The Ojai Music Festival announced this morning that Chad Smith will be their new Artistic Director beginning in 2020.  Mr. Smith will take over for Thomas W. Morris, Ojai’s Artistic Director since 2004 and former top executive with the Cleveland Orchestra and Boston Symphony, who had previously announced his decision to retire after the 2019 festival.

Mr. Smith’s initial contract is for three years. The festival had announced previously that the first two Music Directors during Mr. Smith’s tenure will be Mathias Pintscher (2020) and Mitsuko Uchida (2021).   

Mr. Smith is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a post he will keep concurrent with his Ojai duties.  He is known for having among the most avant-garde tastes among LA Phil executives, thereby making him a great fit for a festival that revels in its cutting edge and iconoclastic musical offerings.  His appointment also marks the return of an Artistic Director with direct ties to the LA Phil; previous Ojai Music Festival Artistic Directors included Ernest Fleischmann (LA Phil Executive Director for 30 years) and Ara Guzelimian (LA Phil Artistic Administrator 1978 – 1993).  The LA Phil itself made regular appearances in Ojai but has been largely absent during Mr. Morris’s tenure.  It remains to be seen if they will return once Mr. Smith takes over.

The full press release is below.

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Ojai Music Festival: Gina Gutierrez, ggutierrez@ojaifestival.org (805) 646-2094
National/International: Nikki Scandalios, nikki@scandaliospr.com (704) 340-4094

For images please contact ggutierrez@ojaifestival.org

CHAD SMITH NAMED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
OF THE OJAI MUSIC FESTIVAL

“For nearly 75 years, the Ojai Music Festival has been Southern California’s home for the most probing, adventurous, and visionary musicians, and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining this organization as its next Artistic Director.  I first experienced the unique spirit of Ojai in 2001, when Esa-Pekka Salonen was the Festival’s Music Director. I was struck by the uncompromising programming, the incredibly devoted and informed audience, and the pure joy in the performances emanating from the Libbey Bowl. In that weekend, in that first experience with Ojai, I came to understand the special nature of making music in this part of the world, and I was hooked. From my seat in Los Angeles, I have watched as Tom Morris has expanded the possibilities of what this Festival could be, making it more international, more inclusive, and ultimately more relevant year by year. Tom is one of the lions in our field, and I could not be more humbled, but also inspired, to take the reins from him. This Festival is poised for even greater things; I am thrilled to be a part of that future.” – Chad Smith

(March 21, 2018 – Ojai, CA) – Today, the Ojai Music Festival announces the appointment of Chad Smith as its next Artistic Director. Mr. Smith begins his initial three-year tenure with the 2020 Festival, in partnership with Ojai’s 2020 Music Director Matthias Pintscher. Mr. Smith’s collaboration with the Ojai Music Festival will be concurrent with his post as Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He will join the ranks of such distinguished predecessors as Lawrence Morton, Ara Guzelimian, and Ernest Fleischmann. He succeeds Thomas W. Morris who will have shaped Ojai’s artistic direction for sixteen years when he retires from the Festival following the 73^rd Festival in 2019.

Festival Board Chair David Nygren said, “I am honored to welcome Chad Smith to the Ojai family. Chad’s depth of experience and artistic sensibilities are in perfect alignment with where the Festival is today as we approach our 75^th anniversary celebration in 2021 and 2022, and as we look toward the future. I have complete confidence that Chad will build on the momentum that Tom has set in motion over these last fifteen years. This seamless transition in artistic leadership will enable Ojai to continue to meet the demands of our supremely curious audiences, to build on the Ojai aesthetic of discovery, adventure, and engagement, to foster an environment where great artists can experiment, and perhaps enter a new stage in their own artistic development. The rich heritage of this glorious Festival and sublimely beautiful place have a way of melding with great musical personalities, leaving behind lasting impressions. Chad and Tom are collaboratively planning already for a seamless transition as we anticipate the Festival’s milestone anniversary.”

Thomas W. Morris commented, “I am thrilled that Chad Smith will succeed me as Artistic Director of the Ojai Music Festival. I have known Chad for many years, and have always been impressed with his distinctive creativity in programming, his insatiable curiosity in the broadest range of music, and his deep relationships with artists. The Ojai Music Festival stands as a pillar of musical creativity and adventure, and I can think of no one better than Chad to follow this tradition through and well beyond Ojai’s 75^th anniversary.”

Chad Smith
Chad Smith is the Chief Operating Officer for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Mr. Smith joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association in 2002, serving as VP of artistic planning for over a decade before becoming COO in 2015. As COO, he is responsible for the artistic oversight and coordination of the orchestra’s programming, as well as the organization’s strategic planning, marketing, PR, production, orchestra operations, media and educational initiatives.

During his tenure, Mr. Smith has implemented an expansive vision of what an orchestra can be through a deep commitment to living composers, the development of multi-disciplinary collaborations, and thematic festivals which have positioned the Philharmonic at the center of the city’s cultural discourse. Committed to making classical music more inclusive, he has overseen the launch of many of the organization’s defining educational programs, including YOLA, a program which has provided daily after-school music training to thousands of children in several of LA’s most underserved communities.

He currently serves as a trustee of New England Conservatory of Music, as a member of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Prize executive committee and on the artistic advisory board for the Music Academy of the West.  Mr. Smith began his career in 2000 at the New World Symphony, after receiving his B.M. (Vocal Performance) and B.A. (European History) in the NEC/Tufts dual degree program. He received his M.M. in 1998 in Vocal Performance from NEC.

About the Ojai Music Festival 
From its founding in 1947, the Ojai Music Festival has become a place for groundbreaking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic setting 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Festival presents broad-ranging programs in unusual ways with an eclectic mix of new and rarely performed music, as well as refreshing juxtapositions of musical styles. The four-day festival is an immersive experience with concerts, free community events, symposia, and gatherings. Considered a highlight of the international music summer season, Ojai has remained a leader in the classical music landscape for seven decades.

Through its signature structure of the Artistic Director appointing an annual Music Director, Ojai has presented a “who’s who” of music including Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kent Nagano, Pierre Boulez, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Robert Spano, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, David Robertson, Eighth Blackbird, George Benjamin, Dawn Upshaw, Leif Ove Andsnes, Mark Morris, Jeremy Denk, Steven Schick, Peter Sellars, and Vijay Iyer.  Following Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Ojai will welcome Music Director Barbara Hannigan (2019), Mathias Pintscher (2020) and Mitsuko Uchida (2021).

As the Ojai Music Festival approaches its 75th anniversary and looks toward the future with Chad Smith, the innumerable contributions by Thomas W. Morris will continue to be realized through the 2019 Festival and beyond. Under Mr. Morris’ creative watch, the Festival continues to push boundaries and scope; explore each music director’s individual perspective, creativity, and artistic communities; invite an ever-broadening roster of artists; and build connections across musical communities with through-curated programming for each Festival.  Over the years, Mr. Morris has also expanded the Festival’s reach beyond Ojai with ongoing partnerships with Cal Performances in Berkeley and this year, the Aldeburgh Festival in England, as well as through live and archival video streaming of performances, available on the Festival’s website.

2018 Ojai Music Festival, June 7-10
The 72^nd Ojai Music Festival, June 7-10, 2018, will present the dynamic violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja as music director. Praised for her “mesmerizing artistry” (The Strad) and “savage energy” (The Washington Post), Ms. Kopatchinskaja’s unbounded musical creativity will be in full force as a soloist, collaborator, and new music advocate. Joining her will be close artistic collaborators making their Festival debuts, including the Berlin-based Mahler Chamber Orchestra in its first extended United States residency, JACK Quartet, composer/pianist Michael Hersch, pianist Markus Hinterhäuser, pianist/harpsichordist Anthony Romaniuk, composer/sound designer Jorge Sanchez-Chiong, and Kopatchinskaja’s parents, Viktor and Emilia Kopatchinsky. Major 2018 Festival projects include two staged concerts conceived by Ms. Kopatchinskaja. The first is Bye Bye Beethoven, a musical commentary that challenges the clichés and conventions of classical music. Her second concert, Dies Irae, is her own provocative view on the inevitable consequences of global warming. Receiving its world premiere will be a dramatic narrative by American composer Michael Hersch, I hope we get a chance to visit soon, after texts of Rebecca Elson, Mary Harris O’Reilly and Christopher Middleton. For more information on programs and tickets, visit OjaiFestival.org.

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Photo by Genaro Molina

Camerata Pacifica‘s April concert was a juxtaposition of two contrasting works: the world premiere of Lera Auerbach‘s 24 Preludes for Viola and Piano (“Wanderer”), a Camerata Pacifica commission; and the Piano Trio in B-flat Major by Schubert.  Both  were roughly 45-minutes in length, but similarities ended there.  

Opening the concert was Ms. Auerbach’s new work.  It is a collection of one- to four-minute preludes, each in a different one of the 12 major and minor keys, presented sequentially so that the first two movements featured no accidentals (C major, then A minor), then adding more sharps one by one (G major through D-sharp minor), and continuing around the circle of fifths before ultimately getting back down to a single flat in F major and D minor.

The composer mentioned from the stage that she began composing the preludes during stops between cities as she drove across Europe, part of her other life as a visual artist.  She later added  “Wanderer” as a title for the collection after realizing that the sketches she made for each of the preludes were written in a different city.   As such, each work has its own subtitle based on the name of its respective place of origin: for example, “Prelude 1. C major Andante misterioso (The Alps),” or “Prelude 6. B minor Tragico (Copenhagen). ” She also clarified that individual movements represented more of an abstract memory of each respective locale and her activities there rather than any tone painting or attempt to evoke specific imagery.

Given this origin, the completed collection across all of its 24 movements is, not surprisingly, a study in recollection and introspection.  Individual preludes shift in mood from pensive to agitated, one restless and another calm.

At the same time, certain gestures and themes are echoed throughout the cycle.  There is a pervasive sense of constant thinking and doing, of process, motion, and struggle, so that even the slower and quieter moments are imbued with anticipation.  The music is packed with melancholy and mischief unencumbered by any overt joy.  These preludes are often cloudy, sometimes nocturnal, occasionally stormy, with the bright warmth of the sun nowhere to be found.

That’s not to say that this music doesn’t have its beautiful moments.  The night can have as much appeal as the day, and so it is here.  These preludes are dark but not depressing, never wallowing in any morbid or goth-tinged “Every Day is Halloween” sensibility.

Moreover, Ms. Auerbach’s compositional style is contemporary yet direct, with melody and harmony being clearly delineated.  Technical hurdles she imposes on the viola soloist are substantial but conventional:   long lines give way to lightning-fast passages and big jumps, with pizzicato, sul ponticello, and sul tasto playing mixed in; absent are any modernist tricks like preparing the viola with extraneous parts, replacing the bow with a glass rod, or having the soloist sing into the instrument.  At the same time, she finds a plethora of ways to communicate emotion in her phrasing, dynamics, and melodic development without ever pandering to listeners with any kind of neo-Romantic gestures.

It would be hard to imagine a more persuasive soloist for this new work than violist Richard O’Neill.  He gave a virtuosic performance, combining a ravishing tone with pinpoint accuracy, rich variety of timbres, and impressive technical chops.

Mr. O’Neill is said to have thought of the cycle initially as a collection of independent works, bringing to mind that more famous traversal of the 24 major and minor keys, The Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach; however, after studying these new preludes more, his analogy shifted to a different 24-part masterpiece — Schubert’s Wintereisse — so that his approach to the individual pieces became more like sections of a greater whole.  It showed.  Every individual prelude was given its own character, yet the threads weaving them together were clearly evident.

Ms. Auerbach herself served as the pianist, providing sensitive support in what was  a secondary role, with the composer deferring to her soloist at all times.  Even in preludes where the piano opens the proceedings, it felt more like an extended introduction rather than a change in protagonists.  This works and is clearly what the composer intended, though it’d be interesting to see how another duo might approach the rapport between the instruments differently.

Regardless of who plays it, this collection of preludes deserve repeated performances and hearings.  While it might not break any new ground, the preludes are musically interesting and tasteful, with enough inherent depth and breadth to allow for additional probing and a variety of interpretations.

Adrian Spence, Camerata Pacifica’s Artistic Director, takes it many steps further, confidently predicting that these preludes will be played 200 years hence.  That’s an exceedingly optimistic statement, one I’m not ready to embrace.

That said, Mr. Spence’s provided some justification for his bold prediction during a follow-up conversation:  the repertoire for similar solo viola collections isn’t that deep, and Ms. Auerbach’s preludes offer new music that is challenging yet still relatively accessible, with enough flexibility in presentation and style to make them appealing to other violists today and potentially further into the future.  You want 45-minutes of music?  Sure.  You need a handful of short works to mix into a recital?  You’ve got it.  Maybe one or two contrasting works to wow judges for an audition?  Here you go.  I’m not sure if this is enough to enshrine it into the viola canon by the Year 2218, but it will be fun to see how things progress in the meantime.

After intermission, Paul Huang (violin), Ani Aznavoorian (cello), and Warren Jones (piano), gave a thrilling account of Schubert’s B-flat Piano Trio.  The four-movement work completed in the last year of the composer’s tragically short life shows a master in full command of his skills.  Everything you’d want and expect from his music is here in abundance:  captivating melodies, clever thematic development, and lyricism aplenty.  Moreover, this is consistently joyous, cheerful music.  If by chance one needed a foil to Ms. Auerbach’s dark preludes, this was it.  Smiles filled Zipper Hall throughout the 45-minute piece.

The three musicians offered a confident, ebullient performance.  They passed melodies seamlessly between themselves, matching color and phrasing with apparent ease, demonstrating virtuosity both as individuals and as an ensemble.  The audience responded with a warm and enthusiastic ovation.

Random other thoughts

• As is typical with Camerata Pacifica programs, the same two works were also presented in three other Southern California venues during the same week:  at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura, and The Huntington Library in San Marino.
• There were no program notes for Ms. Auerbach’s work.  An insert with the full names of all 24 preludes was included in the program, and I would have liked to follow along as the cycle unfolded.  Unfortunately, that became impossible because house lights within Zipper Hall were turned completely off, making it impossible to read anything
• The listing of Ms. Auerbach’s work in the original program was “24 Preludes for Viola & Piano,” but the insert listed it as “24 Preludes for Viola and Piano (Wanderer)” [emphasis mine].  Additionally, the composer herself wrote the title as “24 Preludes for Viola and Piano (“Wanderer”)” on her own public Facebook post about the work [note quotes in the parentheses which are missing from the version in the insert].  I’m going with her version.
• Camerata Pacifica’s final four performances of the 2017-18 season will be May 10-15, in Downtown Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Marino.  The program features Schoenberg’s arrangements of works by Debussy and Mahler, plus music from Ravel, Satie, and Emma-Ruth Richards.

April 19, 2018:  Camerata Pacifica; Zipper Hall, The Colburn School (Los Angeles, CA)
Richard O”Neill, viola
Lera Auerbach, piano
Paul Huang, violin
Ani Aznavoorian, cello
Warren Jones, piano

AUERBACH: 24 Preludes for Viola and Piano (“Wanderer”) (world premiere)

• Mr. O’Neill and Ms. Auerbach

SCHUBERT:  Piano Trio in B-flat Major, D. 898, Op. 99

• Mr. Huang, Ms. Aznavoorian, Mr. Jones

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Photo credits:

• Ms. Auerbach and Mr. O’Neill:  courtesy of Ms. Auerbach’s public Facebook page
• Mr. Huang, Ms. Aznavoorian, and Mr. Jones:  photo by CK Dexter Haven
• Detailed listing of Ms. Auerbach’s 24 Preludes for Viola and Piano (“Wanderer”):  courtesy of Ms. Auerbach’s public Facebook page

The Southern California classical music community has lost one of its important voices.  Robert D. “Bob” Thomas died in the early morning of Thursday, May 3rd.

He reached countless readers as the long-time music critic and writer for the Pasadena Star-News and its sister publications in the Southern California News Group, as well as for his blog, the aptly named Class Act (published HERE and HERE).  His words also appeared in many other local newspapers, magazines, and concert programs.

I am personally grateful to Bob and will say a prayer of thanksgiving that I had the chance to know him personally.  He was an early  proponent of All is Yar and my writing, mentioning my articles and linking to them from his own site.  He was always kind,  friendly, and encouraging to me, and I had the great pleasure to share a box at the Hollywood Bowl with him on many summer evenings and chat with him during intermission at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Alex Theatre in Glendale, or other local venues.  

While he had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for some time, his passing still comes as a surprise as he had been actively writing and publishing articles and reviews within the past two weeks:

• LA Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra among the ensembles with a busy April on tap (April 16, 2018)
• REVIEW: Dudamel, Phil offer visual-laden “Das Lied von der Erd” [sic] (April 14, 2018)

Outside of classical music, he was very active with the Pasadena Presbyterian Church, serving in various capacities including Elder, Director of Administration, and a member of their music ministry.  He sung as a soloist or in choirs for over 50 years.  For 26 years, he was Director of Communications for the Southern California Golf Association.

According to his Facebook page, Bob was a graduate of Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, and later studied journalism at the University of Southern California and music at California State University, Los Angeles.  He is survived by his wife, Nikki Thomas, children, and siblings.

“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May he rest in peace. Amen.”

For Memorial Day 2018, I offer this video of a 2016 performance by the US Marine Band (“The President’s Own”) featuring soloist Thomas Hooten, Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Trumpet, playing an arrangement of “With Malice Toward None” from the John Williams soundtrack to the movie Lincoln.

Mr. Hooten was a member of the US Marine Band before embarking on his very successful orchestral career, so it was particularly rewarding to see him return as a soloist in front of his former colleagues.  In my 2015 interview with him, he remembered the impact those years had on him:  “It put things in proper perspective. One day you’re playing the Tomasi concerto and the next day you’re playing a funeral for someone who just died in Afghanistan.”

Before celebrating the rest of your Memorial Day, please enjoy this recording as you say a prayer of thanksgiving to all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

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Photo credit:  courtesy of Mr. Hooten

Hello again, folks.
Long time no chat.  Hope you’re well.

It’s obviously been a while, and so let’s start getting caught up by talking about some key personnel moves across the Southern California orchestral landscape and beyond.

New additions to the LA Phil (official and unofficial)

Since the beginning of the calendar year, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been busy plugging holes in their roster.  Nearly all the open chairs – and all the titled chairs – will be full by the start of their Centennial Season concerts in a few weeks.  

Most noteworthy are the new Principal Oboe and Principal Viola appointments.

• As previously reported, Ramon Ortega won the Principal Oboe auditions held last fall and will begin his duties once the LA Phil moves back into Walt Disney Concert Hall at the end of September.
  • If you don’t want to wait that long to see him perform, he will be playing works by Mozart, Koechlin, and Gounod at Zipper Hall on Sunday, September 23, as part of the Colburn Chamber Music Society.  His appearance is part of his role as the Colburn Conservatory’s new oboe professor.
  • I had a chance to sit down for a chat with Mr. Ortega earlier this summer, and I’m looking forward to sharing that interview in the next few days.  [UPDATE:  That interview has been published and can be found HERE]

• Teng Li won the Principal Viola auditions at the beginning of 2018, and officially joined the orchestra earlier this summer. The Nanjing, China, native comes to L.A. after having served in the same capacity with the Toronto Symphony since 2004, a position she won while still a student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia; she eventually graduated from Curtis in 2005.
  • She’s also appeared with numerous other orchestras and chamber music ensembles, most notably as a member of the Rosamunde Quartet (alongside Noah Bendix-Balgley, First Concertmaster of the Berlin Philarmonic, plus Shansan Yao and Nathan Vickery, violinist and cellist of the New York Philharmonic, respectively) and in multiple appearances with the Guarneri Quartet.
  • In 2015, she released 1939, an album featuring Hindemith’s Viola Sonata and along with other viola works by contemporaries.  “I wondered what inspired Hindemith to write such complexity of expression,” wrote Ms. Li. “My fascination led me to research that period, and I found music from various places written in different styles each with unusually creative compositional techniques. In this project, I wanted to showcase the works of different composers at that point in history to express how human beings from all walks of life can be affected during such horrific times.”  She describes the second movement of one of those pieces, Gideon Klein’s Duo for Violin and Viola,  as sounding like “the earliest punk or rock-n-roll music you can hear.  It really just sounds like screaming.  He’s using every possibility he can to scream, ‘What is going on??!’ “
  • Prior to studying at Curtis, Ms. Li studied at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China, where one of her fellow students was pianist Lang Lang.

The only other open titled chair has also been filled:  Jaclyn Rainey will be the LA Phil’s new Associate Principal Horn.

