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Classical Pick of the Week: If It Ain't Baroque...
Photo by TinCanOrange via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
This week features several Baroque composers starting with the Long Beach Bach Festival. This Friday features pianist Stefano Greco in a program titled "Art of the Fugue" which would most likely showcase several of Bach's Prelude and Fugues. The festival finishes on Sunday at the Los Altos Methodist Church with a performance of Bach motets. The Saint Cecilia orchestra also performs the Bach Mass in B Minor along with Vivaldi. This concert is this Saturday at 8 PM.
The Mouse House puts on a Baroque show of their own this weekend, with a performance featuring Handel, Haydn, and Mendelssohn. Johannes Moser returns as the soloist for the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major, from his performances last year with the LA Phil (Dvorak) and the NY Phil (Tchaikovsky). Tickets are still available for the concerts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Verdi Chorusopens up its 26th season at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica this weekend. A more economically friendly alternative to the LA Opera for music enthusiasts, the opening concert features the music of Donizetti, Mascagni, Verdi (obviously) and Leonard Bernstein. A light buffet and reception will be held after the concert. To learn more about the interesting program, click here.
In an effort to shed some light on some lesser known pieces, LAist will feature some music for your listening pleasure. This week we have Ernst Bloch's Schelomo, performed by Rostropovich and Leonard Bernstein. The piece is roughly 20 minutes long featuring several prominent Jewish melodies, written as a response to the tragedies of World War I. The piece features frequent rhythmic shifts and recurring melodies in several keys, which you can hear repeated by the different instruments. Although the piece is complex and highly technical, the lush longing melodies make this a very enjoyable piece.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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