Sam Kim

Mahler's 5th symphony is one of the many pieces you can see and hear this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. This recording is performed by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. The month of June doesn't have much to offer when it comes to classical music, at least until the Hollywood Bowl season starts (June 19th). Check out the calendar and start planning your summer now! Most of the classical-related events don't start...

Erich Korngold was an Academy Award winning film composer. He made his permanent residence in California and is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He is most famous for his collaborations with Errol Flynn and adaptations of other compositions for the big screen. For other film composers check out Johnny Greenwood (lead guitarist of Radiohead), Clint Mansell, Bernard Hermann, Henry Mancini, and Miklos Rosza. This week's classical pick also features the work of a...

Photo by shazammy via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Video Games Live is a popular concert that features music from some of the greatest video games of all time. It's perfect for the whole family, you can bring out the inner nerd in you (or your child) at a concert featuring live music, videos, synchronized lighting, and some live action. With tunes from Mario, Zelda, Halo, Final Fantasy, Warcraft, Tron, Donkey Kong,...

This CNN excerpt shows the visually stunning organ at the Disney hall but the sound is not something easily duplicated. Check it out tonight at the Disney Hall at 7:30 for the full experience. Also, Christopher Eschenbach returns to the Disney Hall for a set of concerts showcasing his abilities as a conductor and pianist. Eschenbach has been conducting all weekend long, with a concert at 2 of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. If the 2...

The Clippers won the #1 overall pick for the 3rd time in team history. Although they were tied with the Wizards for the 2nd worst record in the NBA, the Clippers lost the coin toss for the second straight year (last year to the Knicks). The 2009 draft is considered relatively weak, with Blake Griffin as the undisputed top pick. The Clippers, when injury free, are already crowded in the frontcourt (Randolph, Skinner, Camby,...

Beverly Sills was considered one of the premiere sopranos of her time, and you can see this youtube clip of her. She is singing "Sempre Libera", one of the most famous arias from this week's classical pick, La Traviata (Violetta from La Traviata was considered one of her signature roles). This clip is an excerpt from the Muppet Show, in which the muppets put on a show at the "Muppetipolitan Opera". You can hear...

The clip above is an excerpt from an opera by John Adams. This opera will be one of the pieces performed this week in Los Angeles. It's interesting to see the progression of music from the Baroque period into the 21st century. These concerts this week allow you to see this progression first-hand (although the jump might be so drastic that you might find it difficult to make any connections, if at all). The...

LAist found several classical music-affiliated groups/organizations on Twitter this weekend and would like to share them with you. KUSC just joined the fray, and LACO has been tweeting for quite a while now. For pages that update you with the latest in classical music news and old performances, check out ClassicalTV and Classical_Music. You can also find the NY Phil, the London Symphony, Hillary Hahn (and her violin case), and Emmanuel Ax. Feel free...

The String Quartet by Ravel is one of the many chamber music pieces you can listen to live this week. In the 17th and 18th centuries, music was one of the many privileges enjoyed by the social elite. In fact, many of these families had their own orchestras on hand. In order to enjoy music in the comfort of their own bedrooms, "chamber music" was composed in which only three to five musicians were...

Photo by jtstrathdee via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Although Salonen bade farewell to the LA Phil last week, the LA Phil finishes out the rest of the season with guest conductors. This week Lionel Bringuier conducts the LA Phil and Joshua Bell, who will perform Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole. The first concert is on Thursday, with repeat performances on Saturday and Sunday. Also on Sunday, Krystian Zimerman returns to the Mouse House...