• Ms. Rainey has been Third Horn with the Atlanta Symphony since 2014.  Prior to that, she held positions of Acting Principal horn with the Naples Philharmonic and Associate Principal horn with the Louisiana Philharmonic.  She also performed with the Boston Symphony as part of their European tour in 2015.
• Her appointment ends a prolonged search involving multiple public and private auditions that began when Eric Overholt unfortunately had to step down from the position in 2014 after suffering a debilitating health condition.  Since then, a parade of hornists have sat in with the orchestra, some in hopes for gaining the position, others to give Andrew Bain (the orchestra’s distinguished Principal Horn) and others in the section a break.  Among the more prominent musicians who have graced the stages of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl in that time include, in alphabetical order:  Dale Clevenger (retired Principal, Chicago Symphony), David Cooper (Principal, Dallas Symphony, and for a time, Berlin Philharmonic), Jeffrey Fair (Principal, Seattle Symphony), Roger Kaza (Principal, St. Louis Symphony), Karl Pituch (Principal, Detroit Symphony), Marcel Sobol (Solo Horn, WDR Funkhaus Orchestre), and Sarah Willis (4th Horn, Berlin Philharmonic).  Not a bad group of stand-ins.  Credit Andrew Bain’s reputation and relationships (along with those of the orchestra) to attract such excellent temporary talent.
• Ms. Rainey’s name has yet to be added to the official LA Phil roster, but she has already played first chair with the orchestra on more than one occasion.  Most recently, she played guest principal for the July 24th concert at the Hollywood Bowl with Stéphane Denève conducting a program of Sibelius and Ravel.  While the amplified acoustics of the Bowl can often be uneven, they were well-behaved that night, and Ms. Rainey’s burnished tone came through clearly during her exposed moments, while blending smoothly with her colleagues at other times.  Tony Frankel of Stage and Cinema had a similar assessment in his review of the same concert.  I look forward to hearing Ms. Rainey play in the friendly confines of WDCH very soon.

Two section positions have also been filled:

• Paul Radke won the audition for 2nd Trombone in May and joined the orchestra in the middle of this summer’s Hollywood Bowl season.
  • The young musician, still in his mid-20s, was Acting 2nd Trombone at the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 2017.  He completed his Master’s Degree at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, in 2017 after having completed his undergraduate degree in 2015 from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and also spending some time at The Colburn School.  In 2016, he won two trombone competitions: the Lewis Van Haney Philharmonic Prize Tenor Trombone Competition and Frank Smith Tenor Trombone Competition.
  • A video of the finale of the Tomasi Trombone Concerto in a 2014 performance by the Young Artists Orchestra with Mr. Radke as featured soloist can be seen HERE
  • Mr. Radke fills the chair vacated by Herbert “Sonny” Ausman, an LA Phil veteran who joined the orchestra in 1971 and retired at the end of 2016.  He was the final link to the long-standing trombone section including Ralph Sauer, Byron Peebles, and Jeffrey Reynolds, a foursome that was intact for almost three decades.  Here’s hoping that current trombone section — (L to R in the Instagram photo below):  John Lofton (bass trombone), David Rejano (Principal), Mr. Radke, and James Miller (Associate Principal)  — have a similarly successful run.

• Evan Kuhlmann won the recent audition to be the LA Phil’s new Contrabassoon.
  • He is currently Assistant Principal Bassoon and Contrabassoon with the Oregon Symphony.  He has also performed with the St. Louis, San Diego, and Seattle Symphonies, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others.  He attended the Juilliard School, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance with Scholastic Distinction, a Graduate Diploma in Music Composition, and the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.
  • An avowed champion of new music, he has performed countless premieres as Principal Bassoon of the Cabrillo Music Festival, including works of John Adams, Magnus Lindberg, James MacMillan, and Christopher Rouse.
  • A Q&A with Mr. Kuhlmann is available on The Bassoon Brothers website.

With no retirements coming at the end of the summer, the only empty chair left for the LA Phil to fill on the current roster is for 3rd/Utility Trumpet.  Auditions for that position will be held in early October.  If you’re curious, the required repertoire for that audition can be found HERE.

Updates from other orchestras

Carl St.Clair, Music Director of the Pacific Symphony, hired a new Concertmaster for the orchestra in April:  Dennis Kim.

• Prior to coming to Southern California Mr. Kim had been Concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic while simultaneously serving on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada.  He was previously Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic and Tampere Philharmonic.  He also has been guest concertmaster of the BBC Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, among others.
• Mr. Kim is a graduate Curtis Institute of Music and Yale School of Music and plays the 1701 ex-Dushkin Stradivarius violin, on permanent loan from a generous donor.
• He replaces Raymond Kobler, a 17-year veteran of the orchestra who retired in 2016.  Mr. Kobler was previously Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony.
• Tim Mangan, music writer extraordinaire, recently interviewed Mr. Kim for his website, A Classical Life.  You can read it HERE.

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is looking to fill two vacancies before the end of the calendar year:

• Auditions for 2nd Trumpet will be held in mid November.  Darren Mulder previously held the position.
• Auditions for Principal Viola will occur in early December.  Roland Kato, a 40-year veteran of the orchestra, retired from the chair in 2016.  Sir Neville Marriner originally hired him in 1978, and he was promoted to Principal Viola by Iona Brown in 1987.  He has also held the principal position in many orchestras, including the LA Opera Orchestra, the Pasadena Symphony, the California Chamber Symphony and the Pasadena Chamber Orchestra.

RELATED POSTS:

• A chat with Ramón Ortega: the new LA Phil Principal Oboe and Colburn Conservatory instructor talks about his roots, his move to LA, and varying styles of oboe playing

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Photo credits:

• Ramon Ortega:  photo by Steven Haberland, courtesy of the artist
• Teng Li:  photo by Sian Richards, courtesy of the artist
• Jaclyn Rainey:  courtesy of the Atlanta Symphony
• Evan Kuhlmann:  courtesy of the Oregon Symphony
• Dennis Kim:  courtesy of Festival Mosaic

Thomas Hooten, Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, had a great idea:  record the John Williams Concerto for Trumpet and Piano.  He mentioned it to the distinguished composer who thought it was a great idea too and agreed to conduct the new recording.

Both of them decided to do it for free, but that wouldn’t be enough. Lead donors were engaged so that freelance orchestral musicians and other key personnel could be hired and the Sony Pictures soundstage reserved.   Things were looking good. They just needed the final $30,000 to fund the project.

So earlier this month, Mr. Hooten took to the internet to raise the balance needed from music fans around the globe.

The deadline to achieve this?  September 30, 2018.

Well, there must be many aficionados of Tom Hooten, John Williams, and/or trumpet music in general because the goal was met two weeks ahead of schedule.  Between the start of the campaign on September 5th and this past weekend, over 160 contributors pitched in.  Some gave via the website in amounts as small as $10, others as large as $5,000k+, and in many other increments in between.  All combined to break the $30,000 threshold, guaranteeing that the project will proceed as hoped.

The recording session will take place this coming Monday.  Working with Messrs. Hooten and Williams will be an 81-piece orchestra comprised of members of the deep pool of talented LA studio musicians combined with some of Mr. Hooten’s colleagues from the LA Phil.  In addition to the Trumpet Concerto, the theme from Born on the 4th of July will also be included.

That said, the donations haven’t stopped just because the desired number was achieved.  As of the time of publishing this article, total contributions had climbed to $33,307 and are likely to continue to grow.

If you haven’t already donated, you still can, and there are some pretty awesome perks that go along with your kind offering:

• At the entry-level offering of $10, you get a personalized and signed note from Mr. Hooten himself
• For $100, you get a signed CD of the recording, a digital download, and the aforementioned signed note from the trumpeter.
• Got $1,500 and want some premier access to one of the world’s leading trumpeters?  You’ll receive 3 in-person or skype 1 hour-long sessions with Tom. These can be trumpet lessons, music career advisement, audition preparation, or work around performance anxiety.  Plus you get other cool stuff like a framed copy of the front page of the score signed by Mr. Hooten, your name will be listed in the liner notes of the CD, a signed copy of Mr. Hooten’s previous CD, Trumpet Call, and the other perks mentioned at the $100 level.
• At $3,500, Mr. Hooten will perform a live and private 45 minute recital in Los Angeles, CA or anywhere in the world via Skype. Includes signed CD’s (Williams CD and Trumpet Call), and liner note recognition.
• If you feel like stepping all the way up to $5,000, you get:
  • “A VIP experience! Attend the recording session live on September 24, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA. See John Williams and Thomas Hooten in action, where you can sit in the sound booth during the recording session.” Includes signed CD’s (Williams CD and Trumpet Call), signed copy (by Mr. Hooten) of the front page of the score, and liner note recognition.

Interested in supporting a bad-ass musician making great music?  Just head over to the campaign’s Kickstarter page in the next few days, and you too can be a part of this worthwhile musical endeavor.

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Photo credit:  courtesy of Thomas Hooten

This evening, Ramón Ortega headlines a chamber music concert at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall featuring oboe-centric works by Mozart, Koechlin, and Gounod.  It marks the first official public appearance by Mr. Ortega as Colburn Conservatory’s new oboe instructor.  Later this week, he officially begins performing at his other gig in town — Principal Oboe of the Los Angeles Philharmonic — as part of the orchestra’s opening concerts to its Centennial season.

These won’t be his first concerts in Southern California.   Mr. Ortega played first chair with the LA Phil for Das Paradies und die Peri, Schumann’s rarely heard oratorio, at the end of their 2017-18 season.  In conjunction with those appearances, he spent the last week in May auditioning students for his newly established oboe studio at Colburn.  It was during that time that I had the chance to sit down and chat with him.

It happened to be one of those picture-postcard late-Spring afternoons in Los Angeles:  sunny and warm, with barely any wisps of clouds to interrupt the clear blue sky; a “Chamber of Commerce” kind of day, as Vin Scully often described it.  In the midst of it, Mr. Ortega fit right in:  casual and relaxed, with sleeves folded up, shirt front partially open, and button-down collars undone.  He was still a visitor to the area, not yet having found a place to live in the area, but he seemed remarkably comfortable in his new surroundings.

“Actually, the landscape looks quite similar to south of Spain where I grew up,” says the native of Granada.  “The trees, the air — it reminds me a lot of this part of the world.  It doesn’t feel so foreign.  Many people ask me, ‘Why LA?’ When I went to Germany, it felt much more foreign I have to say than when I come here.”

The climate isn’t the only thing that reminds him of home.  “It’s another continent and another culture as well, but here you have also a very strong Latino community. So, it’s funny, but when I see the names on the highways it’s Spanish — La Cañada, La Brea, Alhambra — this kind of stuff.  So in this way it feels very welcoming for me as a Spanish person.”

He jokes a bit about getting used to the local pronunciation for places like Santa Monica, going back and forth between his naturally lilting, articulated Spanish accent (“San-ta Moh-nee-ka”)and the more slurred American accent with softened consonants and flattened vowels (“Sehnna Mahnickuh”).  He does something similar with his new city’s name.  “Even LA — Los Angeles, Los Angeles,” he demonstrates with a grin.

It’s not something he ever could do when he went from España to Deutschland.  “When you go to Germany, that’s a shock.  You don’t understand a word.”

Despite the cultural challenges, it was in that country that he made a name for himself as an oboist, most notably as Solo Oboist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. So if Mr. Ortega’s transition to Los Angeles is at least as successful as his move to Germany was, he’ll be just fine and local audiences and Colburn students will be in for quite a treat.

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The path to Germany and eventually Los Angeles began in his own home in Granada.  His father was a pianist and conservatory teacher in town.  When he was about six years-old, Mr. Ortega’s older sister would come back from her piano lessons and practice at home.  “I would just go on the piano and try to imitate her,” he remembers. This eventually led to conflict between the two siblings, both wanting to time on the lone instrument at home.

His father recognized his musical talents but also wanted to increase the peace in the house, and suggested to then eight-year old Ramón to take up a different instrument.  “I think because his best friend at the conservatory was the oboe teacher, it was quite natural I think,” he offers with a smile. “Probably they spoke, ‘Ah, what to do with my son? He’s already annoying the sister because he wants to play piano.’ And then he said, ‘Oh, give him an oboe!’ ”

That suggestion came with a word of caution, however.  “I remember the teacher said, ‘He should try oboe, but not everyone can play. It’s very special.’ ”

“And actually, that was quite motivating for me because of this feeling as a child that what you are doing is something special, that not everyone is able to do. So I remember trying very hard and very seriously. It went very well from the beginning I have to say. Quite naturally.”

His teacher encouraged him to play a lot, focusing less on particular sound quality, at least initially, and more on expanding repertoire.  “I always was quite fast. Moving forward, always keen and curious to go on, to continue. He didn’t have a problem with that. He was, ‘OK, he’s able to play this, we can go on.’ Some teachers are, ‘Ah, but you should play more perfectly,’ or, ‘more in this way.’ And I think in this age – at least for me in my case – you want to discover and learn and play more things rather than to perfect or master one single piece, right?”

“Yeah, those are wonderful years that you miss, where everything happens very naturally. You listen, you want to play, you imitate and it’s more instinctive playing then when you get older you kind of start analyzing things, which is important too, of course. But yeah, I think it was quite natural this way.”

His teacher also took pains to make learning the “special” instrument easier.  “He gave me wonderful reeds I remember. Very comfortable, very easy to play. Maybe not the best sounding reeds, but I think when a child starts playing oboe that’s the best way because you have the feeling that it’s fun. You have to approach music as something that is fun and pleasurable to do, not a struggle. Then later of course I would take harder reeds that had rounder sounds and better, nice sound also.”

Ah, yes.  Reeds:  the constant nemesis of oboists everywhere.  They’re a unique challenge that is particularly acute for a young musician, causing struggles with which his friends playing other woodwind instruments did not have to deal.

“You know your friend plays the clarinet. I remember going to the band or to the orchestra – the conservatory orchestra – and your friends play flute or clarinet and that’s kind of easy. And then you want to play also like them, not getting red and struggling like many oboists do.” he says, laughing. “So I think that was very important for me, and this teacher really helped me a lot on that.”

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Those lessons continued for five years until his father’s friend retired.  He continued to play for about a year and a half without formal instruction when, at the age of 15, he auditioned for and was accepted to the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim.  Gregor Witt, solo oboe of the Berlin State Opera and noted pedagogue, was coaching the winds.  “I was searching kind of for a teacher and he was there.  And also, Barenboim encouraged me too, to come to Berlin maybe once every two months – something like this – because I was 15 at that time.”

“He was completely different to my other teacher, ” Mr. Ortega explains, “because he comes from the traditional German school of oboe playing, like the guys from the ‘80s, ‘70s:  Lothar Koch or Manfred Clement, this kind of playing. Very traditional German, which was very different to Spain. I think in Spain it was more close to the French school or oboe playing. And yeah, it was a shock for me.  Also, the reeds, the way he made them. And the sound much darker with much more body. But it was very interesting I think to get a picture – the whole picture of oboe playing. Lighter, more virtuosic sound I would say to a more heavy and darker sound.”

It was not an easy transition, at least at first.  “It took a year I would say until I really got comfortable to this set up in this way,” he confesses.  The reeds weren’t the only difference.  His new instructor was more rigid, or as Mr. Ortega describes, “More kind of Germanic way of teaching. And also, as a player I think.”

But it was a good transition, an important transition, and the exposure to contrasting styles of oboe playing laid the foundation for him to find his own musical aesthetic, his own way of working reeds, and of playing.  “Yeah, this was a time of thinking, of experimenting. Also, I remember working with some colleagues, ‘Maybe we would try to do something in the middle.’ But yeah, it didn’t work as good as his reeds. So at the end I ended up playing fully this set up,” with a Ludwig Frank oboe, he explains.  “But that was only one year, and then I switched back to Marigaux.”

“And then after I got my job and got kind of independent I found my own way, which I really think is the nature of both in the end.”

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His own way worked out quite well.  In addition to landing a plum job in Munich at one of the world’s best orchestras, he has many solo and chamber music recordings to his credit.  Those recordings feature playing that is neither strictly Germanic nor French in style.  It’s a sound that Mr. Ortega has cultivated based on the breadth of his musical influences he has had combined with an idealized oboe sound he’s had in his head.  And it’s a sound that continues to evolve.

“You hear recordings of yourself, and I have to say when I was 19 and got the job at the orchestra, it also opened my boundaries and my ideas of the sound because the way they play in Munich — the orchestra, you know, the other wind colleagues, the other oboists — was different. And the one I was learning by Gregor or the Barenboim style, which is a little more like, I would say, a more traditional German way.”

“I tried to adjust to find something a bit more flexible,” he explains.  “I think I really identify with a dark and soft oboe sound. I think that’s how oboe sounds the best. I don’t like too much when the oboe is too clear, too pointed, too brilliant. Oboe in itself is a sound that comes through very easily I find, so I think the most refined way is when you try to make it softer. Yeah, dark (chuckling).”

“But at the same time – this is a balance of any instrumentalist, even in piano, the balance between a big and round sound and a flexible [one],” he continues. “I think any instrumentalist has this issue. So, it’s really an art, mastering these two parameters.”

We talk about his oboe heroes, and one name immediately comes up:  Heinz Holliger.  “As a little boy I got recordings of Heinz Holliger. Also others, but then always when I listened to Heinz Holliger that was kind of a – a little above the others. It was like, ‘Oh, he’s the best.’ Yeah, and he also recorded a lot, so he’s of course a reference in the oboe world.”

Mr. Ortega’s admiration of Mr. Holliger stems not only from his playing, but from his overall influence on oboists and the oboe repertoire.  “His work — I think is how you say in English — ‘unreachable.’ Really. Because he has done so much for the oboe that it will be hard that someone would really even match this kind of – you know, working with composers and – he really has recorded everything. Also the new stuff. I mean, he’s still commissioning and people still write pieces for him. So he’s so long – he’s still playing. He’s so long in the business now, on the scene, it’s really amazing how much he did.”

We go on discussing Mr. Holliger for several minutes, and I ask about how Mr. Ortega would describe his sound:  “Oh, he’s clearly on the traditional French side,” he’s quick to say before adding, “Yeah, but Heinz’s sound is — I think at the end it’s his own sound. The way he sings through the oboe. But if you analyze, I mean many people have an issue with the fact that he sounds very clear, not very brilliant on his sound,” he says.  “But it’s really a matter of after you hear him more than one minute, than you are carried away by his musicianship and what he does with the song rather than how is the sound itself.”

And it’s that musicianship that makes Mr. Holliger — or any musician, for that matter — stand out to him.

“I think that’s actually the goal of any instrumentalist, to sing through the instrument and to really forget that you are playing an instrument. I don’t want to play an instrument; I want to play music. And I hear a tuba player which sounds marvelous when singing through his tuba. I’m very happy with that.”

“I think what is important is the musician behind the instrument rather than – that’s why when many people say, ‘Ah, but in America they play American oboe. And you are European.’ I think, ‘Yeah, it’s just an instrument – the music is of course above all of this.’ So I think that’s what we shouldn’t forget and get too much into the differences between this sound or this other sound. I think we all – players should be judged as musicians first and what do we do with our musical ideas rather than what we do with our materials or our instruments. I think that’s the goal of music making.”

When asked to name his other favorite oboists besides Heinz Holliger, Mr. Ortega mentions two Europeans — Albrecht Mayer (current Berlin Philharmonic Principal Oboe) and François Leleux (soloist and previous Solo Oboe of the BRSO) — before adding two Americans, Alex Klein and Ray Still, both former Principal Oboes of the Chicago Symphony.

“As a student already one of my idols of Alex Klein,” he says. “I remember a friend passed me this recording of Schubert’s works he has, which is marvelous. It’s really a “one” recording among a million releases. It’s really marvelous playing. I didn’t care if he sounds American or European. It’s such beautiful playing.  I think he’s still up there.  I heard some recordings of Ray Still also with the Chicago Symphony. I remember a Strauss recording. I think he has also the Marcello Concerto recorded.  Beautiful players”

He explains how after winning the audition in LA, he started to do more research on American oboists and found many whose playing he admired.  “There are really beautiful players, like the guy from Boston, John Ferrillo. He sounds very musical, very beautiful.”

He describes his thoughts on the traditional American oboe style:  “What I love of it is that the sound is more intimate. I think that’s the right word. You kind of have to get close to it rather than he’s getting into your ear. You have to really want to go and listen to it and then you discover marvelous colors, marvelous dynamics and modulations of the sound. So I think that’s the main difference between – the European playing in comparison is more open, more extravert kind of playing. I would say maybe more soloistic or brilliant. Maybe that’s the word.”

“But it always depends from player to player,” he cautions. “I mean, there are also European players which are really intimate playing. And I guess the opposite also. Also, if you hear Ray Still, he’s quite a soloist, quite a strong personality. But yeah, I would say that is the main difference.”

