Jacques Loussier’s Jazzy Take on Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen
CD REVIEW… Release date: Sept. 27, 2011 There is always a push-pull quality about “serious” classical music and “serious” jazz. The Jacques Loussier Trio, in his latest CD for Telarc records which is being released today, is yet another example of a trained classical pianist taking on the classics. Loussier, now 77, has made a [...]
Laughter, Charm and Good Music Mark Hamlisch’s Pops Debut with Pasadena Pops
REVIEW… Marvin Hamlisch stepped onto the outdoor stage of the Pasadena Pops to declare to the Saturday night audience assembled on the lawn near the Rose Bowl that as the Principal Conductor of the orchestra, he was going to charm them, make them laugh, and play tunes they recognized, especially those he had written. Greatly [...]
Musical Short Stories at Colorado College Summer Music Festival
REVIEW… A series of seven relatively brief numbers made a distinct impression on a crowded house at Packard Hall on the campus of Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Co., as the college’s Summer Music Festival wound down for the fifth of seven Festival Artists Concerts that are presented by faculty members of the college’s Festival. The [...]
It’s Very Clear – Our Love for Gershwin is Here to Stay
REVIEW… Hershey Felder wears a wig to make him look more like George Gershwin, whom he recreates in his one-man acting-singing-piano-playwright role in the current production at the Pasadena Playhouse, “George Gershwin Alone”. To me Felder appears closer in looks to Danny Thomas, but the looks are not important here. The music and the tale [...]
Expressive Conducting by Stelluto Achieves Bright Sound
REVIEW… The Pasadena Symphony’s next-to-last concert of the 2010-2011 season last Saturday demonstrated the wisdom of the orchestra’s move from the somber acoustics of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to the bright—and exacting—sound that its current home at Ambassador Auditorium produces. Led by guest conductor George Stelluto in a program of the music of Felix Mendelssohn, [...]
Brahms Like You’ve Never Heard it Before
CD Review… Zuill Bailey represents all the best in classical music: training at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Julliard School; fabulous cello to perform on—a 1693 Matteo Gofriller cello; a performer increasingly sought as cello soloist with orchestras across the country; good press reviews that don’t seem to stop; recording artist that saw [...]
Pasadena Symphony Brewing with Success
REVIEW… The Pasadena Symphony’s second concert of the four-concert season at Ambassador Auditorium last Saturday was an occasion brewing with success: a sure-handed guest conductor, a full-spectrum pull-out-the-stops guest pianist, beautiful ensemble playing by the symphony’s musicians, the sonic purity of a famed auditorium, and a check for $500,000. Nothing was amiss other than a [...]
‘Amahl’ a Magical Holiday Offering at Playhouse
REVIEW… The Pasadena Playhouse has an offering that just may be the thing that will return the celebrated State Theater to a vibrant showcase for theater. The main stage production presented by Intimate Opera of Pasadena, now named the resident opera company of the Pasadena Playhouse, is “Amahl and the Night Visitors” the one-act opera [...]
Successful Pasadena Master Chorale Concert Opens Season
REVIEW… There have been many chorale groups in the San Gabriel Valley, lots of them performing for decades. The new kid on the block is the Pasadena Master Chorale, established in 2009. The response Artistic Director/conductor Jeffrey Bernstein received from a nearly full house at the Altadena Community Church on Sunday afternoon foretells that this [...]
The Classical Music Fall Season – Listings Below
The Peters Music News webpage will be quiesscent until late in September while its editor takes a vacation break. But the Fall season for classical music in the San Gabriel Valley has never looked so strong. Consider subscription tickets, plan to attend benefits, and by all means, financially support our local groups of musicians.
