Sounds of Hollywood

KUSC is broadcasting the twelfth concert of the Pacific Symphony's 2017-2018 classical concert series tonight at 7 PM (PDT).

We went to the Sunday concert.  :)

Listen to Alan Chapman's preview on SoundCloud.

Music director Carl St.Clair conducted with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.

Mikhail Glinka:  Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla

Morten Lauridsen:  O Magnum Mysterium

Maurice Ravel:  Tzigane, rapsodie de concert, for Violin & Orchestra

Leonard Bernstein:  Somewhere from West Side Story

Richard Strauss:  Ein Heldenleben, TrV 190, Op. 40

This was also the debut classical concert for the new Concertmaster, Dennis Kim.  :)

Rach 2

KUSC is broadcasting the eleventh concert of the Pacific Symphony's 2017-2018 classical concert series tonight at 7 PM (PDT).

We went to the Saturday concert.  :)

Listen to Alan Chapman's preview on SoundCloud.

Guest conductor Ben Gernon conducted, with pianist Boris Giltburg.

Sergei Prokofiev:  Russian Overture

Sergei Rachmaninoff:  Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 18

Igor Stravinsky:  Petrushka (1947 version)

The super-tuba played in Petrushka by Jim Self.

Alan Chapman interviewed both guest artists in the pre-concert lecture.

Conductor Ben Gernon was born in a musical family, with both parents being music teachers.  He started the Tuba when he was 7, because nobody in his Dad's brass band wants to play it.  :)

Ben started conducting when he was 15, in the school orchestra!

Boris Giltburg is somebody who loves playing the piano.  He makes practicing his first priority, saying it's hard to know when it's good enough, and time to stop.  Boris talked about the differences between the German and Russian music schools.  The German school leans more intellectual, and the Russian school leans more emotional.  They also touched on his "dream piano", posted on his blog.

You can sample Boris' piano in Amazon.  :)

Watts Plays Beethoven

KUSC is broadcasting the tenth concert of the Pacific Symphony's 2017-2018 classical concert series tonight at 7 PM (PDT).

We went to the Saturday concert.  :)

Listen to Alan Chapman's preview on SoundCloud.

Music director Carl St. Clair conducted, with pianist André Watts.

Ludwig van Beethoven:  Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra,

Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93

There was a video of Dmitri Shostakovich playing in the lobby.

KUSC's Alan Chapman interviewed André Watts in the pre-concert lecture, and André was hilarious as always.  He talked about the teaching music.  The hypocrisy of teaching, telling something to the student and not doing it yourself.  How he juggles teaching and performing.  The range of talent in his students.  His amazing experiences with Glenn Gould.

André Watts is one of the few artists that takes advantage of the BYOS (Bring Your Own Steinway) policy.  :)