He also mentions Allan Vogel, legendary American oboist, former Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra principal, and his predecessor as instructor at the Colburn Conservatory.  We discuss how Mr. Vogel’s playing definitely has an American quality, yet not strictly in the traditional Tabuteau style.  No matter.  “He’s an artist himself and that’s why I love him.  I remember a Saint-Saëns sonata he has recorded. A friend of my passed me a recording of it and it sounded really – like he can really sing. When you listen to him it’s a beautiful sound. But then what’s most important for me he’s a beautiful musician, what he’s doing with the sound on the phrasing and the colors. So that’s interesting for me.”

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That prioritization of musician above specific choice of instrument, of musicianship over musical style or school, is what led the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel to pick Mr. Ortega to be their new Principal Oboe, and for the Colburn Conservatory to follow quickly with an offer of their own.  Picking a great musician for either post would seem to be the baseline requirement, regardless of where that person was from.

It didn’t change the fact that the appointments raised more than a few eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.  One didn’t have to look to hard on the internet to find detractors:

• That a leading American orchestra would pick a European oboist of any flavor — Spanish, German, French, or whatever — and not a disciple of Marcel Tabuteau and the American school of oboe playing (as were previous LA Phil principals Ariana Ghez and David Weiss) was inconceivable.  Here’s an opinion shared on Facebook from a professional woodwind player based in Southern California:  “Based on the sound sample, he plays in an antiquated style . . .  It is a step back into the dark ages: the weird, slow vibrato, the lack of tone color variety, the retrograde phrasing, all a thing of the past. Woodwind playing has become an American phenomenon and there is a reason for that.”
• This ditty from Norman Lebrecht on Slipped Disc:    “When we reported two months ago that Ramon Ortega, principal oboe of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, was leaving one of the best jobs in Europe to join the LA Phil, there was widespread bemusement.  The BRSO is a virtuosic ensemble with elysian working conditions. Ramon, along with other principals, is required to work no more than 20 weeks a year.  He can be on the ski slopes within half an hour of finishing rehearsal and on an Italian beach within an hour’s flight.  Why give all this up for the smogways of Hollywood? Especially when you’re only 29.”

That said, those aren’t universal opinions by any means.  One prominent American oboist sees no problem whatsoever with Mr. Ortega getting offers from two prestigious American institutions.  Claire Brazeau is the Principal Oboe of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and is a Colburn alumna who studied there under Mr. Vogel, her predecessor as LACO principal.  She is unequivocal in her praise:  “Ramón is a spectacular oboist and musician, and we’re lucky to have him in LA.”

More importantly, both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Colburn made it very clear that each of their overarching goals was to find a great oboist and musician, regardless of school or style.

In a previous article, I described how the other LA Phil woodwind principals approached their search for an Oboe Principal with an open mind.  As Denis Bouriakov, Principal Flute, said:

“To me, the “school” by itself is not so important, it’s more the particular player and their sound, their phrasing, how they use their vibrato, and things like that.  It’s more important than how they cut reeds.”

I asked Lee Cioppa, Dean of the Colburn Conservatory, what thoughts or concerns she and/or her colleagues might have had about the fact that he came from the “European School” of oboe playing instead of the American tradition.  She replied:

The search committee for the oboe faculty position spent quite a lot of time in very thoughtful discussion about what sort of teacher would be right for the future of the Conservatory. There is a considerable range of aesthetic within the American school of oboe playing, and the music world has become so global that the differences with the European school have become less pronounced.

So the bigger question became what sort of musicians we wanted our students to be, and when Ramon went through our process, it was evident that he is truly a once in a generation artist. We believe that he will be a huge international draw, and that the oboists he teaches will end up performing all over the world.

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While Mr. Ortega isn’t worried about being a European oboist in America, he is certainly aware of the ramifications and is keen to avoid potential conflicts.

It starts with his new studio at Colburn.  “I just wanted to make sure with the students. Of course I can offer then to teach them the European way of making reeds, if they want to. But it doesn’t have to be. I’m very fine if they keep playing on American setup and we just work on technical or musical stuff. But I want to make sure that they are confident on reed making; that was my main concern. So, yeah, if they are fine with it and independent on these things – because I, myself, am not knowing how an American reed works. I can play on it, but I cannot help them improve their reeds; that’s the thing. But if they are confident and independent with it, I was very fine.”

“At the end reed making – I find – is very personal and you have to discover yourself the way to do it, because everyone of us are different. You know? The air, the mouth cavity and the lungs, the way you blow, the way you hold the reed, so some people like harder materials, softer material. Some people like wider shapes, narrower shapes. It all depends. So you have to discover what works better for you.”

He’s very grateful to have been entrusted with the important positions at the LA Phil and Colburn.

“First of all, it’s a big honor for me to be able to do that now. And yeah, again it was a matter of chance that both positions were free at the same time.  I am very excited to take the class, because it will be my first own class – oboe class. And I love the fact that it will be small. A maximum of five people, which means you really can concentrate on working with each of them in detail. And getting results. I mean, I have done some teaching – master classes and private teaching – but I find it hard actually this way, the master classes, because you come for two days and you listen to a person maximum twice. Of course, you can try to inspire or try to help or spotlight some problem, but you cannot do a regular work and see if there’s some improvement. If what you are telling is being of any uses – if it’s something useful or not. So I’m very much looking forward to building something up with each of them, and yes, see how it develops.”

He talks about the importance of preparing his students for auditions and careers as orchestral musicians, where learning symphonic excerpts is vital for success, while also grounding them in solo and chamber music repertoire.

“If you are a violinist or a pianist you can think or dream more of a solo career. But with the oboe it’s very hard to make it basically because of the repertoire and the history. Orchestras are not used to program oboe concertos that often. So our repertoire is maybe a little bit smaller than those instruments – in general wind instruments. On the other side of the orchestra we have a marvelous repertoire to play. Like Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler symphonies – that’s really amazing to play. So myself I also love having this combination of two things, but again I think the base of a wind player is to be an orchestra musician.”

“So the students, they want to get a job in an orchestra. And that’s why it’s getting more and more in this direction. Also teachers. The way that you’re successful as a teacher is when you get – when your students win a job. . . . At the end, as an oboe teacher, you listen to Mozart, Strauss, and a lot of orchestra excerpts.”

“I would love, of course, to focus on the [other] repertoire too – and this is very important – because there is an amazing repertoire. Like all of the baroque repertoire is a base. And it helps you open your horizons, your playing. If you’re able to play Bach sonatas you have little problems with Mozart concertos. And you understand this music better, because it comes from the earlier music. So I don’t want them to miss that. That’s why I learn the Bach cantata solos or the Vivaldi concertos, which are very important, too. So I want to give them also a bit of open perspective as possible.”

I point out that the love of Bach is something he shares in common with his predecessor, Mr. Vogel.  He’s happy to hear it, and makes it clear his new students will get a healthy dose of the Baroque master’s music.  “It helps me to really understand up to Mahler, Ravel – everything came after that. You cannot understand Brahms, Mozart – anything – if you don’t really know how to play Bach I find”

He’s also keen on contemporary music from the 20th Century and new music from living composers.  He premiered a new oboe concerto, “Legacy,” written by Oscar Navarro and dedicated to Mr. Ortega.  He’ll get the chance to play tons of contemporary music during the LA Phil’s centennial season.  And to him, that’s great.

“Oboe repertoire is highly affected by the 20^th century, 21^st. Thanks again to Heinz Holliger who worked with Lutoslawski and Penderecki.  Himself, Heinz Holliger, he wrote amazing pieces.  Yeah, [new music] is a very important part of the repertoire. You know we have the baroque was the oboe was actually the first wind instrument that joined the baroque orchestra and the string orchestra. And then have classical romantic centuries, not so much focus. But again, on the 20^th century, composers came back to the oboe and wrote. We have theMartinů Concerto and many other wonderful pieces by Vaughan Williams, John Williams, Elliot Carter.”

“So you cannot understand the oboe today without the 20 and 21^st century composers. as a student you have to be able – you have to know – the Berio Sequenza, the Holliger Sonata, the Holliger studies.  I hope they dare to get into that!”

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He is clearly energized by the opportunities in Los Angeles, both professionally and personally.  He is effusive with praise for his new colleagues in the LA Phil, both in the oboe section and especially for the other wind principals — Boris Allakhverdyan (clarinet), Whitney Crockett (bassoon), Andrew Bain (horn), and the aforementioned Mr. Bouriakov (flute) — with whom he’ll soon be appearing as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Wind Quintet.  “We are all five very excited about it. They are marvelous guys. This is really a plus for me coming here. I know that they have very good atmosphere on the wind section. And yes, I am very excited to start playing with them at the orchestra and in the quintet.”

The wide variety of available cuisines — Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Filipino, and yes, Spanish — is a big plus.  David Rejano, the LA Phil’s Principal Trombone and fellow Spaniard and former resident of Munich (he came to LA from the Munich Philharmonic), has already taken him to a few places, including Grand Central Market, the kaleidoscope of flavors in Downtown LA mere blocks from Colburn and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

His only concern is the distance to Europe for him, his wife, oboist Tamar Inbar, and their three-year old son.  “Yeah, it’s physically very far. You have to fly over 10 hours to get to European where we still have of course a lot of important things in life. I play lots of solo stuff there and I will have to come over. And our families are there. So we need to see how we manage with the distance and coordinating trips and flights and jet lag and all of that. (Laughs)”

Still, he’s not worried.  “But yeah, and I mean again, we’re looking forward to building up a new life here,” he reassures.  “It’s a very exciting time.”

RELATED POSTS:

• Comings and goings at the LA Phil and beyond (End of Summer 2018 edition)

• The next LA Phil Principal Oboe will be Ramón Ortega Quero [UPDATED]

• Chatting with the LA Phil woodwind principals Whitney Crockett, Denis Bouriakov, and Boris Allakhverdyan

Colburn Chamber Music Society

Zipper Hall

Ramón Ortega, Oboe

Program Information
MOZART Oboe Quartet
MOZART Oboe Quintet
KOECHLIN Sonata for Seven
GOUNOD Petite Symphonie

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Photo credits:

• Portraits of Ramon Ortega:  photos by CK Dexter Haven exclusively for All is Yar
• Gregor Witt:  courtesy of the Barenboim-Said Akademie
• Heinz Holliger:  photo by Priska Ketterer courtesy of Colbert Artists Management
• Allan Vogel CD cover:  courtesy of Delos
• Claire Brazeau:  photo by @jordankphoto courtesy of the artist
• Los Angeles Philharmonic Wind Quintet and Gustavo Dudamel:  courtesy of Denis Bouriakov

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra begins its 2018-19 season in earnest with performances at the Alex Theatre on Saturday and UCLA’s Royce Hall on Sunday featuring violinist Hillary Hahn.  While guest conductor Gemma New will be on the podium this weekend, these concerts represent the first full season of a new era.

LACO announced earlier this year that Jaime Martin will be its sixth-ever Music Director. The Spanish musician will hold the title of Music Director Designate through this season, officially taking the reins at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season.

How did Mr. Martin go from the Principal Flute chair of the London Philharmonic to landing the top job at one of the America’s most venerable and respected chamber orchestras in a little over five years?  Why would LACO — an orchestra whose prior Music Directors included Sir Neville Marriner, Gerard Schwartz, Iona Brown, Christophe Perick, and for the last twenty years, Jeffrey Kahane — trust its future to a man who was virtually unknown in the US?

To answer these questions and more, All is Yar was given the opportunity to chat with four people at LACO who would know:  Scott Harrison (Executive Director), Wade Culbreath (Principal Percussion and a member of the search committee), Leslie Lassiter (President and Board Chair), and Mr. Martin himself.

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“I didn’t even know they were still looking.”  — Jaime Martin

In September 2017, Mr. Martin (pronounced like “Martinez” but minus the “ez,” with accent on the second syllable) stepped in front of LACO for the first time.  On the program that week:  Mozart’s Overture to The Abduction at the Seraglio, Bernstein’s Serenade, after Plato’s “Symposium” featuring violinist Joshua Bell, and the Brahms Serenade No. 1 in D.

“The Bernstein Serenade is an extremely tricky piece to pull off,” explains Mr. Culbreath, ” and I thought it was a good piece to do with Jaime because it would really show his ability. So we really would be able to see him – put him to the test so to speak.”

If it were a test, Mr. Martin didn’t know it. “I think my agent said that they had been looking for a chief conductor for some time,” he tells me.  “And they already had a short list.  I really honestly thought that the machinery was already moving and that I was just too late.  Which in a way is good, because you don’t have the pressure.”

By all accounts, the concerts were a huge success.  On the way to the parking lot that Sunday night, I crossed paths with many LACO musicians, all of whom looked notably energized and happy.  One musician had a glint in their eye, a combination of surprise, excitement, and hopefulness.  “That went well. Really well.  Makes you think,” they said with a wry smile.

Mr. Culbreath echoed that sentiment.  “All I can remember is that I never had to worry.  It was just very comfortable and there was never a moment where I thought, ‘Uh-oh, this is not – I’m not so sure what’s going to happen next!’ I always felt very comfortable with him,” he says.  “And after the performance and after that week, I spoke to a lot of people in the orchestra who had been playing that week. And everyone seemed to have a feeling that it was one of the most enjoyable weeks they’d ever had at LACO. . . . Musically and technically what he achieved, he was able to pull off a difficult piece and still make us feel really confident.”

For Mr. Martin, the feeling was definitely mutual.  “I felt it from the first time I came to conduct, from the very first chord they played in rehearsal,” he says.  “I just came to do a week of work, and it was lovely.  It felt very special — like a very quick connection.”

From her seat in the audience, Ms. Lassiter could sense something unexpected, something special, was happening.  “I went the first night at the Alex, and then I went back the second night,” she said.  “I felt that the orchestra had that sense that they had with Jeff. They just exuded enthusiasm, excitement for the music. It just came through. And it’s so funny, because it’s so hard to describe.”

“Every time we have a concert LACO gets on the stage and they’re professionals and they do a really good job,” she emphasises. “But there are those days where it’s just extra special. And the musicianship, the sense of them all playing together as a team, it’s just – it was one of those weeks.”

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“You might have someone that the press adores and that the musicians are not happy with. Or you may have the opposite where the musicians love this conductor and then the press gives them a bad review.”  — Wade Culbreath

Mr. Kahane announced in 2014 that he’d step down as Music Director in 2017, ending a 20-year tenure.  At the time of the announcement, Mr. Martin had only been conducting full-time for less than a year.  No one would have bet that the search for a new person to take the helm at LACO would have led to him, and particularly that it would’ve happened so quickly after his first concerts.

As it turns out, the selection process was purposely designed to be slow and deliberate.  Some wanted to have a Music Director in place by the beginning of the 2017-18 season to avoid an interregnum and ensure a seamless transition from one leader to another.  Not Mr. Culbreath.

Wade Culbreath, LACO Principal Percussion

“I always advocated for taking the time, because I felt that after [two decades] – especially in a situation where you’ve had a Music Director for that long – it’s nice to not feel rushed and to be able to have a good amount of time to really experience what it’s like to have the orchestra led by a pretty good number of candidates,” he states.   “So that the orchestra gets a feel for a lot of different interpretations of works that we perform a lot.   Or just different personalities and just getting to play the field in a way . . . it’s not necessarily bad to have a couple of seasons of guest conductors in my opinion because it kind of makes the orchestra play differently.”

“After 20 years, it’s been a long time since LACO had done a search. And so we kind of had to regroup and think about what that meant,” Ms. Lassiter says.  “We had to start to build a schedule that allowed guest conductors to come in so that everybody could see them and the musicians could work with them. So, with a season like ours, that meant it probably was going to take a few years,” she says before laughing.  “If it took longer than we thought, that was OK. But we wanted to find the right person for us.”

A critical part of that process that was made public early on:  no one would be offered the position unless they had conducted the orchestra in at least two separate weeks of concerts.  This led to an easy way for the public and press to begin to handicap candidates.  When a conductor appeared on the schedule a second time, they were assumed to be in the running.

Once Mr. Martin’s name showed up on the LACO calendar for an April 2019 concert, he cleared that hurdle. Some interesting names also fit that description:

• Karina Canellakis:  The thirty-something had been Jaap van Zweden’s Assistant Conductor at the Dallas Symphony for two years to go with podium stints in Bergen and Berlin, among other European cities.  Her debut with LACO with both baton and violin in hand was well received, leading Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times to suggest that LACO take the plunge and appoint her as Music Director.
• Thomas Dausgaard:  Word was that the Swedish conductor was one of the favored candidates — perhaps the favored candidate — for the position.  Then the Seattle Symphony promoted him from their Principal Guest Conductor to Music Director, and all bets were off, but given the part-time nature of LACO, there was speculation that he could still be in the mix.
• Peter Oundjian:  The former first violinist with the famed Tokyo String Quartet was stepping down from both of his Music Directorships with the Toronto Symphony and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, so both resume and timing seemed right.  His two most recent appearances with LACO were solid, and a third was announced for the 2018-19 season.
• Matthias Pintscher:  The conductor/composer has been building connections with Southern California musical institutions.  He was scheduled to  conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, had been named Music Director of the 2020 Ojai Festival, and was on tap to make his second LACO appearance in 2019 with a typically eclectic program.

Did that mean that everybody conducting the orchestra twice was, in fact, a candidate?  Yes.  Maybe.  Kind of.  Not really.  It depends on who you talk to.

From the musician’s standpoint, every guest conductor was a potential candidate.  “In fact, we knew that we had to only hire people who would be candidates – or potential candidates. So we didn’t really want to fill the schedule with people we weren’t interested in,” Mr. Culbreath reveals.  “We knew that we couldn’t waste any time with having anyone that came through that wasn’t a potential candidate for that reason. ”

Mr. Harrison has a more nuanced take.  “I guess in one sense everyone’s a potential candidate in the sense that anything is possible. But I think that what’s fair to say is there was certainly heightened interest in everybody these past few years.  We were looking at and evaluating and comprehending those performances, knowing in the back of our minds that among these conductors could be the next Music Director or the candidate to be the next Music Director.”

“But the reality is that not everyone was a candidate,” he says. “Not everyone wanted to be a candidate. Some people just wanted to guest conduct LACO, and we wanted that to happen because they were some great musicians and conductors to work with.”

Ms. Lassiter is more forthright, albeit amiably.  “No, no. Not everyone was because you know how far out you have to program these things,” she explains.  “It’s not like when we knew Jeffery was going, we didn’t have people already in place. And there were people that we know – are people we want to continue to get to know. And we didn’t feel like we should ignore them, even though they weren’t really a candidate at that point. So not everybody was a candidate.”

She adds, laughing.  “And certainly, I’ll never tell you who was and who wasn’t!”

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“It was just palpable – the energy and the connection. [So] we actually arranged a special semi-private concert for him to come back because we were so excited and we didn’t want to keep waiting.” — Scott Harrison

Mr. Martin’s September 2017 debut with the orchestra wasn’t just successful musically.  There was chemistry between him and the musicians — and him and the audience.

“I felt that he really connected on an emotional level with the orchestra,” Mr. Culbreath says.  “The performance itself felt like it was on a different level. And I felt – everyone just felt really kind of elated after that week. So I think he also connected with the audience and is an extremely likeable personality. A lot of that just kind of happened.”

“The musical and personal outcomes were so great in September,” Mr. Harrison says. “The concert was electric, the audience was on the edge of its seat. Orchestra was tuned in. [Jaime] had the most amazing interactions with our board and donors. And we just saw ourselves – we saw that this could be it.”

Buzz was growing rapidly.  There was a feeling that the orchestra should not — could not — wait until Mr. Martin’s scheduled April 2019 return to assess whether or not to offer him the Music Directorship.

Mr. Culbreath explains:  “Judging from the reaction that the orchestra had in September, it seemed like a good idea to speed that process up because we had already been three years into this and we were – so many people were feeling so impressed with [Jaime] from September. It just seemed like a good idea to kind of help that along, speed that process up, because  the conductors you want to see are booked up. And it takes forever to find just the right time. And not only that, with your orchestra but with their schedule. And that’s part of the process that can be excruciating, is that, ‘OK, we like this guy, but he’s not available for another year. OK, this is ridiculous! How long are we going to do this?’! ”

“It just seemed so far away before we would be able to see him again, that we decided, ‘You know what? Let’s go ahead and figure out when we can do another concert with him, a special concert,’ ” says Ms. Lassiter.

They reached out to Mr. Martin about a week after his September concerts.  “It was very nice, very special,” he recalls.  “I think they felt that too, that’s why suddenly they got in touch to say that they wanted to create another concert, to have me revisit on the same season rather than wait for one more year.”

Scott Harrison, LACO Executive Director

“So we had him come back in January for a semi-private concert at The Soraya in Northridge.” says Mr. Harrison.  “We talked it through and said, ‘OK, let’s have him back. Let’s schedule this special concert and let’s see if this is real. We think it is. But of course, there have been stories in this industry where something feels right the first time – it’s like any other interview process. You want that second interview to really be sure and to really make sure that it wasn’t just a happenstance or that’s all there was in the tank so to speak. And again, the second visit just verified that this is real. That the energy is real, the connection is real. That the chemistry with both the orchestra and with the larger community is real.”

