Operas and movies are like opposites that attract but can rarely live together. New movies, like old operas, get the big houses. New operas, like old movies, get the small houses. Got that? The LA Opera did.
As Americans eagerly await decisions within weeks from the Supreme Court on the right of gays and lesbians to marry, the Santa Fe Opera brings Wilde's relevant and tragic story to the stage in Oscar, a new opera.
The Old West has become the New West, but for a few moments last Monday evening, Michael Martin Murphey, Philip Daughtry and the evening's artists at the Autry National Center helped us remember how and why we all ended up here.
Andres stated earlier he hoped people wouldn't think he intentionally "gave the finger" to Mozart. But he needn't worry. The exercise came off more like a good-natured, thumb-nosing tribute to the irreverent genius from Salzburg.
The listener can use Cohn's extra-musical titles as aural guides or listen solely to the unfolding musical developments. It is this dual quality of abstract and concrete that makes Cohn's music interesting on so many levels.
Having performed the Brandenburgs some 52 times in its history -- the latest a week ago Sunday at UCLA's Royce Hall -- the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has a special affinity to these works.
Franz Liszt's lifelong quest for creative and spiritual growth straddled three musical epochs. Once the lion-king of musical Europe, Liszt ironically enters his bicentenary as something of a lamb to contemporary audiences.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is taking the right chances and making well-founded commitments on emerging musical directions in a Los Angeles that is ever complex and evolving.
HuffPost Arts' Haiku Reviews is a weekly feature where invited critics review exhibitions and performances in short form. Some will be in the traditio...
The Turn of the Screw's LA Opera production is a game-changer. Its musical realization is first rate, allowing the work to shine as a towering masterpiece.
Sometimes you get the impression that Jonas Kaufmann is a tenor working his way into a Heldenbaritone. OK, that's an exaggeration.
If you have not yet seen The Turk in Italy at LA Opera, here's what you need to do: Drop everything and buy a ticket before they are sold out.
Less flamboyant than the Kronos and more feline than the Arditti, the Eclipse Quartet is L.A.'s answer to both.
When a young singer sets out to make his reputation, he must usually choose between appealing, often familiar works and a newer repertoire. Baritone Christopher Herbert has chosen a third option.
Given Long Beach Opera's history of contemporizing operas, and with this production of Medea characterized as "triple murders in a warehouse," will this be the company's most ambitious season ever?
Reflecting on the holiday season just passed, I am impressed at how often Christmas music induces good feelings but rarely serious thoughts.
If symphony orchestras are lumbering, soon-to-be-extinct dinosaurs, as some of their critics claim, then today's chamber ensembles are their evolved, fleet-winged descendants that may yet survive music's Jurassic Age.
When Richard Wagner, a brash young composer of then little distinction, attended one of the first performances of Hector Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette symphony in the Paris of 1839, he was knocked off his feet.
Photo: Robert Millard Il Postino (The Postman) Music and libretto by Daniel Catán Conductor, Grant Gershon Director, Ron Daniels Scenery and costum...
The pursuit of justice is usually considered a noble aspiration. But what if that pursuit is tied to a grievance-driven, murderous obsession?
Shakespeare's Macbeth has the reputation of a problematic, even unlucky play, but its fantastical elements give it terrific potential for operatic treatment.
The LA Jewish Symphony's second installment of "Cinema Judaica" for its insider audience was so focused on its subject it had the air of parochial ritual. It was certainly helpful if you knew Yiddish.
The Magic Flute's current production at the Santa Fe Opera is as streamlined as a Twitter posting.
