Classical Music
I saw Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Sunday, April 28, at the Civic Theatre. It was the fifth production of Butterfly that I have seen at San Diego Opera. My first experience came in 1993. …
While opera remains the most acquired of the classical music tastes, opera overtures are pretty easy to digest. Some opera overtures are known to many who don’t consider themselves to be classical music fans at …
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Friday, April 7, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was fantastic. The program was conducted by Otto Tausk who is the music director of the Vancouver Symphony …
A long time ago, I tried to watch the 2022 movie Tár starring Cate Blanchett. The digital copy that the theater had wasn’t working and so I didn’t see it. I meant to see it …
I have often considered myself to be a most awful philistine when it comes to musical taste. That is to say, I have a general misunderstanding of music. I know what I like but I …
Maurizio Pollini, one of the greatest pianists of our time, died on March 23, 2024. Born on January 5, 1942, in Milan, Italy, Pollini's musical talent was evident from a young age. He began studying …
Island civilizationWithin the Coronado Ferry Landing, you will find Coronado Tasting Room. Purveyors of Craft Spirits, Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars, Spices and Gourmet Foods. Every other Wednesday evening, Michael Gonzales (aka Gonzo) and …
The San Diego Symphony concert on Saturday, March 16, started with a rather famous piece of music entitled Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky. You may have heard it once or twice within the …
The opening of The Jacobs Music Center at Copley Symphony Hall will not be happening this spring. The hall was initially scheduled to open in November of 2023 and then in March of 2024. Delays …
I’ve been making a concerted effort to expand my experience of classical music. In my attempts, I’ve come across some stinkers, such as the opera Der Trompeter von Säckingen by Viktor Nessler. I came across it while …
The San Diego Symphony concert on Sunday, February 25, featured two pieces of music for which I have great affinity, one for which I have great respect, and one for which I had no knowledge …
I recently wrote about my favorite concertos and there weren’t any surprises in my selections. There wasn’t a claim that George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F amongst the greatest of concertos. I didn’t claim that Erich Korngold’s Violin …
I have officially passed through the optimism of my youth and have entered my world-weary phase. Often, when I wake up in the morning, I am disappointed to see the same two feet swing out …
The San Diego Opera performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni on Sunday, February 4, was good, overall. It definitely wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It was good. The singing was good to pretty good. None of it …
Man did I blow it–big time. On Sunday, January 28, I headed to what I thought was going to be the best concert of the new year. Rafael Payare was conducting the San Diego Symphony …
It is impossible to comprehend the number of classical music compositions that exist. Do we even know ten percent of them? Here’s a fair question. Of Mozart’s 626 compositions do we know 62 of them?We …