“When we had an opportunity to see him again, most of the people I spoke with felt the same way,” Mr. Culbreath remembers.  “I think he just really connected with the orchestra on an emotional level and musically as well.”

Mr. Martin even played the flute as encore during that January concert.

“That was his idea,” explains Mr. Harrison. “He’s a fun guy and he’s a creative guy. He hasn’t played professionally in a number of years, so we didn’t want to — in a very important concert — say to him, ‘Oh, by the way, take out your flute.’ And all of a sudden, he’s worrying about this extra preparation when he’s got a really major concert to conduct. But no, he came right out and said, ‘I’d love to play flute. It would be such a fun way to end the program and the Bach is something that’s very close to me and something that’s in my fingers. And let’s just do that. Let’s have fun. And it will just add a great spirit to the end of the concert.’ ”

That concert sealed the deal.  Mr. Harrison describes what happened next.  “The [search] committee issued its recommendation to the board and the board said, ‘All right now. We’re excited and let’s go forward.’ And so I reached out to Jaime and he said, ‘Oh, my gosh! I’m so enthusiastic too.’ ”

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“After 20 years of anybody – I mean, it’s like a marriage, right? You’re just used to that person and it’s gone well and you’re happy. And I think starting out with anybody new it’s natural to have thoughts about, ‘Hmm, how is this going to be different? Is this going to work the same way?’ ” — Leslie Lassiter

Jeffrey Kahane’s tenure at of LACO was an undeniable triumph.  When he joined the orchestra, it was barely breathing, mired in financial disarray and artistic uncertainty.  Two decades later, he was leaving an orchestra on a stable financial footing, with a stellar musical reputation, and expanded programming that embraced living composers while remaining grounded in the core chamber music repertoire.

The job requirements for a Music Director of an American orchestra are broader than those of Chief Conductor of a European orchestra.  In addition to leading rehearsals and concerts, that person is involved in fundraising, educational outreach, and programming.  Even the role of filling open seats in European orchestras is often controlled by the musicians themselves.

By all accounts, Mr. Kahane excelled and embraced it all.  He enjoyed engaging with the audience in pre-concert talks from the stage.  He was determined to connect LACO with the communities in which it performed in new and interesting ways, for artistic, educational, and humanitarian reasons.

Leslie Lassiter, LACO Board Chair

“Jeffrey built LACO for the first years of this millennium. And we really wanted somebody who was also going to think about, ‘OK, what does LACO need to be for the next 20 years,’ ” says Ms. Lassiter.

Regardless of how good Mr. Martin’s conducting chemistry was with LACO, did he have what it took to handle the rest of the responsibilities?  A flutist with his background — only five years worth of conducting experience of any kind, podium appearances in the US that you could count on one hand, and no Music Directorships — does not exactly have the administrative resume that screams out as someone you’d trust to build upon Mr. Kahane’s past successes.

Yet Mr. Harrison is quick to point out that he actually is not deficient in these areas.  “Although most of his career has been in Europe, two of his assignments have actually been a little bit closer to the American model of a Music Director.”

“One is that he started an orchestra near his hometown in Spain called the Orchestra de Cadaqués,” Mr. Harrison says. “This is something he — with some of his colleagues and friends — started from the ground up and built into something really quite spectacular where he and Gianandrea Noseda [Music Director of the National Symphony in Washington, D. C.] are now co-principal conductors.”

“And the other is that he’s the artistic director of the Santander Festival in Spain,” he continues, “which is one of Europe’s most prestigious international festivals. Invites top orchestras and chamber ensembles and soloists from around the world to perform every year. And that’s a role that requires a lot of planning and programing, and also requires him to be involved in a lot of fundraising and other activities. So in some sense, it’s almost like a little bit closer to a general director in an opera in terms of the breadth of what he has to do.”

It also helps that Mr. Martin has experience as a member of a prominent chamber orchestra, the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, where he was Principal Flute.  And even though Mr. Martin had never conducted in LA before, he and LACO shared an important common connection:  Sir Neville Marriner, former Music Director of both LACO and ASMF.

“He he used to tell us lots of stories about the orchestra,” Mr. Martin remembers fondly.  “I always had the idea that it was a very similar orchestra to the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields. In the sense that the Academy was a chamber orchestra, not a full-time orchestra, made with the best players in London.  Each encounter was like a festival because we were not playing every day together. Each time we worked was fresh and everybody was happy to see each other. ”

“The personality of the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – they seem very similar,” he continues. “It is like that here too.  It’s always fresh somehow.  You see people in the first rehearsal, how they are all greeting each other:  hugging, kissing and saying hello. They’re all so happy to see each other. It feels like a group of friends that enjoy making music at a very high level. And I hope we can keep that, because I think this is a good starting point to make something interesting with music.”

I ask Mr. Martin how much the differences between American and European orchestras excite him and how much of that is scary.  “Fifty-fifty!” he quickly responds with a big laugh.

“Yes, because I am used to a system in which the orchestras are reluctant to give too much power to conductors in Europe, which I do believe in that also in a way.  I am used to that in the sense that the orchestra organizes itself somehow, especially in the hiring of new players and this. But this is something different. I will have to see how it works, but I feel very supported in every way.  I hope with the artistic decisions, we can make them together. Not just me. Not because I don’t have confidence in doing it myself, but I think it’s very important that what the orchestra does and the decisions [made] – it doesn’t have to represent only me, it has to represent us.”

“Yes, I am the Music Director, but it has to be us. And I do believe in that,” he says earnestly. “Maybe because I have been an orchestra player, I do feel that more strongly. And of course, I’m the leader and I have to do it, but I would like to be able to make the decisions after I know how people feel about it.”

Mr. Harrison is confident he’ll be a success.  “Every ounce of him is about spreading the joy of music. And he naturally just wants to share, wants to open up. Wants to get people excited. And he knows how to do that in different ways,” he says.  “He has all of the tools and all the attributes that will make him an amazing advocate and ambassador for the institution.”

“He has a bunch of passion for opening the doors or music institutions to welcome more people in, to increase diversity and representation,” Mr. Harrison emphasizes. “To make us the most inclusive and welcoming environment possible. And all of that is so critical for any orchestra right now, but it’s part of who we are at LACO, so there’s a connection and alignment there.”

Mr. Culbreath concurs.  “There aren’t a lot of barriers to just getting to know him. He was extremely easy to talk to and very approachable. Super friendly, nice person, and he also was very interested in Los Angeles, just connecting locally with the people here.  He really just wanted to experience LA. So he took the Metro and went through some kind of sketchy parts of town all the way to the beach, just really got to know the local flavor of the place. So I think he will definitely connect with Los Angeles for that reason.”

Ms. Lassiter reiterates how important that simple act was.  “He took the Metro all the way to Santa Monica, then walked down to Venice Beach.  I think that really impressed us because it was we wanted somebody who wanted to understand LA and really figure out what our place is here.”

While he will continue to be based in London, Mr. Martin will visit LA frequently and not just to conduct.  He is enthusiastic about the past, present, and future of his adopted second home.  We discuss how famous former Angelenos Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, and George Gershwin all lived near each other.  “That is the amazing thing about this city, that all of these people were here.  The other day, I made my last recording with my Swedish orchestra, the Brahms Piano Quartet orchestrated by Schoenberg.  That actually was premiered here in LA! (Laughs)”

“When I think about that and the connections that Los Angeles has and [that the city] has been such a good champion of modern composers, I think it’s very interesting. Of course, I don’t know LA well enough yet. But I want to learn.  It is an amazing heritage you have. And in music, a very important heritage,” he states. “I was looking at the next season and the number of premiers, new pieces – I think this is great. I like this combination of the old masters and the new music. I think this orchestra believes in it . . . And I think that’s great!”

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Throughout our conversations, everyone is very open, and almost no topics are avoided.  Mr. Martin in particular is especially forthcoming.  He is easy-going and friendly, thoughtful and intellectual yet exceedingly down to earth.  Despite a long flight and what is undoubtedly some jet lag, he remains affable and energetic.

As our conversation is wrapping up, Mr. Martin makes a point of offering special praise for Margaret Batjer, LACO’s Concertmaster originally appointed by Mr. Kahane.  The relationship between conductor and concertmaster is a critical one, and he’s effusive in his admiration for her.  “She is such a respected figure and somebody I really admire so much. Her musical ideas and the way she deals with bringing the orchestra together, which is so important to have that. To feel supported by a leader like her.”

He freely acknowledges the challenges in front of both him and his new orchestra.  “I know it is difficult for the orchestra to suddenly have the idea of working with somebody that is not Jeff, after 20 years. They are so much used to that. They are like one, like part of the DNA. So I know that for them it has to be difficult to suddenly imagine that life – how can life be without him? You know? I am very aware of that.”

At the same time, he’s happy to embrace the challenges and thrilled that the LACO has chosen him to be their next leader.  “I’m very grateful the way they have made this possible.  And the fact that they had a long time to make that decision encourages me more . . . obviously it’s a connection which we’ll have to cherish that. Because that’s very important. And it’s been both sides.”

“I’m very excited about this. It’s going to be really interesting and I think it’s going to be fun really to get to know the orchestra and to get to know the city.”

RELATED POSTS:

• The End of the Kahane Era: Five LACO musicians look back on the Music Director’s 20-year tenure and ahead to what comes next

• A chat with Jeffrey Kahane: with only 12 months left as LA Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director, we look back at an eventful 19 years

• Jeffrey Kahane leaving LA Chamber Orchestra after 2016-17 season (UPDATED)

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Photo credits:

• Jaime Martin:  all photos by CK Dexter Haven exclusively for All is Yar
• Wade Culbreath:  photo by Michael Burke
• Scott Harrison:  photo by CK Dexter Haven exclusively for All is Yar
• Leslie Lassiter:  courtesy of Ms. Lassiter
• Jaime Martin with Gail Eichenthal:  all photos by CK Dexter Haven exclusively for All is Yar

The Colburn School announced earlier today that Esa-Pekka Salonen will be joining the faculty of the Colburn Conservatory.  The Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic will lead the brand new Negaunee Conducting Program devoted to training young conductors.

The program is named for the Negaunee Foundation, an Illinois-based charity headed by Richard W. Colburn, son of the Colburn School’s namesake, Richard D. Colburn, and a member of the Colburn School’s Board of Directors.

The first cohort of up to three students will begin classes in Fall 2019 and will be known as “Salonen Fellows.” Applications are due by December 1, 2018; live auditions will be held in the first quarter of 2019.

In addition to their studies in Los Angeles with Mr. Salonen and work with multiple Colburn ensembles, Fellows will also serve as Mr. Salonen’s conducting assistants at the Philharmonia where they will lead the orchestra in both its residency series and designated tour dates.  As with all Colburn Conservatory students, they will receive a full scholarship which includes all tuition, room, and board.

“I’m very excited to be launching the Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn School,” said Mr. Salonen. “It’s been a long-term hope of mine to develop something that offers hands-on experience for young conductors. What makes this special is the collaboration between the Philharmonia and the School, bridging the gap from Conservatory to professional music-making.”

“We are delighted to host Salonen Fellows and to partner with the Colburn School in supporting the development of the next generation of conductors,” said Helen Sprott, Managing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra. “The Philharmonia supports young artists at every stage of the talent pipeline, from early years to post-graduate levels: we want emerging musicians everywhere to benefit from contact with the Philharmonia and its players, and the opportunity to identify and work with outstanding young conductors in this visionary global program is a wonderful manifestation of our mission and vision.”

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Esa-Pekka Salonen to the Colburn School faculty, and we are deeply grateful to the Negaunee Foundation for its support,” said Sel Kardan, President and CEO of the Colburn School. “Esa-Pekka has forged an innovative path as a conductor, music director, and composer both here in Los Angeles, and throughout the world. In collaboration with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the conducting program will allow the Salonen Fellows an unprecedented opportunity to study and work closely with one of today’s most important music figures.”

The full press release is available HERE.

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Photo credit:  Minna Hatinen / Finnish National Opera and Ballet

Jeffrey Strong will be the new 3rd/Utility Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  The Fresno native has been 2nd Trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony since 2015.

Prior to that, Mr. Strong served as a trumpeter in the U.S. Marine Band from 2009 to 2015.  National Public Radio (NPR) interviewed him in 2011 regarding his audition and playing experience with the Band, known as “The President’s Own.”  LA Phil Principal Trumpet Tom Hooten had also been in the Marine Band the decade prior.

He takes over the chair previously held by Stéphane Beaulac, who in 2017 returned to his prior position at Principal of the Orchestre Metropolitain of Montreal for personal reasons.

Mr. Strong received his Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory in 2006 and  Master of Music from Northwestern University in 2008.

With his hiring, the LA Phil brass section will be complete once again.  No word yet on when he officially will join the orchestra.  Congratulations to Mr. Strong and his new colleagues, and best of luck to all of them.

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Photo credit:  courtesy of the Youth Orchestra of Fresno

Zubin Mehta has been named Conductor Emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Simon Woods, CEO of the orchestra, announced the news from the stage of Walt Disney Concert Hall before the second half of last night’s concert in which Mr. Mehta was beginning his second week of Brahms programs this season.

Given that Mr. Mehta’s relationship with orchestra goes back to 1961, this is a case of better late than never.  He was originally supposed to be Assistant Conductor of the orchestra under then-Music Director Designate Georg Solti; however, Mr. Solti was never consulted about that appointment and resigned in protest without ever officially serving as Music Director.  Soon after, Mr. Mehta was named as Music Director of the LA Phil and served in that role from 1962 to 1978, the longest tenure of anyone until Esa-Pekka Salonen’s 17-year stint during the turn of the 21st Century.  Mr. Mehta has made regular appearances with the orchestra ever since.

Speaking of Mr. Salonen, the LA Phil’s website still lists him as holding the title of “Conductor Laureate.”  I’m guessing The orchestra has confirmed that he’ll retain that title even after he takes over the reigns of the San Francisco Symphony in 2020.

Aside from the announcement itself and the various quotes from Messrs. Mehta, Woods, and Gustavo Dudamel, the most noteworthy statement from the press release is the last sentence:  “Zubin Mehta will return to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Conductor Emeritus in the 2019/20 season.”

The complete press release is below the tribute video produced by the orchestra:

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• Click here to view Zubin Mehta tribute video.
  About ZUBIN MEHTA
  ZUBIN MEHTA was born in 1936 in Bombay and received his first musical education under his father Mehli Mehta’s guidance. After a short period of pre-medical studies in Bombay, Zubin Mehta left for Vienna in 1954, where he eventually entered the conducting program under Hans Swarowsky at the Akademie für Musik. Mehta won the Liverpool International Conducting Competition in 1958 and was also a prize-winner of the summer academy at Tanglewood. By 1961 he had already conducted the Vienna, Berlin, and Israel philharmonic orchestras, and he has celebrated 50 years of musical collaboration with all three ensembles. He has conducted over 3000 concerts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, including tours spanning five continents. Mehta ends his tenure with the IPO 50 years after his debut in October 2019. From 1985 to 2017, he was chief conductor of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence. Zubin Mehta’s list of awards and honors is extensive. The title of “Honorary Conductor” was bestowed on him by the following orchestras: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (2001), Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (2004), Los Angeles Philharmonic (2006), Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (2006), Staatskapelle Berlin (2014), and Bavarian State Orchestra (2006), with which he performed in Srinagar, Kashmir in September 2013. In March 2011, he received a special distinction, getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard. The Indian Government honored him in September 2013 with the “Tagore Award” for cultural harmony, which a year earlier was awarded to Ravi Shankar. Mehta continues to support the discovery and furtherance of musical talents all over the world. Together with his brother Zarin, he is a co-chairman of the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation in Bombay, where more than 200 children are educated in Western classical music. The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv develops young talent in Israel and is closely related to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, as is a new project of teaching young Arab Israelis in the cities of Shwaram and Nazareth with local teachers and members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

  About the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
  The LA Phil, under the vibrant leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music from all genres – orchestral, chamber and Baroque music, organ and celebrity recitals, new music, jazz, world music, and pop – at two of L.A.’s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (laphil.com) and the Hollywood Bowl (hollywoodbowl.com). The LA Phil’s season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from September through May and throughout the summer at the Hollywood Bowl. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, education, and community programs.

   

• contact:Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213 972 3422
  Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org, 213 972 3408

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Photo credits:

• Mehta, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic during a performance, circa 1965: Brian Hennessey: LA Phil Archives

• Zubin Mehta’s 50th Anniversary at Walt Disney Concert Hall on December 13, 2012: Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging

Let the parade begin of Southern California musical organization’s 2019-2020 season announcements.  First up:  the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

I’ll write up a detailed evaluation of Jaime Martín‘s first season as LACO’s Music Director in the near future.  For now, let’s just say I like it.  I like it a whole lot.

The most tantalizing tidbit:  Ellen Reid will be LACO’s Composer-in-Residence, taking over the role from Andrew Norman.

The full press release is below after the jump.

RELATED POSTS:

• How and why Jaime Martin became LA Chamber Orchestra’s next Music Director: an in-depth look behind the scenes

(photo credits:  Jaime Martín by CK Dexter Haven)

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR JAIME MARTÍN
ANNOUNCE SWEEPING PROGRAMMING FOR 2019-20 SEASON

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

• In his first season as Music Director, Martín conducts seven programs, presents three world premieres, all LACO commissions, a U.S. premiere/co-commission and a West Coast premiere;

• Martín appoints critically acclaimed composer Ellen Reid to succeed Andrew Norman as LACO’s Creative Advisor and Composer-in-Residence and collaborates with composers Norman, Derrick Spiva Jr., Missy Mazzoli and Juan Pablo Contreras, who represent classical music’s diversity and breadth;

• LACO’s new Music Director presents guest artists Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo soprano, Christian Tetzlaff, violin, and Denis Kozhukhin, piano, in their LACO debuts, plus pianists Jeremy Denk and David Fray and welcomes guest conductors Nicholas McGegan, Julian Wachner and Ruth Reinhardt;

• Expanding LACO’s reach beyond the concert stage and deep into the community are this season’s Artists-In-Residence, American composer Missy Mazzoli, whose double bass concerto receives its West Coast premiere, and British cello virtuoso Sheku Kanneh-Mason, whose 2018 U.S. orchestral debut with LACO was postponed due to his “command performance” at the Royal Wedding, viewed by one billion people worldwide;

• Martín introduces Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the first of three dramatic presentations over three years performed by LACO musicians with celebrated actors and singers;

• A co-commission from Albert Schnelzer inspired by the legacy of Clara Schumann and a new arrangement of chamber music by Schumann from Sarah Gibson offer new perspectives on a woman recognized as pianist in her lifetime but largely overlooked as composer;

• As Beethoven’s 250th anniversary approaches, Martín leads three of the composer’s most revolutionary works; Orchestra also performs works by Schubert, both Mendelssohns (Fanny and Felix), Berlioz and Dvořák;

• In Focus chamber music series, curated by Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, further highlights Beethoven as global celebrations of 250th birthday begin, providing insights into his chamber works; Baroque Conversations series spotlights LACO musicians and guest artists; and composers Contreras and Mazzoli each curate SESSION performances, which explore cutting-edge sounds and challenge traditional concert-going expectations;

• Other highlights include LACO à la carte salon performances, Concert Gala, community/education programs that reach thousands of young people, and The Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship entering its second year;

• Martín visits schools throughout Los Angeles as part of LACO’s Meet the Music education program to introduce youngsters to classical music;

• LACO performs throughout greater Los Angeles in West L.A., Santa Monica, Northridge, Glendale, Pasadena-San Marino, Costa Mesa (Orange County) and downtown L.A.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) and new Music Director Jaime Martín announce sweeping programming for the 2019-20 Season that builds upon the Orchestra’s illustrious legacy while blazing a path to its future. In his LACO Music Director inaugural season, which opens in September 2019 and continues through May 2020, Martín displays his passion for music spanning five centuries, his commitment to commissioning new works and his dedication to expanding the reach of LACO’s artistry through partnerships with preeminent and rising artists and leading presenters and venues. Marking an exciting new era for the Orchestra and classical music in Los Angeles, the season is also deeply personal for Martín, who introduces LACO audiences to several exceptional artists important to his own career arc. Following his prominent career as a flutist, Martín, who is the sixth Music Director to lead LACO since its inception in 1968, has risen to international acclaim as a conductor in recent years. Most recently, he led the London Philharmonic on a nine-concert European tour and was named Principal Conductor of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, effective in September 2019.

