Sam Kim

This is a video of Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the LA Phil in Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Salonen is well known for his interpretations of Stravinsky; in fact, it was a performance of Stravinsky works that was instrumental in garnering support for a new music hall. Opened in 2003, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has quickly become one of the most recognizable landmarks in Los Angeles. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts his final concerts as the Music...

The LA Phil Green Umbrella series commissions and showcases new music each season by well known composers. This Tuesday, the LA Phil concert has FOUR world premieres, and a work by Salonen. If that's too much for you to handle, the LA Phil has a concert this Thursday with Beethoven's 5th Symphony, Leila Josefowicz in Salonen's Violin Concerto, and Ligeti's Clocks and Clouds. Both concerts start at 8 PM. In classical music news, Ravel...

Photo by el daverino via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr October 8th marks off the beginning of the 90th season for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the very first one with Gustavo Dudamel. This season promises to pack a lot of firepower, including two of the world's premier orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (also the world's oldest). Even under difficult circumstances, the LA Phil has managed to attract...

One of the advantages of living in a city like Los Angeles is the star power it attracts. The LA Opera general director happens to be Placido Domingo, and his turn as Siegmund in the Ring Cycle at the Orange County Performing Arts Center brought renewed interest to the Ring Cycle, which the LA Opera will perform in the summer. The second opera, Die Walkure, begins its run April 4th until April 25th. This...

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...

Henri Matisse was one of the great colorists of the 20th century, who burst onto the scene in the 1905 Salon d'Automne as a leading Fauve and Modernist. His later period simplified his forms and colors, and eventually produced compositions that were made by cutting out forms from hand painted paper. He began illustrating books and lithographs in a simple and direct approach that contemporary French composers were embracing as well. Pianist Polli Chambers-Salazar...

Maurice Ravel was born on March 7th, 1875. The French composer is famous for his lush melodies and brilliant orchestration (see Ravel's orchestration of Mussgorsky's Pictures at an Exhibition). His piano works are considered some of the most difficult to perform on piano even to this day (see Scarbo). Martha Argerich is considered one of the premier interpreters of Ravel; she will perform La Valse and the Piano Concerto in G Major with the...

Video from a recording session for Lang Lang with Zubin Mehta conducting; see them live in LA this Wednesday The Vienna Philharmonic is in town, with two different concerts mid-week presented by the LA Phil at Disney Hall and led by the great Zubin Mehta (Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic 1962-1978). Tuesday's performance is comprised of Wolf's Italian Serenade, Marx's Four Songs, and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, with Angela Maria Blasi (soprano)....

Photo: Tom Andrews/LAist If you're willing to take a late lunch or if you loaf around all day anyways, Kogi BBQ is now serving the Santa Monica area at 3 PM until dinnertime. For once, the line was almost nonexistent at times and topped off at around 10 people max (if you're not familiar with the Kogi BBQ phenomenon, lines can easily be an hour plus wait). This is not a permanent location yet,...

Photo by kpe II via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr There has been little mention of the fact that this is the year of Haydn's Bicentennial. Or maybe because it's on May 31st, 1809, but celebrations are already underway. LACO still has tickets available for tonight's concert, featuring one of his London Symphonies, Symphony no. 92. LAist readers get discounted tickets for this performance, more information can be found here . The...