, COPOLA (Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles) turns an eye to murder with two free performances of a dark double bill, including Ned Rorem’s … Read more
Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles (COPOLA) brought a polished pair of comedic one-act operas to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall in Glendale, CA, on Friday, May 23rd and Saturday, May 24th, 2014. Sunday Excursion was the hors d’oeuvres of the evening. Written by Alec Wilder in 1953, it is set in the early … Read more
The Redlands Opera Theatre event, entitled “Mozart Vignettes and Arias,” was a truly enjoyable experience on Sunday, February 23. Held in the sanctuary of the Redlands First United Methodist Church, the space features brick walls and high ceilings, yet attendees were still fairly close to the musicians, allowing the audience to feel the music on an … Read more
COPOLA’s mission: Mining indie opera for new ears With so many opera companies, big and small, spending the bulk of their resources on tried-and-true repertoire that puts butts in seats, it’s especially exciting to see a new troupe of excellent performers placing their focus on underappreciated chamber operas — and their seats are plenty full. … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights As most teenage girls will tell you, there’s nothing more wonderful than falling in love. The world of Broadway strives every day to harness that wave of beautiful chaos, and this Friday, soprano ARIEL PISTURINO and tenor JAY JOHNSON serve up a … Read more
Zombies are everywhere. Brad Pitt, Jane Austen novels, Homeland Security… and now Long Beach Opera. I’ve never quite connected with the zombie obsession, but LBO’s Macbeth is the Goldilocks of z-ification: their production of Ernest Bloch‘s 1909 opera is just right. The hallowed Shakespeare play is nothing if not bloody, so it took only a moment to take … Read more