Over a season that features a major orchestral series, unique SESSION performances, Baroque Conversations concerts, In Focus chamber music evenings, intimate LACO à la carte salon programs and more in over a dozen venues throughout Southern California, Martín conducts seven concerts and presents three world premieres, all LACO commissions, a U.S. premiere/co-commission as well as a West Coast premiere. He presents the LACO debuts of three acclaimed guest artists with whom he has enjoyed particularly meaningful professional relationships, mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Denis Kozhukhin, and also features pianists Jeremy Denk and David Fray, among other esteemed guest artists. Building on LACO’s relationships with three noted composers representing classical music’s diversity and breadth, he collaborates with Andrew Norman, who just concluded a seven-year tenure as LACO’s Creative Advisor and Composer-in-Residence, Derrick Spiva Jr., LACO’s first Artist Educator, and Juan Pablo Contreras, whose first LACO commission was premiered by the Orchestra in 2018-19. The artists, all based in L.A. but with international careers, are composing new LACO commissions to be premiered by Martín, with Norman inaugurating a three-year project, Spiva completing a trilogy and Contreras named LACO’s 2019-20 Sound Investment composer, a groundbreaking program established 19 years ago to engage audiences in developing a new piece of music. Martín welcomes guest conductors Nicholas McGegan, making his long-awaited and highly anticipated return to LACO’s podium for the first time in 30 years, multi-Grammy-nominated Julian Wachner and dynamic young artist Ruth Reinhardt.Additionally, Martín appoints critically acclaimed composer Ellen Reid to succeed Norman as LACO’s Creative Advisor and Composer-in-Residence. Reid, whose breadth of work spans opera, sound design, film scoring and ensemble and choral writing, is one of the most innovative artists of her generation. Her work “brims with canny invention” (LA Weekly) and has been lauded for its “sheer incandescence” (LA Times) and for being “accessible in the best way” (New York Times). Reid will work closely with Martín, playing an important role in LACO’s artistic trajectory over the next three seasons and creating new works for the orchestra, including a sound installation that will welcome visitors to LACO lobbies during Martín’s inaugural season.

Martín extends the reach of LACO’s artistry and programming beyond the concert stage and deep into the community with the announcement of two Artists-In-Residence this season, American composer Missy Mazzoli, whosedouble bass concerto receives its West Coast premiere, and young British cello virtuoso Sheku Kanneh-Mason, whose 2018 U.S. orchestral debut with LACO was postponed due to his “command performance” at the Royal Wedding, which was viewed by more than one billion people worldwide. Mazzoli is one of the most in-demand American composers on the contemporary music scene and draws audiences equally into concert halls, opera houses and rock clubs. She – along with composer Contreras – also each curate SESSION performances, which, in partnership with the acclaimed immersive theatre company and design duo Four Larks, explore cutting-edge sounds and challenge traditional concert-going expectations. Kanneh-Mason is the first black musician to win a BBC Young Musician of the Year award and will perform with orchestras across Europe under the direction ofMartín leading up to his LA performances.

Martín introduces Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the first of three dramatic presentations over three years featuring noteworthy incidental music performed by LACO with celebrated actors and singers. A LACO co-commission with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra from Albert Schnelzer, Burn my letters, was inspired by the legacy of Clara Schumann, a pivotal figure in Romantic music, and offers new perspectives on the woman who was recognized as a pianist in her lifetime but was largely overlooked as a composer. Additionally, Martín leads three of Beethoven’s most revolutionary works, Symphony No. 7, Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” Under his baton, the Orchestra also performs works by Schubert, both Mendelssohns (Fanny and Felix), Berlioz and Dvořák seldom heard on LACO stages, and Martín conducts the annual Concert Gala, whose cornerstone work will be the original 13-musician setting of Copland’s Appalachian Spring.

“I am inspired by Los Angeles and its artistic vibrancy,” says Martín. “As I introduce myself to LACO audiences, I have chosen to create a broad, yet very personally resonant program, and so I am thrilled to be able to present three close musical friends. I have always been in awe of Anne Sofie von Otter’s artistry, and I’m so excited at the chance to work with her in my new musical home with LACO. Christian Tetzlaff and I have played chamber music extensively, and I coached Denis Kozhukhin as a guest lecturer at Madrid’s Reina Sofia School in recent years. Equally as important, I am elated to work with Andrew Norman, Derrick Spiva and Juan Pablo Contreras, artists whose extraordinary relationships with LACO have been so meaningful, to make them part of my first season as Music Director. With other exceptional artists like Nicholas McGegan, Ruth Reinhardt, Julian Wachner, Jeremy Denk, David Fray, Missy Mazzoli and Sheku Kanneh-Mason performing alongside LACO’s virtuosic players, there will be great musical depth, passion and scope.”

LACO Board President Leslie Lassiter says, “Jaime’s fresh energy is evident in the rich diversity of musical experiences he’s planned for his first season at LACO’s helm. As we welcome him to Los Angeles and launch his tenure as Music Director, we can’t wait to share him with audiences – both those who already know us and those who don’t!”

LACO performs throughout greater Los Angeles in West L.A., Santa Monica, Northridge, Glendale, Pasadena-San Marino, Costa Mesa (Orange County) and downtown L.A.

ORCHESTRAL SERIES DETAILS

The 2019-20 season launches when Jaime Martín makes his inaugural appearance as LACO Music Director leading the world premiere of a LACO commission by Andrew Norman, Berlioz’ Les nuits d’été, featuring mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 on Saturday, September 28, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, September 29, 2019, 7 pm, at Royce Hall. Guest artists Nicholas McGegan, conductor, and Jeremy Denk, piano, headline performances on Saturday, October 26, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, October 27, 2019, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, with a program of music from Rameau’s opera, Dardanus; Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19; and Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 as well as the overture from his opera, Der Häusliche Krieg. For the Orchestra’s concerts on Saturday, November 16, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, November 17, 2019, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, LACO Principal Bass David Grossman performs the West Coast premiere of Dark with Excessive Bright for Double Bass and Strings by LACO Artist-in-Residence Missy Mazzoli. Also on the program, Martín conducts Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s rarely performed Overture in C Major and Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a production featuring the Women of the USC Chorus, soprano Lauren Snouffer and a narrator to be announced. The year 2020 begins with Martín conducting the U.S. premiere of a LACO co-commission with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Albert Schnelzer’s Burn my letters, inspired by the legacy of Clara Schumann, on Friday, February 7, 8 pm, at The Soraya, Saturday, February 8, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, February 9, 2020, 7 pm, at Royce Hall. The program also includes violinist Christian Tetzlaff performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6. On Saturday, March 28, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, March 29, 2020, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, Martín presents the world premiere of Juan Pablo Contreras’ Sound Investment commission and pianist Denis Kozhukhin on Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, as well as R. Strauss’ Le bourgeois gentilhomme. Guest Conductor Ruth Reinhardt leads Lutosławski’s Little Suite on Saturday, April 18, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, April 19, 2020, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, on a program with Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring pianist David Fray, Bacewicz’ Concerto for String Orchestra and Haydn’s Symphony No. 84. Martín’s inaugural LACO season concludes with a flourish on Friday, May 15, 8 pm, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Saturday, May 16, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 17, 2020, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, with the season’s final LACO-commissioned world premiere by Derrick Spiva Jr., Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring the Los Angeles debut of cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and Beethoven’s landmark Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” one of the composer’s most celebrated works.

SESSION DETAILS

SESSION, featuring programs set in out-of-the-ordinary locales, presents LACO musicians who join forces with compelling composer-curators to create unique musical experiences. Developed in partnership with the immersive theatre company Four Larks, each program is designed to fit the unique properties of a space and test ideas about the relationship between performers and audience. LACO presents two SESSION events this season, with LACO’S Sound Investment composer Juan Pablo Contreras curating two evenings in October 2019 and LACO Artist-in-Residence Missy Mazzoli doing the same in May 2020. (Dates, programs and locations will be announced.)

IN FOCUS DETAILS

As Beethoven’s 250th anniversary approaches, In Focus, a chamber music series curated by Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, provides insights into the composer’s most personal, revealing chamber works. The series will also feature a new arrangement of chamber music from Clara Schumann by Sarah Gibson as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of this pivotal figure in Romantic music. Concerts, which all begin at 7:30 pm, take place at The Huntington in San Marino on Friday, February 21, Friday, March 20 and Friday, April 3, 2020, and at the Moss Theater in Santa Monica on Thursday, February 20, Thursday, March 19 and Thursday, April 2, 2020.

BAROQUE CONVERSATIONS DETAILS

Baroque Conversations performances, which explore the genesis of the Baroque repertoire with beloved masterworks and lesser known gems, are led and performed this season by artists including Martín, Guest Conductor Julian Wachner and LACO’s virtuoso principals. The series begins when Jaime Martín conducts on Thursday, November 21, at First Presbyterian in Santa Monica, and Friday November 22, 2019, at The Huntington in San Marino, featuring Principal Clarinet Joshua Ranz, and Principal Bassoon Kenneth Munday, followed by Baroque Brass: Washburn & Thornton on Thursday, January 16, at First Presbyterian, and Friday, January 17, 2020, at The Huntington, featuring Principal Trumpet David Washburn, leader, and Principal Horn Michael Thornton, leader. Baroque Conversations continues when Patricia Mabee, harpsichord/principal keyboard, leads on Thursday, March 12, at First Presbyterian, and Friday, March 13, 2020, at The Huntington, and the series concludes on Thursday, April 30, at First Presbyterian, and Friday, May 1, 2020, at The Huntington, with a program conducted by Julian Wachner. All concerts begin at 7:30 pm. Programs will be announced.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS AND PROGRAMS

Other 2019-20 Season presentations and programs include LACO à la carte salon performances in spectacular locations pairing exclusive musical performances with delectable international cuisine, and LACO’s annualConcert Gala, conducted by Martín, whose cornerstone work is the original 13-musician setting of Copland’s Appalachian Spring. The Orchestra’s community/education programs reach thousands of young people annually, including Meet the Music, during which Martín visits schools throughout Los Angeles to introduce youngsters to classical music. Four top-tier post-graduate string musicians from underrepresented communities continue in their second year as the first class of The Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, a program designed to increase diversity in American orchestras. Launched in August 2018, the groundbreaking program was conceived by a partnership of Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA), the country’s largest African-American-majority youth orchestra; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras; and USC Thornton School of Music, one of the country’s top music programs. Violinist Sydney Adedamola, violinist Ayrton Pisco, violist Bradley Parrimore and cellist Juan-Salvador Carrasco are gaining a 360-degree view of a career as an orchestral musician in this rigorous two-year training program.

JAIME MARTÍN, praised as “a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous” (Platea Magazine), takes the podium as Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director in the 2019-20 season. Following a prominent career on flute, he turned to conducting full time in 2013 and has since emerged not only as a talented technical conductor but also one with stylistic authenticity who is known for making deep connections to the musicians under his direction. In September 2019, he also becomes Principal Conductor of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. He has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra since 2013, and his time there has brought the orchestra a new level of international recognition through highly acclaimed recordings and touring performances. Martín is also Artistic Director of the Santander Festival, where over the last five years, he has brought financial stability and created a platform for some of the most exciting artists in their fields, ranging from symphony orchestras and baroque ensembles to education workshops and ballet companies. As conductor, he has worked with an impressive list of orchestras that includes the London Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Swedish Radio Symphony, Barcelona Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, Queensland Symphony, Essen Philharmonic, Gulbenkian and Philharmonia Orchestras, the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Autumn 2018 saw his highly successful debut performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Christian Tetzlaff in Madrid and London, with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Joshua Bell, and with the Colorado Symphony and Pinchas Zukerman. In January 2019, he completed a nine-concert tour of Europe with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, including performances at theGasteig in Munich and the Cologne Philharmonie. Martín made his conducting debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Gävle Symphony in September and, later this season, he will undertake an extensive tour of Switzerland and an appearance at the Prague Spring Festival with Orquestra de Cadaqués. Other future orchestral debuts include engagements with the Melbourne and West Australian Symphony orchestras, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Staatskapelle Halle and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Martín is recording a series for Ondine Records with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, which includes the Brahms Serenades, Songs of Destiny, Brahms choral works with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and a recording of the Brahms Piano Quartet, arranged by Schoenberg, which will be released in February 2019. He has also recorded Schubert Symphony No. 9 andBeethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” with Orquestra de Cadaqués and various discs with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra for Tritó Records. In 2015, he recorded James Horner’s last symphonic work “Collages” for four horns and orchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Martín made his operatic debut conducting The Magic Flute at El Escorial Madrid and San Sebastian Festival in August 2012. His debut at the English National Opera in February 2013 conducting The Barber of Seville led to a return in autumn 2014 to conduct The Marriage of Figaro. As a flautist, Martín was principal flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English National Opera, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and London Philharmonic Orchestra. A much sought-after soloist, he made a recording of Mozart flute concertos with Sir Neville Marriner, the premiere recording of Sinfonietta Concerto for Flute and Orchestra written for him by Xavier Montsalvatge and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, and Bach works for flute, violin and piano with Murray Perahia and Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields for Sony. He was also a founding member of the Orquestra de Cadaqués, and while he has held the title of Chief Conductor with the orchestra since 2012, his association with them has spanned over 30 years. Martin is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, London, where he was a flute professor. He now enjoys working with many of his former students in orchestras around the world.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO), led by Music Director Jaime Martín, is one of the nation’s premier orchestras and a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Beloved by audiences, praised by critics and ranked among the world’s top musical ensembles, LACO is known as a champion of contemporary composers, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, as well as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks. Headquartered in the heart of the country’s cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed, “America’s finest chamber orchestra” (Public Radio International), “one of the world’s great chamber orchestras” (KUSC Classical FM), “L.A.’s most unintimidating chamber music experience” (Los Angeles magazine), “one of L.A.’s four major classical music institutions” and “resplendent” (Los Angeles Times). Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra presents orchestral, Baroque and chamber concerts, as well as salon evenings in private spaces and unique experiences that explore classical music’s cutting-edge sounds. LACO’s long history of educational outreach encompasses programs integral to its mission of nurturing future musicians and composers as well as inspiring a love of classical music. Martín’s predecessors as LACO’s Music Director are Sir Neville Marriner, Gerard Schwarz, Iona Brown, Christof Perick and Jeffrey Kahane.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

LACO recognizes the generous support of The Colburn Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

TICKETS/INFORMATION

For a free season brochure, additional information about Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2019-20 season or to order tickets, please call 213 622 7001 x1, or visit www.laco.org.

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LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

2019-20 SEASON

ORCHESTRAL SERIES

Welcome Jaime: Norman, Berlioz & Beethoven

Saturday, September 28, 2019, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, September 29, 2019, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Jaime Martín, conductor

Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo soprano

ANDREW NORMAN                 LACO Commission/World Premiere

BERLIOZ                                  Les nuits d’été

BEETHOVEN                           Symphony No. 7

McGegan & Denk

Saturday, October 26, 2019, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, October 27, 2019, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Nicholas McGegan, conductor

Jeremy Denk, piano

RAMEAU                                  Music from the opera, Dardanus

MOZART                                  Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major, K. 459

SCHUBERT                              Overture from the opera, Der Häusliche Krieg

SCHUBERT                              Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D. 589

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Saturday, November 16, 2019, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, November 17, 2019, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Jaime Martín, conductor

Women of the USC Chorus

David Grossman, bass

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Narrator and others to be announced

FANNY MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL        Overture in C Major

MISSY MAZZOLI                                  Dark with Excessive Bright for Double Bass and Strings

West Coast Premiere

FELIX MENDELSSOHN                                    A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Tetzlaff plays Beethoven

Friday, February 7, 2020, 8 pm, The Soraya

Saturday, February 8, 2020, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, February 9, 2020, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Jaime Martín, conductor

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

ALBERT SCHNELZER              Burn my letters

LACO Co-Commission with Gävle Symphony Orchestra /U.S. Premiere

BEETHOVEN                           Violin Concerto

DVOŘÁK                                 Symphony No. 6

Ravel & Strauss

Saturday, March 28, 2020, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, March 29, 2020, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Jaime Martín, conductor

Denis Kozhukhin, piano

JUAN PABLO CONTRERAS     Sound Investment LACO Commission/World Premiere

RAVEL                                     Piano Concerto in G Major

R. STRAUSS                            Le bourgeois gentilhomme

Romantic Chopin

Saturday, April 18, 2020, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, April 19, 2020, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor

David Fray, piano

LUTOSŁAWSKI                        Little Suite

CHOPIN                       Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor

BACEWICZ                  Concerto for String Orchestra

HAYDN                        Symphony No. 84

Season Finale: Sheku – plus the “Eroica”

Friday, May 15, 8 pm, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Saturday, May 16, 2020, 8 pm, Alex Theatre

Sunday, May 17, 2020, 7 pm, Royce Hall

Jaime Martín, conductor

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello

DERRICK SPIVA JR.    prisms, cycles, leaps Part III

LACO Commission/World Premiere

SAINT-SAËNS              Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor

BEETHOVEN               Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

SESSION

SESSION, featuring programs set in out-of-the-ordinary locales, presents LACO musicians who join forces with compelling composer-curators to create unique musical experiences. Developed in partnership with the immersive theatre company Four Larks, each program is designed to fit the unique properties of a space and test ideas about the relationship between performers and audience.

October 2019               Juan Pablo Contreras, curator

May 2020                     Missy Mazzoli, curator

Dates, programs and locations will be announced.

IN FOCUS

As Beethoven’s 250th anniversary approaches, In Focus, a chamber music series curated by Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, provides insights into the composer’s most personal, revealing chamber works. The series will also feature a new arrangement of chamber music from Clara Schumann by Sarah Gibson as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of this pivotal figure in Romantic music. Programs will be announced.

Moss Theater, Santa Monica:

Thursday, February 20, Thursday, March 19, Thursday, April 2, 2020

The Huntington, San Marino:

Friday, February 21, Friday, March 20, Friday, April 3, 2020

All concerts begin at 7:30 pm

BAROQUE CONVERSATIONS

Baroque Conversations performances, which explore the genesis of the Baroque repertoire with beloved masterworks and lesser known gems, are led and performed this season by LACO Music Director Jaime Martín, Guest Conductor Julian Wachner and LACO’s virtuoso principals. Programs will be announced.

Baroque Conversations 1

Thursday, November 21, 2019, 7:30 pm, First Presbyterian, Santa Monica

Friday November 22, 2019, 7:30 pm, The Huntington, San Marino

Jaime Martín, conductor

Joshua Ranz, clarinet

Kenneth Munday, bassoon

Baroque Conversations 2

Baroque Brass: Washburn & Thornton

Thursday, January 16, 2020, 7:30 pm, First Presbyterian, Santa Monica

Friday, January 17, 2020, 7:30 pm, The Huntington, San Marino

David Washburn, trumpet/leader

Michael Thornton, horn/leader

Baroque Conversations 3

Thursday, March 12, 2020, 7:30 pm, First Presbyterian, Santa Monica

Friday, March 13, 2020, 7:30 pm, The Huntington, San Marino

Patricia Mabee, harpsichord/leader

Baroque Conversations 4

Thursday, April 30, 2020, 7:30 pm, First Presbyterian, Santa Monica

Friday, May 1, 2020, 7:30 pm, The Huntington, San Marino

Julian Wachner, conductor

LACO CONCERT GALA

Jaime Martín, conductor

COPLAND        the original 13-musician setting of Appalachian Spring

Date, additional program and venue will be announced.

LACO À LA CARTE,

Dates, programs and venues will be announced.

Artists, dates, programs and venues subject to change

Are you a fan of Beck?  Or the Los Angeles Philharmonic?  Or Gustavo Dudamel?  Maybe all of the above?

If any of those apply to you, stay up and watch — or set your TiVo or other DVR of choice for — “The Late Late Show with James Corden” tonight (or rather early Tuesday morning, if you’re a stickler for technically accurate descriptions of chronology).  Why?  Because Beck et al will be performing “Tarantula” from the forthcoming album of music inspired by the Oscar-nominated film, Roma.

Click HERE for more info.

(h/t to Delmar Williams for the heads up)

Visits to @JKCorden are never dull….TONIGHT Beck will be performing music inspired by @alfonsocuaron‘s Oscar Nominated @ROMACuaron on @latelateshow joined by Gustavo Dudamel, @LAPhil members, @FeistMusic, Jason Faulkner, @IlanRubin & more! #LateLateShow https://t.co/mdWrupSl7T

— Beck (@beck) February 4, 2019

I know some of you didn’t get a chance to see Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic join Beck perform his song, “Tarantula,” on “The Late Late Show.”  Or even if you did, you might want to see it again but didn’t record it.

Fear not, dear readers. James Corden and crew posted the performance on YouTube.  Yet that doesn’t mean it’ll be up forever, if prior precedence holds . . . yeah, I’m looking at you, Stephen Colbert.

In case you forgot:  LA Phil brass players, Principal Timpanist Joe Pereira, and Maestro Dudamel were on his show in 2016, and their performance of Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” was briefly on YouTube, until it wasn’t.  No explanation for its disappearance was given, though my guess is that Copland’s work is not in public domain and CBS and/or Mr. Colbert didn’t want to pay for (or didn’t get) permission to keep the recording out there.

