Concert and opera reviews from Southern California.
Marco Barricelli could not erase the memory of F. Murray Abraham; nonetheless, he managed to inject some semblance of humanity into the Hollywood caricature of Salieri’s character.
Read MoreEsmail’s musical style is unabashedly melodic, a beautifully seamless fusion of Western and Eastern (Indian) classical traditions.
Read MoreMozart’s sacred choral works, performed on period instruments and sung by light, agile voices, transforming the Segerstrom Concert Hall quite literally into a temple of music.
Read MoreAfter the opening concert, the Master Chorale will resume their Lagrime di San Pietro world tour, jet-setting between L.A. and cities in Australia, Mexico and Europe.
Read MoreThe 'street people' chorus, in Christine Crook's psychedelically colorful hippie costumes, were as brutally relentless as McKinny's celebrant was serenely spiritual in his "A Simple Song".
Read MoreAt each concert, Yuja gave the audience their money’s worth – mind-blowing flashy encores of Mozart’s Turkish rondo and Carmen variations, in her own virtuoso improvisational style...
Read MoreThe Cantorey’s 31-member choir and 30-player Baroque orchestra were the perfect size to convey the work’s grandeur without sacrificing the agility and clarity in the 4- and 5-part choruses
Read MoreThroughout the performance, one was shocked and awed by the power and precision in which the Master Chorale conveyed Beethoven’s vivid word painting
Read MoreTying up all these together was conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who never let up the excitement after the initial ‘Big Bang’ of Creation (“Let there be light!”) and made this two-hour religious oratorio almost as enjoyable as a Mozart comic opera.
Read More21 valiant members of the Master Chorale, who sang their parts from memory – beautifully and faultlessly – while acting out the often elaborate and physically demanding stage directions.
Read MoreCLASSICAL VOICE - Lifestyle Blog for Serious Classical Music and Opera Lovers