So watch the video below and enjoy the performance online — while you still can. 

RELATED POSTS

• Dudamel, 20 LA Phil members, appear tonight w/ Beck on “The Late Late Show with James Corden”

The music of Igor Stravinsky takes over Walt Disney Concert Hall for three different sets of programs over the next two weekends, led by one of its most ardent advocates, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and played by one of its best orchestral interpreters, the Los Angeles Philharmonic along with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and various other guests.

I, for one, could not be happier, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  Too much Stravinsky is never enough.

Which reminds me of a great bit of Stravinsky-related trivia I learned last year . . .

While the esteemed composer lived more of his life in Los Angeles than any other city in the world, he’s best known as a citizen of the world and a musical polyglot.  But I doubt even he would have predicted the breadth of musical genres his influence would pervade 100+ years after his birth.  And no, I’m not just talking about neoclassicism, 12-tone serialism, or even jazz.  I mean New Wave, R&B, pop, rock, and Hip Hop.

Seriously.

The number of times the “Infernal Dance” from Stravinsky’s Firebird has been quoted by the Western World’s most popular musicians is astounding.  You’ve certainly heard it within songs by such an unlikely collection of acts as Michael Jackson, U2, Prince, New Order, Britney Spears, NWA, The Backstreet Boys, Afrika Bambaata, The Smiths, Jennifer Lopez, and on and on . . .

And I’m betting that even if you’re the most devoted of Stravinsky fans, you probably never realized it.  Don’t believe me?  Not sure what I’m talking about?

Read this academic article from the journal, Popular Music:  “The Story of ORCH5, or, the Classical Ghost in the Hip-Hop Machine” written by Robert Fink of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Or if you prefer not to get all ivory-towery, just watch the excellent video below.

And while you’re at it, read these reflections on the LA Phil’s ties to Stravinsky during it’s 100 years of existence, then do whatever you can to get to one of these concerts:

Los Angeles Philharmonic: Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Walt Disney Concert Hall
April 12-13, 2019
Brian Lauritzen, host (April 12 only)

Funeral Music, Agon, and The Rite of Spring

April 14, 2019
Andrew Staples, tenor
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
Davóne Tines bass-baritone
Heidi Stober soprano
Los Angeles Master Chorale (Grant Gershon, Artistic Director)

Requiem Canticles; Introitus (TS Eliot in Memoriam); In memoriam Dylan Thomas; Mass; Elegy for JFK; Chorale Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her”; Cantata

April 18-20, 2019
Peter Sellars, director
Paul Groves, tenor
Cécilia Tsan, narrator
Amrita Performing Arts, Cambodia
– Sam Sathya, dancer (Perséphone)
– Chumvan Sodhachivy, dancer (Déméter)
– Nam Narim, dancer (Mercure, Démophoon, Triptolème)
– Khon Chan Sithyka, dancer (Pluton)
James F. Ingalls, lighting designer
Helene Siebrits, costume designer
Frederick Vogler, sound designer
Los Angeles Master Chorale (Grant Gershon, Artistic Director)
Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Artistic Director)

Orpheus and Perséphone

When Simon Woods arrived in Los Angeles, he had a very tough act to follow.

Deborah Borda announced in March of 2017 that she would leave her position as CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic to return to her previous post as head of the New York Philharmonic, and speculation began immediately about who would take her place – whether or not that person could do the job as well.

By all relevant measures, Ms. Borda’s tenure was a triumph.  She enabled Esa-Pekka Salonen’s forward-looking artistic vision to finally reach its full potential, serving up large helpings of contemporary composers while also managing the seemingly contradictory feat of shoring up the orchestra’s finances.  When Mr. Salonen signaled his intent to step down as Music Director, she convinced the young Gustavo Dudamel to replace him, outmaneuvering other orchestras, including those with longer pedigrees (cough, Chicago Symphony, cough cough) in the process.  She maintained and enhanced the strong relationship between the management and the musicians, an increasingly rare feat.  And she shepherded the once-troubled Walt Disney Concert Hall to completion, then ensured its ongoing success even after the new car – er, new architectural icon – smell wore off.

Into the breach charged Mr. Woods, winning the job over well-regarded internal candidates Gail Samuel and Chad Smith.  The UK native turned American citizen was head of the Seattle Symphony at the time, having previously held senior leadership positions at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.  He also spent ten years as a record producer at EMI Classics at Abbey Road Studios.

Most wondered out loud about a whole host of things:

• Would he – could he – be a worthy successor to Ms. Borda and to impresario Ernest Fleischmann, the LA Phil’s legendary Executive Director from the 1960’s to the 1990’s who oversaw a prior era of the orchestra’s growth in stature?
• How would he build upon his predecessors’ successes while putting his own imprint on the organization?
• How quickly would he be able to adapt to the unique strengths and challenges of this orchestra and this part of the world?
• I even heard at least one identity-politics-focused individual cynically lament, “Why did the world’s most progressive orchestra hire a heterosexual white man to lead it?” (To which I thought, “Ugh.”)

Well, it’s been about 18 months since Simon Woods took over as CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the buzz I’ve heard – both public and private – about Mr. Woods’ tenure so far has been nothing but variations on a theme of positive.

Yes, it’s still early.  At the same time, one only has to look at the aborted tenure of former Executive Director Willem Wijnbergen to realize that one can wreak havoc in less time than Mr. Woods has been in town.

Moreover, Mr. Woods has been doing it in his own way.  While Mr. Fleischmann and Ms. Borda were often referred to as “imperious,” Mr. Woods has been repeatedly called “approachable.”  Whereas Ms. Borda crafted her statements with surgical precision and was always meticulously put-together in appearance, Mr. Woods is much more casual in both conversation and attire (he’s often seen wearing a sports coat, open-collared shirt, and slacks instead of suit and tie).  To really highlight the differences between regimes, styles, and personas, let me point this out:  Mr. Woods frequently posts photos and thoughts on his personal Instagram page; Ms. Borda doesn’t even have an account (or at least a public one).

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Day One

A post shared by Simon Woods (@simonlaphil) on Jan 22, 2018 at 3:46pm PST

“A breath of fresh air,” one LA Phil musician told me when I asked about Mr. Woods. “Deborah was great and she deserves all the credit she gets for how she led this orchestra.  That said, it’s been great since Simon took over.  He listens to things differently than Deborah and is open to things she wouldn’t consider.  I’m happy that we have him here.”

I had the very good privilege to sit down with Mr. Woods at his office in Walt Disney Concert Hall to ask him about his LA Phil tenure so far, his approach to his job, and his plans for the orchestra’s future.  We also talked a little bit about this summer’s Hollywood Bowl season. Here is much of that conversation.

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CK Dexter Haven:  Before we talk about the Bowl, I would love to hear about how this past year-and-a-half has been for you.

Simon Woods:  Oh, it’s been amazing!

It’s a somewhat unusual experience for me because I’ve tended to go into leadership positions in organizations where they were going through difficult periods and needed a lot of help rethinking how they function and what their role in the world was. So coming to the LA Phil is really interesting because it’s a highly functional organization, and it’s very clear about what it commits to and what it believes in. It’s got a great platform of financial stability. It’s got great people top to bottom.

And all of that is – well, it’s due to many people, but Deborah Borda definitely played an absolute leading role in that. I take on, with quite a bit of humility, an organization that is in great shape.

I said to the Board [of Directors] fairly early on, “A commitment to continuity is an intentional leadership act.”  The last thing you want to do in a situation like this is change stuff that isn’t broken. So for me it’s been a golden opportunity to get to know the organization, especially through the Centennial because it’s such a kind of pivotal important point for the organization. The way the Centennial has been built about looking backwards and looking forward, so it’s been exciting to be involved in that.

CKDH:  One of the aspects about this particular industry and your job is that the decisions about the Centennial were largely made well before you came.

SW:  Sure.

CKDH:  And what were the things that you were able to put your stamp on or at least influence a little bit regarding the Centennial, the Bowl Season, and with the 2019/2020 season? What are those things that are more representative of your hand?

SW:  Well, the truth of the matter is – with the Centennial – none at all. I didn’t really touch or influence much about it because it was already pretty much all packaged, tied with a bow, and ready to go. It was in great shape. We have the best programming people in the business between Chad Smith and Meghan Martineu on the classical side and Laura Connelly and her colleagues on the presentation side. And they have great people. I am not spending my days stuck deep in programming.

What I have been spending a lot of time thinking about is the next ten years. That’s been my focus.

We’re doing a strategic planning project right now. It’s a process of trying to lead the organization through thinking what our environment looks like, what the world looks like and how the world is changing, and what are the things we might need to do to respond to that as we look at the next decade. I have been very much immersed in the longer-term view, much more so than even the next couple of years.

CKDH:  It’s early in that process, I know, but is there anything you want to share about what you’ve learned so far?

SW:  Well, I think the whole music business – let’s say the whole orchestra business – is going through big, substantial rethinking, right? And it’s particularly around the areas of:

• How do we reach the largest number of people?
• What does that say about our approach towards relevance?
• What does it say about our approach towards equity?
• What does it say about our approach towards social impact?

Those are big things that are running through our business right now. And rightly so, because I think the classical music business has been viewed as a relatively stationary and unchanging business.

So I think finally we – the business – have been kind of yanked into the 21^st Century now as the world is changing around us, having to think very hard about what we do to ensure that the art form survives and thrives for the next few decades.

For me it’s fascinating. I mean, I’ll connect it to the Centennial. The thing about the Centennial here, when they went through the Centennial planning process, they made a very conscious decision that the Centennial would not only celebrate the past – and this organization was incredible – but it would also contain the DNA for the future.  And so you see in the Centennial that all of these things that I mentioned are all picked up.  For example:

• You see the way in which the expansion of YOLA – the building of the new YOLA center down in Inglewood – is a kind of statement about the ongoing expansion of YOLA and real commitment to making a difference in people’s lives, particularly young people’s lives; also families, thinking about what a difference it can make in that community in Inglewood.
• You can see our Resident Fellows program: we’re bringing through a whole new generation of musicians of fellow through that program, which is just a beautiful thing to watch.
• You saw in Celebrate LA how we were out on the streets of LA, reaching the widest possible audience.

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Thanks to the nice people at Metro Bikes we’re cycling the rest of the way! #celebratela #metrobike #ciclavia

A post shared by Simon Woods (@simonlaphil) on Sep 30, 2018 at 1:28pm PDT

So for me the interesting thing is how do we take those things and run with them and make them even bigger for the future.

You can also tie it to Gustavo’s phrase that he likes to say: “Music is a human right.” I share that kind of very high-level conviction that we have a kind of moral obligation to let our art be available – and accessible – to the widest possible audience.

CKDH:  You talk about the challenges in the classical music industry in the 21^st Century. Something that the LA Phil has been known for has been its great relationship with the management and the musicians.

SW:  Yeah.

CKDH:  I thought it was noteworthy that when you had joined Seattle that they had just voted to do the strike and then they never actually went on strike. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you were a large portion of that, that there were no concerts lost.

SW:  (Laughs)

CKDH:  So in light of what went on there, and is going on now in Chicago and Baltimore, can you tell me a little bit about how you’ve approached that relationship?

SW:  Sure. In fact, I’ll go even bigger. I’ll say one of the most remarkable things about the LA Phil is it truly does have this collaborative culture between the different constituencies – which I have never seen anything quite like it in another orchestra.

I have seen examples of relationships that work, but here there is truly a highly, highly respectful, trusting relationship between the three constituencies:  musicians, staff and board. And there is a high sense of alignment; it’s a highly aligned organization. I think people know what the organization believes in and what its trajectory is. I trace it back to the relationship of the musicians to a series of managers – both Ernest [Fleischmann] and Deborah and now me – who really are all music-first people, right?

When I think about the organization and the future, I often describe myself as a kind of conservative progressive, because I’m very, very deeply attached to this artform. I have been a devotee of orchestral music since I was a teenager. It has been my life’s passion. For me, the notion of a hundred people on stage playing together is one of the great miracles of mankind’s creativity. It’s an extraordinary thing.

We are blessed with this few centuries of extraordinary orchestral repertoire, and I take our role as stewards of that very seriously. I don’t think it’s a contradiction to be passionate about the notion of curating and stewarding and nurturing a very rich art form, and to look for the biggest possible social footprint that you can for it, right?

But I think this idea of the fundamental conviction and belief in the musician and in the artform is one thing that the musicians have always felt here. Musicians in this orchestra have always had managers who love music. And they see us back stage – they see me back stage – I like to talk about music. I think there’s deep roots here around that relationship. I think they feel appreciated.

CKDH:  One area that you have made some changes – and it’s not shocking given your background – is on recording. Tell me your thoughts about your approach and what you’re looking for as far as recording this orchestra in this hall. And maybe some of the challenges even.

SW:  First of all, during the time I spent 10 years in the recording business – from the late ‘80s to the late ‘90s – I became totally fascinated with this notion of how do you capture the sound of an orchestra through a bunch of microphones and stereo. As went through this sort of CD era, the quality of sound was a real issue. People were paying attention to it.

As we’ve moved now into streaming and having mobile applications which enable you to take music wherever you are – and the vast majority of people listening on earbuds – the interest in that kind of sound has diminished, sadly.

But I am a bit old-fashioned in that regard because I love the idea of how to create recordings which sound genuinely beautiful, embracing and immersive, and which reflect the actuality of hearing the orchestra in this hall. I really love that. So we’ve definitely been working on that. And you hear it already in the John Williams’ recording that came out. And you’ll hear it more in other things coming up. So that’s one aspect of it.

In terms of the way that business is going, look, I think we’re in a hugely transitional moment. We still have a small core of audience which is buying CDs. A legacy audience – a legacy market for CDs in Japan and Korea, Austria, Germany, a few other countries. But most places now it’s only about streaming.

And so I think long-term what that means for us is not yet clear. At the Seattle Symphony, we formed our own label. It was hugely successful. We won a bunch of Grammys, [developed an] amazing profile for the orchestra. That was 2011/12 we did that. So I think even seven years later the world’s completely changed. So do I think our own label is the approach now? Who knows? I think labels [like that] will increasingly not be the dominant part of the branding, although, we are very happy to have a great relationship with Deutsche Grammophon for the next few years.

CKDH:  Hi-Res Audio? Any thoughts? I would be remiss if I didn’t ask that.

SW:  Oh, I love it! I’m a big fan of Hi-Res Audio. To me there’s a quantifiable difference in sound stage and in sense of presence and depth and reality between 96 kHz/24-bit and regular CD sound. But unfortunately, the sales of downloads in Hi-Res are very low. I do think as bandwidth increases, we will see the major steaming companies moving increasingly towards it.  One hopes so, because it’s much better.

CKDH:  From the visual media side, of course everyone cares about quality:  4K isn’t enough anymore on your TV, it’s 8k. From the steaming standpoint for video, obviously it takes more bandwidth to push that than on audio. So I keep waiting for that tipping point where all of a sudden people start caring about Hi-Res Audio enough and the business starts caring.

SW:  Let’s hope so. I’m stubborn. I’m not giving up my kind of fondness for great sounding audio.

CKDH:  Let’s talk about the Bowl a little bit

SW:  Sure.

CKDH:  Another, dare I say, fantastic season! Any time when you can do the breadth of stuff that this orchestra does at the Bowl, it’s great.  Having Yuja Wang come back to do the new Adams piece, my favorite Adams works since Naïve and Sentimental Music, is particularly awesome.

SW:  Oh, yes, a terrific piece.

CKDH:  So you’ve got that. You’ve got some of the more well-known Germanic works. And then you’ve got the usual smattering of jazz, popular music, world music, Into the Woods this year, and more.  Tell me what are the things that you’re particularly proud of or happy about.

SW:  I am not sure I want to pull out individual numbers. (Laughter)

CKDH:  Maybe themes?

SW:  I’ll just make a more general comment about the Bowl:  as I’ve been getting to know this organization, one of the things that has really fascinated me is learning just how deeply the Hollywood Bowl is embedded both in the orchestra’s identity and also in LA’s identity.

The affection that people in LA have for the Bowl is extraordinary. It’s where people went with their families as kids. It’s where people had dates with their partners and went and took their children and had picnics and heard orchestral music for the first time. There’s so much personal meaning attached to the Bowl. And there’s so much meaning to the LA Phil because I guess what I hadn’t realized – until I came here – was just how uniquely the Bowl is part of the LA Phil’s culture. You go back to the famous Easter sunrise concert of 1921.

So the Bowl has always been part of the LA Phil’s identity. It’s such a beautiful thing because it really does uniquely bridge audiences in a way that I can’t think of many other venues that do that really. I mean, if you look at the range as you say between jazz and Broadway, flamenco, pure classical – it’s just extraordinary. There’s literary something for everybody.

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Now for the big evening at the Hollywood Bowl! So happy to welcome Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti (and get a photo with my family!)

A post shared by Simon Woods (@simonlaphil) on Sep 30, 2018 at 7:23pm PDT

CKDH:  It wasn’t always the case that you would expect to hear a new John Adams’ work at the Bowl or things like that. You talk about those areas – relevance, equity, social impact – it’s easy to do that in the Bowl because of the democratization that you get from the population.

SW:  Totally.

CKDH:  But the criticism always used to be – and even in some recent years, it still is – that it’s limited pop concerts in the broadest sense. Playing new John Adams’ work at the Bowl isn’t common by any means.

SW:  You mean its pop concerts from the orchestra?

CKDH:  Yes, from the LA Phil.

SW:  So first of all, even if it is, I don’t personally have an issue with that.

CKDH:  Okay.

SW:  To me, philosophically, just because we’ve heard Tchaikovsky’s 5^th Symphony ten-thousand times does not mean that it doesn’t still have something to say to the many, many, many thousands of people who would come to hear it at the Hollywood Bowl, who had never heard it before and who will walk away thinking, “Wow! What an incredible piece of music!”

CKDH:  Sure.

SW:  You know what I mean? I think there’s a great risk that we’ve become sort of too insular, and I love that populist aspect of what we do at the Bowl – and by the way, so does Gustavo. Gustavo loves the Hollywood Bowl for the precise reason that it’s a stage to bring works that are very familiar to [some of us] to the widest possible audience. So I don’t apologize for that at all.

That said, I think it is interesting that as you say we do sprinkle the classical season with a few more kind of spicy items that people might not otherwise hear. And I think that’s part of who we are.

For the LA Phil, music of our time is not an add-on, right? It’s just part of what we play. And that sort of leveling of the playing field between the music of the past and the music of the present is one of the things that I really love about this organization. So it should be reflected at the Bowl – and is.

CKDH:  It’s noteworthy that you mention Tchaikovsky’s 5th and Gustavo because the response by everyone – audience, critics, even, dare I say, some of the jaded musicians on stage – when he did that piece with his 2005 debut with the orchestra at the Bowl was definitely not typical.  That concert is obviously what raised everybody’s attention to take certain works that can be ho-hum when done by most unknown conductor very short rehearsal and make it interesting.

I think one of the interesting aspects for long-time audience members is that the Bowl always seems to be this chance to see new conductors and [other young musicians]. With the Centennial, there have been a lot of friends of the orchestra that obviously you wanted to bring in which didn’t leave room for other guest conductors.

So whether it’s young conductors appearing at the Bowl or other people that just haven’t been as frequent here in LA – maybe some people that you had other relationships with through your past orchestras – are there any new artists that you’re anxious for LA audiences to see, whether it’s in the Bowl or in Walt Disney Concert Hall?

SW:  (Smiles) I’m going to stay out of the specific drawing attention to any particular one artist or another.

CKDH:  Fair enough. Fair enough.

SW:  First of all, one of the amazing things about the LA Phil is that we have this incredible stable of conductors, this family. When you look at the weeks we have with Gustavo, Esa-Pekka, Zubin, John Adams, Susana Mälkki – I mean, that’s a pretty amazing.

By the time you cast those weeks, we have fewer subscription weeks for guest conductors than some others do. So I guess one of the things that I think that we try really hard to do is use those weeks to see who’s coming next.

I will say that one of the great joys about our world right now is finally we’re seeing an amazing group of young women conductors coming through. This is vastly overdue. And it’s really fantastic. It should be perfectly obvious by looking at the [2019/2020] season that we’re really committed to. So that’s exciting to me in general.

CKDH:  Do you make a point of going to any of the leased concerts at the Bowl?

SW:  Oh, yes, I absolutely do.

One of the things that’s great about the LA Phil is that I really do love all kinds of music. So for me, it’s very nice to be able to go to the Paul Simon concert and shake him by the hand afterwards.

The leased concerts are a very important part of what we do as well. We have a great partnership with Live Nation Hewitt Silva.  They do amazing events, they bring in a completely different audience. It’s completely complementary to the work that we do. And again, it really is part of making the Hollywood Bowl a place where whatever your musical taste there’s something for you there, you know? Without them, I don’t think we would be able to cover the whole spectrum, but I think with them, we pretty much do.

CKDH:  If you could time travel and go back to December 2017 or January 2018, that you could tell yourself back then that you know now to make your life even easier? Because you have a pretty great job, it seems like you have been enjoying it, and everyone has responded very well to your tenure. But is there anything you could —?

SW:  I think I would tell myself just not to rush. When you come into a job like this, it’s interesting.

Deborah was here for 18 years. And I think that people had this idea that they would have a new CEO who would sort of arrive and come bursting fully formed out of the egg as a full-fledged chicken. The truth of the matter is you have to grow into a job like this. You have to grow into a community, and it takes time.

So part of my journey has been to remind people that we’re not in a hurry. We are lucky enough to have an extraordinary functional, extraordinary stable organization. We have time to reflect, to think about what’s working and what we can do better — and we have time to sort of build our own muscles around collaboration and giving everybody a voice as well, which is something that matters a lot to me. I am on a journey of not wanting to rush at making any decision. Just letting things evolve in a smart way, because it’s a great organization, and it has its own special energy.

CKDH:  Wonderful. Thank you so much for your time.

SW:  You’re very welcome!  And thank you for your interest.

CKDH:  Can we talk again in a year or so to see how things are going and to get an update on the strategic planning process?

SW:  That’d be great!  I look forward to it.

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No caption needed.

A post shared by Simon Woods (@simonlaphil) on Apr 29, 2018 at 5:00pm PDT

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Photo credits:

• portrait:  Craig T. Mathew and Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging
• Instagram photos:  Simon Woods

Got the whopper of a press release below  announcing that Simon Woods, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s CEO, has resigned.

There certainly was no indication of anything wrong during my conversation with him a few months ago.  Did something change since then, or was something already brewing in the background as we chatted?  How much of his departure was his idea vs. the Board’s?

Regardless of those relevant questions, the most interesting thing to ask is actually:  who is getting the job next?  More on that later.

RELATED POSTS

• A chat with Simon Woods: the LA Phil’s CEO talks about his first 18 months in the job and how he’s helping the orchestra succeed in the next 100 years
• Some thoughts as the LA Phil names Simon Woods as their new CEO

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Photo credit:  Craig T. Mathew and Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra begins its 2019-2020 season this coming weekend with two concerts featuring a world premiere from Andrew Norman and works by Beethoven and Berlioz. The weekend also marks the official beginning of Jaime Martin’s tenure as LACO’s Music Director.

The Spaniard takes over the orchestra in a time of transition, with former Executive Director Scott Harrison having stepped down a few months ago and the search for his replacement ongoing. That said, LACO is on solid footing, both artistically and financially. There are no crises to overcome and no hardships to endure. Audience, critics, and the orchestra’s musicians have all responded well to Mr. Martin’s appearances with the orchestra, and there is much optimism that he will continue LACO’s recent successes in new directions.

So what will those new directions be? It’s still too early to tell definitively, but based on the his programming for the upcoming season, it’ll be a mix of old and new, building upon LACO’s legacy while injecting his own ideas on repertoire, guest artists, and community engagement.

I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Martin to discuss many of these issues. Much of that conversation is below:

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CK Dexter Haven: How has the past year been since the announcement and everything sunk in, meeting new people and doing new things?

Jaime Martin: Well, since the announcement this year has been fascinating, because basically we had to fill the coming season with the content. So this has been a lot of work for that, and not only to design the program but also to get to know the donors – all of the people that support the orchestra that are very important.

It has been really good fun. And the big part of the thing was that I have to decide what to do in my first season. And as you can imagine, this is difficult. It’s difficult because you have a blank piece of paper and you say, “OK, this is the LACO year. You have to put something for each concert.” So that was really interesting.

CKDH: And what was the easiest part of putting together the season?

JM: Once you get the happy idea, then things become easier. I have to say that that was difficult to arrive to a moment when I started to feel free about it.

I had to do a kind of psychoanalysis of the situation because I said, “Well, OK, here I am going to start a new season with a new orchestra in a new city in a new continent,” because I haven’t worked very much in the States, so where do we start?

My first idea was that you – music lover or the audience – don’t know me. Even the orchestra doesn’t know me very much; they know me a little bit from [previous conducting appearances]. So this year is going to be a year of discovery both ways. I have to discover you and you have to discover me.

I thought that the best way to achieve that – or to approach that – is to show you who I am. What my taste is. What are the things that make me excited about music? And I thought that a good way to do that is by bringing to you people I have enjoyed over the years making music with:

First, Anne Sofie von Otter is going to do the opening concert. When I used to be a flute player, I remember I recorded with her and Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Solti conducting. We did the Così fan tutte recording on Decca that you can get now. I was playing on that; I was the Principal Flute of that. Also if you look at the Claudio Abbado recording on DG of Schubert arias orchestrated by different composers – Berlioz, Brahms, Weber, Britten, Max Reger – with Thomas Quasthoff, also it [was me playing with her]. That recording is fantastic!

CKDH: Yes, I actually have it – fabulous.

JM: Yes. Over the years I have done so many things with Anne Sofie and loved her singing. When I was a flute professor at the Royal College of Music in London, I had always on my phone an aria – a little song by Kurt Weill sung by Anne Sofie von Otter. And all of my new students at the Royal College of Music – the first day when they arrive in September, first lesson – before they play the flute I say, “Sit down.” I [hand them] my head phones: “Listen to this.”

All my students know this song very well, because they have to listen if I’m not there. And I say, “Look, this is my idea of legato and vibrato. If you don’t like this – what you just heard now – then you should find another teacher.” (Laughter) Because this is what I like.

CKDH: So there’s obviously similarity between playing flute and singing.

JM: Exactly. When I started conducting a few years ago and now I had the chance to work with her as a conductor – not only as a flute player – and it has been wonderful working with her. . . .

Christian Tetzlaff is coming to do the Beethoven violin concerto. I have worked with Christian over the years, not only when I was a flute player. The number of times he’s done Beethoven – I remember – I have been in tears listening to Christian Tetzlaff doing Beethoven. I have been lucky enough to have played chamber music with him in festivals. I have even then – crazy pieces like Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Sounds for a Mad King with him playing the violin. He’s somebody that is fantastic as well. So I thought Christian Tetzlaff has to be in my first season.

Denis Kozhukhin is the most fabulous pianist; Russian pianist. He has played the London Symphony. He worked with Barenboim at Berlin. I think he has been in lots of American orchestras, but he’s not been to LA yet. I used to coach him in chamber music when he was studying with Bashkirov in the Reina Sofia School in Madrid, and I remember that I thought about him, “Hmm, this guy plays very well.” And then funny enough, the following year after I met him as a student, he won the Queen Elisabeth competition in Brussels and became a big hit.

So apart from bringing people I know well, another thing that they have in common is that they’ve never been to LACO before. This is a nice way to get to show you what people – what kind of musician I like, what kind of artist. I think that was one of the lines or poles that helped me to start building this season.

But I didn’t want to be completely selfish about this, it’s not only about me. (Laughs) Apart from bringing my friends as the soloists, I thought in the first season I should take something from the orchestra also. I wanted to use the relationships the orchestra has been creating over the last few years with the young – the exceptional generation of young composers here. And this is something that’s not new: LACO has been very active in promoting new music. . . .

That’s why in every concert next year I’m going to do a new piece by the young fantastic generation. With Andrew Norman, we are opening a trilogy of three years that he’s going to do a concerto for chamber orchestra – that is going to go over three years, one movement with each year culminating with the third year. First year will be the first movement, second year is second movement, and third year the complete piece.

[And while] we’re opening a three-year project with Andrew, with Derrick Spiva we are closing a three-year project. We’re going to perform the third piece of the trilogy, in the closing concert we’re doing his final piece. I had a meeting yesterday with Derrick to talk about the piece. But apart from that, we have a world premiere by Juan Pablo Contreras, we are going to have the West Coast premiere of a new double bass concerto by Missy Mazzoli [with LACO Principal Bass David Grossman as soloist]. Everybody is very aware of her because of her quality and also the Metropolitan Opera commissioned a new opera from her, so everybody is talking about her.

CKDH: Right. And Ellen Reid?

JM: As you probably are aware, last December I personally offered the job of Composer-in-Residence for the next three years to Ellen. That was in December. And then the fact that now she’s been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music: what timing! (we both laugh) Because of course, to offer her the job now, that would be too obvious. “Oh, she won the Pulitzer, let’s get her.”

CKDH: Yes, definitely.

JM: I think with LACO, now, is the kind of energy which I really feel it. I think LACO always had energy, of course, but now LACO is going through a time that the orchestra and the management had to meet somebody that they didn’t know very well, which is me. I am meeting them, so we are trying to get to know each other. That of course creates a little bit of (small gasp) – I’m going to use the word “tension”, but it’s not really tension, you know?

We don’t know each other that well, and because we don’t know each other that well, I think this tension is translated into energy. We are coming up with things and I think that’s very positive, it’s very exciting. I can see that we are all of the time moving, we haven’t started yet. And we are doing things. I think it’s very – I am starting to feel very free.

CKDH: So you talked about making that offer personally to Ellen Reid a couple of months before she won the Pulitzer Prize. And she’s another very familiar composer to Los Angeles audiences in general. Tell me: why was Ellen Reid the right fit for this job even before she got the Pulitzer ? And what do like about her music?

JM: I tell you. I had lunch with five composers together when I was here in December. And it was wonderful because basically the reason for this lunch was to try to feel the energy. It was Andrew Norman, Ellen Reid, Derrick Spiva, Juan Pablo Contreras, and Sarah Gibson and me. So it was a pretty good group.

CKDH: Yes! (Laughing) Very good company!

JM: But you have to make these things happen – we didn’t meet in the street. (Laughs) And we had a very good time. And all of these people – they would have pieces in the program for this season or next.

So, I knew about the music of all of them. The only person I didn’t know the music of was Ellen at that moment. But because I met her, she was interesting. Then her opera was performed here in LA and somebody told me that this opera had been an incredible success and people like that. They said, “Whoa! This really was fantastic.” So I remember that I went back to that day and started looking, listening to music by Ellen Reid, which I didn’t know. And I thought, “Oh, this is really good!” Anyway, the next day I took it to Scott Harrison [then LACO’s Executive Director] and said, “We have to appoint a Composer-In- Residence,” and he said, “Yes.” So on my way to the airport we offered Ellen the job.

CKDH: And what was her reaction?

JM: We actually we did it on Facetime. Somebody has the photograph of the moment. And she went, “Oh, really?!” She was really thrilled. She was very happy. I am very happy we had this moment on camera because it was completely surreal; I don’t know why at that moment I felt we could not wait any longer. I thought, “Let’s do it now.”

CKDH: Great instinct.

JM: It was pretty good instinct, you know? And yeah. It was very quick, that decision.

It had nothing to do with the other composers in this lunch. Andrew had already been Composer-In-Residence and we had commissioned pieces from him. The relationship with Derrick has been also a long while and it is going to continue because we happen to get on very well and I like him; I think we have a mutual understanding. And the same with Juan Pablo Contreras. That lunch was amazing, because that morning when I met Juan Pablo Contreras – his face that morning was like, “Ah!” (smiling with eyes wide open) because that same morning he got the message that Universal signed a contract with him to record a series of CDs with his music. So he was very happy that day.

CKDH: So you get those composers together, what do you talk about and what do they talk about? Do they talk about what you want to do with LACO? What you are asking of them?  About their compositions? Soccer? Food?

JM: One of the topics that we had was: what can we do? What is our responsibility as composers and performers to convince people that what we do is not scary? So we were discussing that, the fact that we are writing music for people. This is not an intellectual exercise.

CKDH: That’s not what maybe certain European composers in the ‘50s, ‘60s would say. Stockhausen wouldn’t say that.

JM: No. But that’s what we were talking about. And we put, for example, Stockhausen and Boulez. As much as I admire some of his music, I think Boulez in a way was – well, I don’t want to accuse Boulez. There was a time when any music that had any resemblance to order was considered old-fashioned.

Basically, it was almost like a police state of composing. And then composers felt, “Oh, we have to make things sound ‘modern,’ ” whatever that means. And I think that has been very damaging for music. Maybe it was a necessity; sometimes things need to happen, like when Schoenberg invented serial music; I think history sometimes needs to have moments of little revolutions or big revolutions. But I think with music this went a bit too far, and this has alienated audiences.

CKDH: How do you feel about a composer that’s very different to Stockhausen or Boulez, but still obtuse to many casual classical music listeners – like John Cage and what he does?

JM: I think John Cage was almost like a provocation, but I think at that moment, it started to be charming for a lot of people.

That before the minimalist movement started to get shaped, I think John Cage set it up – I think it was like Mondrian in that sense, that it came with concepts that were very original to him. With Mondrian, he painted squares. And you say, “Well, my child can do that.” Yes, but he did it first. (Laughter) It was Mondrian. (Laughter) You see what I mean?

CKDH: Oh, absolutely.

JM: Yeah, my child can – and me too – but I didn’t. And then, like that, John Cage can then put metronomes doing their thing, and this is a piece. Or 4’33” – a piece that is silent. OK, I can do it, you can do it, [but] the fact is that John Cage did it first, and I think that has value. I think this was the time of discovery almost. It was excitement.

But I think now now we’ve gone through a lot. And with the new generation of composers, I think we are in a renaissance of music in that sense. People like Oliver Knussen or Thomas Adés in the UK.

CKDH: Another frequent visitor of Los Angeles.

JM: Yeah. And Thomas Adés – I think he has been somebody with no shame who has written music that is completely novel, is completely his language, his style. But not pretending to be “modern” in the sense.

I did the premiere of the Thomas Adés violin concerto when I was with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and I was playing the flute when we premiered it. Thomas Adés was conducting, and a few years later I still could sing beats of the last movement of Thomas Adés violin concerto. Even now (he sings part of it) it’s music that you can relate to. It’s music that you can remember, it’s music that you can even sing. And for many years this was not allowed.

CKDH: Right!

JM: And that’s why I said that with no shame, he said, “Look, music is something that makes sense,” and that’s what I feel.

That kind of approach is the approach I see with people like Andrew Norman and lots of the LA composers – we are writing music for people. Real people.

—–

CKDH: How do you interact with composers when you’re performing their music? For example, how did you prepare to conduct Bryce Dessner’s piece, voy a dormir?

JM: My approach to it is I do research about the composer and then do research about the writer – the poems – in the same way I would do if I were doing the Schicksalslied by Brahms. Then try to imagine in my head the song as well. For Bryce’s piece, I asked if there was a recording of the world premiere in New York because I knew Bryce was at the rehearsals for that performance, and I was able to listen to one of those rehearsals after I conducted the first rehearsal of it at LACO.

I thought that the metronome markings that he put in the first movement were too fast. I wanted to do it slower, and I wanted to check with the recording if they did it at the original metronome or slower. And you know what?

CKDH: They did it slower?

JM: It was slower! I cannot tell you happy I was. He wrote “106” – I think that’s what he put – but then I was feeling it at 90 or 91, and that’s the tempo in the recording. So really funny!

CKDH: That is funny.

JM: But it’s one of those things that I wanted to double check because tempo is a very difficult thing to deal with in a new piece. Even if it’s your own music, I think tempo changes every day, because tempo has to do with your heartbeat, has to do with life. And then even you as a player, I would play – or I would conduct – something today at whatever tempo and maybe tomorrow I will do it faster or slower, because my day has been more something or another. So tempo is a funny thing.

CKDH: Sure. And previously, of course, composers would just say “Andante” or “Presto” – or whatever. And now it’s so much more common to put, for example, quarter note equals 132. Not always, but frequently.

JM: Lots of people do. Even Beethoven did. But the problem with that is I don’t think you have to take it too literally because as I said things change.

There’s a beautiful letter to Beethoven by an amateur musician. And in the books, you can see the two letters, and I think it’s wonderful. This person saying, “I bought your score of Piano Sonata whatever, but you put metronome marking is” – I forget the details, whatever – “do you really mean that tempo? It’s really fast.”

It’s a good thing that there is this letter there. And Beethoven’s answer is, “I really thank you for reading my music. Yeah, I mean, I meant the metronome mark is correct; that IS what I want. But of course, this is only for the beginning, because after that, expression has its own tempo.”

And I think that’s amazing. When you think of that, how do you apply that “expression has its own tempo?” How do you apply that to, for instance, the metronome mark of the beginning of Eroica? Because the metronome mark of the opening is fast. (He sings the opening measures of the first movement.) OK, very good.

But that doesn’t mean you have to do (He sings the e-minor theme that shows up later in the same movement). Of course not, you cannot do it at the exact same tempo as the beginning. But we are still in the first movement and it doesn’t say “poco meno;” it doesn’t say “meno mosso.” These kinds of indications came later in music.

Beethoven said very clearly: it’s the beginning, but after that, “expression has its own tempo.” And I think that’s very good.

You know, sometimes even teachers over the years have been very pedantic about that kind of thing. A student plays something and here arrives the second subject, and “Oh, don’t slow down now because remember the first subject was like this” – that way.

That was one thing I learned when I used to play flute. One of the biggest influences I had from conductors was Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Of course I played with Claudio Abbado, who was a wonderful elegant conductor; I loved to play with Zubin Mehta, with Georg Solti, with others, but working with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was amazing because he was someone that would take the music as it is and read in-between lines. I mean, this is not black or white. There are lots of shades of in-between.

And there are times with music, with composers, who put in “poco meno” or “meno mosso” or “poco allegro” – or come to the extreme of Mahler when Mahler would put “a little bit faster, but not so much;” little indications like that, because he was a conductor himself and then he put micro things like that – but of course, with Mozart things like that were not in the score. But this doesn’t mean that everything is the same tempo.

You look at the reviews of the time of Beethoven and the reviewers – some of the reviews criticized Beethoven conducting. “Ah, it’s terrible! Every time there’s a crescendo he does accelerando instead. And when it says “diminuendo” he does ritardando. But it’s his music. Maybe sometimes for Beethoven growing intensity was growing in speed, it wasn’t growing in [dynamics] – but he didn’t need to always put “accelerando.” So he was flexible.

—–

CKDH: One of the things I want to go back to – Anne Sofie and Christian have both spent a lot of time here in Southern California. We have been very fortunate to see them perform. It will be fun to see them here again. And since you are still new to Los Angeles, but they’re not.

JM: They are not, of course.

CKDH: What did they tell you when you said that you got this job, and then you asked them to join you here in Los Angeles? What was their reaction?

JM: Well, actually, Anne Sofie has not been here for some time. She used to visit —

CKDH: Yes, she used to be here more frequently, when Esa-Pekka Salonen was Music Director of the LA Phil.

JM: Yeah, but not for a long time. I mean, with Anne Sofie it’s funny, because with her we have lots of conversations about the repertoire. In the end, [we decided that] we’re doing Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été. She was very excited, and she was very happy for me. She said, “Well, wonderful that you are coming. And thank you for inviting me.”

It was the same with Christian, though with him, I didn’t give him a choice (smiling) – I really wanted to do Beethoven with him. I did concerts with Christian last October with the London Symphony. We went on tour and he did Lalo Symphonie Espagnole. There’s lots of repertoire that he can play beautifully, but I really wanted to do Beethoven with him, especially with LACO, and also because I remember while playing in the orchestra, some of the most amazing performances I remember of the Beethoven had been with him.

CKDH: I’m being told that we’re out of time, so unfortunately, I have to let you go.

JM: We should have scheduled three hours, not just one. (Laughs). Well I’ll be coming back six or seven times a year, so we’ll talk over dinner or lunch next time so we can talk longer. Because time flies!

CKDH: I’d love that! That’d be great, thank you. I look forward to it.

—–

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jaime Martin begin their 2019-2020 on Saturday, Sep 28, 8pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and on Sunday, Sept 29, 7pm, at Royce Hall at UCLA. The program for both concerts will include the world premiere of Begin by Andrew Norman, Les nuits d’été by Berlioz featuring mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. More information about the concert and tickets are available online HERE.

RELATED POSTS

• How and why Jaime Martin became LA Chamber Orchestra’s next Music Director: an in-depth look behind the scenes

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Photo credits:

• Jaime Martin (outdoor portrait): Ben Gibbs
• Jaime Martin (indoor portrait): CK Dexter Haven
• Jaime Martin (conducting): Jamie Pham
• Anne Sofie von Otter: Ewa-Marie Rundquist
• Christian Teztlaff: Giorgia Bertazzi
• Denis Khozhukhin: courtesy of artist’s website
• Ellen Reid: James Matthew Daniel
• Nikolaus Harnoncourt:  Marco Borggreve

After many requests, I’m very happy to bring back my regular look at the personnel moves within the Los Angeles Philharmonic, plus a couple of noteworthy moves at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. There’s even a link to some fabulous music by the “Los Angeles Philharmonic Wind Quintet” (seriously). Let’s get to it . . .

LA Phil’s new CEO

The biggest – and least surprising news – is that Chad Smith was recently promoted from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer. The announcement of his promotion came exactly 15 days after his predecessor, Simon Woods, abruptly announced his resignation from the position.

What to make of this? First, this is good news overall.

• He can hit the ground running. An extended vacancy in this role would not have been good for the long-term operations and morale of the organization. Filling the gap so quickly eases any concerns that might have arisen had the LA Phil needed/wanted to undergo another prolonged search from scratch. As an insider, Mr. Smith will have a relatively easy learning curve.
• His main strength – programming – has been one the biggest reason for the LA Phil’s ascent over the past two decades. While former Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen was the primary driving force for inspiring a study diet of innovative programming that led to the orchestra’s rise in public and critical opinion, Mr. Smith is rightly credited with building upon that with ever-bolder ideas and initiatives, particularly during Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure. Having him in the top chair now virtually guarantees that the LA Phil will continue pushing the envelope. (Of course, this assumes that envelope pushing for its own sake is a good thing, which it may or may not be; more on that below)
• He’s charismatic and well-liked. Peruse the Twitter-verse’s reactions to his promotion, and luminaries such as John Adams, Alex Ross, and Gautier Capuçon are among the many offering plaudits. The Board of Directors clearly was on his side, otherwise they wouldn’t have made this kind of move less than two years after having named someone else to the job. One shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having powerful people on your side.

Is there anything about which people should be concerned? Two things jump to mind:

1. He’s never been “THE GUY” anywhere. Yes, I know, he’s been in charge of much more than programming lately. Since his promotion in 2015, he’s been responsible for marketing, communications, public relations, productions, orchestra operation, media, and learning initiatives (whew!). But take a look at what’s not on that list: development, finance, administration. It’s unclear whether he can/will oversee those areas with the same level of competency as programming, let alone as deftly as Deborah Borda or Ernest Fleischmann, the two giants who put their stamp on the orchestra during their own tenures as LA Phil chief administrator. Both were fierce defenders of artistic quality and were keen to experiment, yet both were also skilled at balancing artistic needs with fiscal realities. This leads to concern number two . . .
2. He has no one above him keeping him from going too far or not far enough. By all accounts, Mr. Smith was the person in the LA Phil charged with ensuring the organization was on the artistic leading/bleeding edge. And in the past, if Mr. Smith had an idea that might have been over the top for one reason or another, Ms. Borda was there to say “No.” Now that he sits atop the org chart, there’s no one there to backstop any decision he makes.

   To that end, for the biggest example of artistic boldness beginning to morph into indulgence, look no further than this recently completed Centenary Season: on one hand, the veritable cornucopia of concert choices allowed the LA Phil to explore the widest possible range of symphonic repertoire past, present, and future; on the other, the sheer quantity and diversity of programs meant that too many concerts were under-rehearsed, with the quality of the music-making coming from the stage suffering noticeably on far too many occasions.  It were as if the Hollywood Bowl season lasted the whole year, with all the good and bad that implies. Musicians were cautious yet game going into the season; by the end, they were exhausted physically and mentally and were glad that it was done.

   On the other hand, there’s also the risk that having the weight of ultimate responsibility as a CEO makes him gun shy. I sincerely doubt that will happen, but it is a risk, and again, given that he’s NEVER held the top job of any organization anywhere within four or five orders of magnitude the size of the US’s largest orchestra, we – indeed, HE – won’t know how he’ll handle things until he gets there.

I hope that the pendulum doesn’t swing too far one way or the other, and that Mr. Smith shows as much concern for maintaining and achieving the highest quality of music making on stage as is possible from our world-class LA Phil musicians as he is for making programmatic splashes, all while maintaining the orchestra’s fantastic financial health. Best of luck to him.

—–

One final question with regards to the change in CEO: why wasn’t Simon Woods the right fit?

The answer to that is tough to know for sure. By all accounts, he seemed to have the right pedigree, demeanor, and track record for the job. He had a winning personality in his own right, and was generally well-regarded. He didn’t present himself any different towards the end of his short tenure than he did upon being named to the job.

That said, it’s reasonable to guess that given Mr. Smith’s rapid investiture, the Board knew that a change was coming, and that compared to Mr. Smith, Mr. Woods was not ______ enough. Fill in the blank with whatever word(s) you see fit; here are some of the options I’ve heard from many in and around the organization: (a) bold, (b) strong, (c) visionary, (d) programming-focused, or (e) inspirational. To paraphrase an exchange I had with one of Mr. Woods’ admirers after news of his resignation came out, he seemed more in awe of the orchestra and the organization than they were of him.

That’s an unfortunate turn of events if it were, in fact, an underlying reason for he and the orchestra to part ways, but upon hearing those opinions, I was reminded of a few statements Mr. Woods made to me during our interview earlier this year:

• “[Leading the LA Phil] is a somewhat unusual experience for me because I’ve tended to go into leadership positions in organizations where they were going through difficult periods and needed a lot of help rethinking how they function and what their role in the world was. So coming to the LA Phil is really interesting because it’s a highly functional organization, and it’s very clear about what it commits to and what it believes in.”
• “I said to the Board [of Directors] fairly early on, ‘A commitment to continuity is an intentional leadership act.’ ”
• “We have the best programming people in the business. . . . And they have great people. I am not spending my days stuck deep in programming.”

In the context of statement, those after-the-resignation assessments seem consistent.

Regardless of whatever disagreements or differences may have existed between Mr. Woods and the Board, he seems to be a genuinely good man, with a keen understanding of the classical music business overall, and a passion for music and music making. I have no doubt that he’ll find future success in the near future, and we wish him well both personally and professionally.

A new LA Phil Harp

Emmanuel Ceysson, Principal Harp of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2015, will be the new Harpist of the LA Phil. The native of France won the audition this past week and will take over some time after Lou Anne Neill, an LA Phil veteran who was originally appointed to the position in 1983 by Carlo Maria Giulini, retires.

Prior to joining The Met, Mr. Ceysson had been Principal Harp of the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris since 2005 when he was named to the position at the tender age of 22. He also has a noteworthy solo career, complete with recital tours and recording releases.

He will be the fourth former member of The Met Orchestra to have joined the LA Phil in the past decade, following Whitney Crockett (Principal Bassoon), Denis Bouriakov (Principal Flute), and Boris Allakhverdyan (Principal Clarinet).

LA Phil Principal Oboe: a new candidate emerges, plus what happened to the last one?

This past May, the orchestra held an open audition to fill its Principal Oboe chair, the same one that Ramon Ortega vacated after a very brief tenure. Four musicians – all American-trained oboists — made it into the final round. Only one – Liam Boisset – made it out of the audition with an invitation to play a trial with the orchestra.

He is, in most ways, the unlikeliest of candidates. The three other finalists currently hold principal positions in other large orchestras, while Mr. Boisset, still in his mid-twenties, doesn’t yet have a full-time orchestra job of any kind and has been splitting time as of late between the Bay Area and New York as a bi-coastal freelancer.

That said, the San Francisco native’s candidacy isn’t a complete surprise. Word on the street is that during the 2017 auditions that resulted in Mr. Ortega being awarded the job, Mr. Boisset was one of the other finalists. Moreover, he has been guest principal with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic, so he knows his way around the first chair of an oboe section. He has also been a guest section player with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony, and he has appeared as a soloist in the Strauss Oboe Concerto with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

He played with the LA Phil under Gustavo Dudamel over two weeks this past summer: the first at the Hollywood Bowl in Mahler’s 2^nd Symphony, a reprise of John Adams’ new piano concerto, Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? (Yuja Wang, soloist), and the Symphony No. 4 of Tchaikovsky; the following week he played the same concerts on the road when the orchestra made its appearance at the Edinburgh Festival.

No decision one way or the other regarding his candidacy was made at that time, though word on the street is that he’ll be returning to play additional concerts with the LA Phil this calendar year. Again, no other candidates are currently being considered for the position.

Best of luck to Mr. Boisset and the orchestra.

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As welcome as this news is, the big question about the Principal Oboe chair remains: why did Mr. Ortega leave?

After arriving with much fanfare – and some scoffing among a certain group of American oboe aficionados – the heralded Spaniard returned to Europe less than a year after being named to the top oboe posts at both the LA Phil and the Colburn Conservatory.

His stint as faculty member at Colburn was roughly two-thirds of a year, beginning in earnest when he auditioned players for his oboe studio in May. His official tenure as Principal Oboe with the LA Phil was even shorter, lasting from the end of September 2018 to mid November. Almost a decade ago, some people were incredulous when Mathieu Dufour left his post as Principal Flute in LA at the beginning of the 2009/2010 season after roughly four months; Mr. Ortega’s tenure was less than half that.

Two days after news of his resignation broke, the star oboist posted this diplomatic yet vague explanation to his Facebook account:

Dear everyone,
After hearing so many wrong comments about why I have resigned on my position with the LA Phil, I would like to write that, on my case, there is not only one reason why I have decided this way. Anyone who lives such an experience will understand that.
I would love to thank the LA Phil for a marvelous time these past months. It is an experience I will never forget.
I am specially [sic] grateful to my colleagues on the wind section, maestro Dudamel and all LA Phil staff who have just supported and made me have a great time in LA!
I am very sad that it lasted so short, but that is life. I ask for respect on my personal motives.
I wish the LA Phil the brightest future and all the best on their 100 anniversary season.
They are a fantastic orchestra and I will truly miss them.

Yours,
Ramon

So what could these multiple reasons be?

Only Mr. Ortega knows for sure, and he didn’t respond to requests for additional comments. Here are my own educated guesses as to potential reasons (along with my guesstimations about the likelihood of each one actually contributing to his decision):

• The workload at the LA Phil was too burdensome (likelihood: high). The LA Phil’s concert and rehearsal schedule was certainly not a secret. Theoretically, Mr. Ortega knew what he was getting himself into. Yet, knowing in theory and knowing in practice are two different things. And while the workload of the LA Phil is certainly heavy in absolute terms, it would feel more burdensome when compared to that at the Bavarian Radio Symphony, especially when combined with how much extra time off he was given to pursue his solo career.
• The amount of 20^th and 21^st century repertoire the LA Phil played was not to his liking (likelihood: high). Again, not a secret, and again, simply knowing that you have to learn, practice, and perform a ton of new music is not the same thing as actually doing it. But if you’re used to a diet consisting overwhelmingly of familiar  18^th, 19^th, and early 20^th Century classical and romantic works, LA’s eclectic mix can be hard to digest.
• The repertoire burden the LA Phil’s Centennial Season was particularly trying (likelihood: very high). The two points above would be true for any typical LA Phil season over the past two decades; however, the Centennial Season doubled down on both of those points by creating week upon week of two – sometimes three – times the number of unique programs squeezed into the same number of overall concerts; the result: even more repertoire in even less amount of time. And let’s not forget the huge number of world premieres offered last season; as much as the LA Phil is rightly lauded for its support of living composers, it’s not easy on the musicians.
• He wanted to be closer to his family in Europe (likelihood: moderate). It’s a long way between Spain and Los Angeles, and even longer between Germany and Los Angeles.

—–

One final tidbit on matters regarding the LA Phil and oboists: the much-anticipated recital and tour debut of the “Los Angeles Philharmonic Wind Quintet” in Australia went off splendidly by all accounts, with Principal Horn Andrew Bain and Messrs. Bouriakov, Allakhverdyan, and Crockett being joined by Ricardo Barbosa, Principal Oboe of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (despite the press photos for the event still showing Mr. Ortega in the ensemble). The program included:

• Samuel Barber: Summer Music
• Benjamin Britten: Movement for Wind Sextet
• Francis Poulenc: Sextet Op. 100
• Charles Gounod: Petite symphonie
• Darius Milhaud: Chamber Symphony No. 5
• Jean Françaix: 9 Pièces caractéristiques

A recording of the concert is available to be streamed online HERE. I highly recommend that you listen to it. It’s absolutely wonderful and well worth your investment in time.

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Unforgettable experience in lovely Australia with LAphil Wind Quintet #quintet #friends #chambermusic #goodtimes #loveaustralia #laphil

A post shared by Boris Allakhverdyan (@borisclarinet) on Sep 28, 2019 at 1:09am PDT

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Teaching and playing at ANAM – Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne!!! Pleasure to be next to those guys! L.A. Phil Wind Quintet Australian Tour. #oboe #flute #bassoon #horn #clarinet #australiannationalacademyofmusic #windquintet @ricardo_oboe @denisflute @borisclarinet

A post shared by Ricardo Barbosa (@ricardo_oboe) on Sep 17, 2019 at 2:34am PDT

News in the LA Phil string sections

In addition to the aforementioned auditions for oboe and harp, the LA Phil also held auditions to fill three open violin chairs. Two of them have been filled by:

• Jordan Koransky, a three-year veteran of the Houston Symphony. He was a prestigious Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California where he studied with Alice Schoenfeld, eventually graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor in Music from the USC Thornton School of Music. He went on to do his graduate work at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where he was concertmaster of the school’s orchestra on multiple occasions.
• Justin Woo, a native of Washington State. He did his undergraduate work at the Cleveland Institute of Music before earning his Master’s degree from the USC Thornton School, studying with Bing Wang, the LA Phil’s Associate Concertmaster

There’s also been one departure from the cello section: Tao Ni left the orchestra at the beginning of the summer season. No word on the reasons for his departure, and no indications as to him having joined another orchestra. It’s worth noting that he originally joined the LA Phil as Associate Principal Cello, though after a year, he was only given tenure as a section player (Ben Hong was eventually promoted from Assistant Principal to Associate Principal); perhaps he has ambitions for more of a leadership position within an orchestra or maybe even a non-orchestral career of some sort. In any case, we wish him well in all of his future endeavors.

A growing leadership vacuum at LACO

Over at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, there’s well-deserved enthusiasm over the start of Jaime Martin’s tenure as Music Director (my review of their season-opening concert is coming later this week).

At the same time, the orchestra has major holes to fill in its administrative ranks as its top three executives have left in the past year:

• Lacey Huszcza, Associate Executive Director, held the number two spot in the organization and was a 13-year veteran of LACO. She left in October of last year to take over as Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
• Scott Harrison, Executive Director, left the top post earlier this year to concentrate on other philanthropic activities near and dear to his heart; he remains as a consultant to the orchestra with the title of Senior Advisor. He came to the orchestra from the Detroit Symphony where he was in charge of Advancement and External Relations.
• Kate Kammeyer, General Manager and Artistic Administrator, left in August to become Assistant Dean of Artistic Planning at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Boston. She previously held positions at Carnegie Hall and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Those are three major positions to have to fill, especially in the midst of having a new Music Director whose never led an American orchestra learning the ropes. Things will undoubtedly be challenging until they can add some horsepower back to their team.

Fortunately for LACO, they have Ruth Eliel and Leslie Lassiter stepping into the breach — at least temporarily — as co-Interim Executive Directors. Ms. Eliel was LACO’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2008, and her 11-year tenure has been rightly hailed as a triumph, helping bring the organization back from the brink of disaster and putting it back to artistic and fiscal health. Ms. Lassiter is Chair of LACO’s Board, and has a long career as a successful banker to go along with many years in philanthropy.

Here’s hoping that LACO finds some great arts administrators quickly and that they can maintain the positive momentum that LACO has had since Ms. Eliel’s original tenure.

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Photo credits:

• Chad Smith: Mathew Imaging care of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
• Simon Woods (with Gustavo Dudamel and Deborah Borda): courtesy of Mr. Woods’ Instagram page
• Emmanuel Ceysson: Dario Acosta
• Liam Boisset: courtesy of the artist’s Instagram page

Gustavo Dudamel has been in charge of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a decade now, and so we should be able to easily answer the question:  what can we — should we — expect from one of their concerts together?

And there’s the rub.  There is no easy answer that doesn’t sound generically like you could say about any music director of any orchestra after ten years.  Passion?  Sure.  Excellent playing?  Mostly yes.  Greater rapport with his musicians?  Yeah, okay.

But when you get beyond that, it’s tougher to say.  David Mermelstein nailed it  when he wrote earlier this year:

“And then there’s Mr. Dudamel, who despite his international name recognition and nearly 10 years on the podium at Disney Hall hasn’t quite put his stamp on this orchestra in the way that Messrs. Mehta and Salonen did in their day. To be sure, he has his moments—I can still recall, from prior seasons, a sublime Schubert Ninth Symphony and an equally good Schumann Fourth. Yet twice in February he disappointed when it really counted, first in the American premiere of Tan Dun’s overblown ‘Buddha Passion’ and then again when he rendered inert Mahler’s immensely moving Ninth Symphony. He still has years to equal his predecessors’ tenures—his contract runs through 2022 and may well be extended beyond that—but one can’t help wishing he had developed a sharper profile by now.” (“At 100, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is Forever Young,” The Wall Street Journal:  April 17, 2019)

It’s not that Mr. Dudamel isn’t good, he usually is.  It’s just that he should be better, or at least more consistent.  He’s spent a great deal of time conducting Mahler with the LA Phil:  usually it is wonderful (a Mahler 9 performed around the time they recorded it together in 2012/13 was fantabulous), but can often be meh (a Mahler 5 that I found thrilling in the moment did not hold up so where when I listened to broadcasts of the same performance months later).  His interpretations of other composers he favors — Mozart, Tchiakovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, to name a few — are typically beautiful, moving, and even interesting, but rarely transformational.  In comparison, any performance of Stravinsky, Sibelius, Debussy, or Lutosławski ten years into Esa-Pekka Salonen’s music directorship was guaranteed to be somewhere between insightful and definitive.

The biggest exception to this inconsistency:  20th Century American music.

From the moment he first became a media sensation with his rendition of “Mambo” from Bernstein’s West Side Story, Mr. Dudamel has always been a compelling interpreter of this often-neglected cadre of composers.  He imbues this repertoire with the same respect and commitment that he does to the Austro-Germanic canon without attempting to turn the former into the later.  The results are reliably impressive.

The opening concerts of the 2019/2020 proved to be latest examples of this.  In two concerts I attended, both featuring the same works by Barber, Gershwin, Previn, and Copland, Mr. Dudamel was in his element.

The program opened with “Knoxville:  Summer of 1915,” Barber’s song setting of the opening text from A Death in the Family, the autobiographical novel by James Agee.  It features a young boy’s naive musings on the things and people he observes, foreshadowing the loss referred to in the novel’s title.  With that inspiration, Barber creates a landscapes that veers back and forth between spacious and frantic using a musical language that feels like the midpoint between Copland’s Billy the Kid and Stravinsky’s “No Word for Tom” from The Rake’s Progress.

Mr. Dudamel and the orchestra navigated the contrasting passages exceptionally, while maintaining a sense tension and melancholy throughout.  The woodwinds in particular had a wonderfully sinewy quality that enhanced the tension and melancholy throughout; kudos to Boris Allakhverdyan (clarinet), Denis Bouriakov (flute), Whitney Crockett (bassoon), and Anne Marie Gabriele (oboe) for their important contributions.  Soprano Julia Bullock was the capable soloist.  Her interpretation was a bit distant, even analytical during the Thursday performance, but by Sunday’s matinee, her singing was subtly emotional, resulting in a more touching and satisfying rendition.

Next up was Gershwin’s bluesy Piano Concerto in F, with Angeleno Jean-Yves Thibaudet joining Mr. Dudamel and the orchestra as the soloist.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a more persuasive musician to present this underrated and underappreciated work, and he proved that again in these performances.  Unlike some other famous pianists (*cough*  Yuja Wang *cough cough*), Mr. Thibaudet plays this music as if it were written for him.  He traverses Gershwin’s technical challenges with ease.  Moreover, he knows when, how, and — most importantly — how much to swing, often pushing boundaries but always tastefully so.  His handling of the rollicking outer movements led to extended applause after each, but it was the 2nd movement that was the true gem, full of reverie tinged with swagger, changing tempo and dynamics with welcome natureleness. Tom Hooten played the bluesy 2nd movement trumpet solo featured with stylish restraint.

Throughout the entire concerto, Mr. Dudamel et al were perfect partners, adding richness and depth; never trying to make Gershwin sound like Strauss but not trying to make him sound like Coltrane either.  Despite some less-than-tidy moments with the percussion on Thursday and the strings on Sunday, it was a glorious triumph.

After intermission were two purely orchestral works.  Andre Previn was to have written a new work in honor of the orchestra’s centennial, but sadly the former Music Director of the LA Phil passed away without the work having been completed.   In it’s place was programmed his short piece, Can Spring be Far Behind?  It’s a musical hodge-podge:  angular one moment, jazzy the next, then pivoting to old-Hollywood-style lush, and back and forth.  Entertaining to be sure, but less than captivating.  Glad I heard it the first time, not sure I needed to hear it a second, and definitely don’t need a third.

Closing the program was the suite to Appalachian Spring, Copland’s score for Martha Graham’s ballet of the same name.  Even more than he did with the other pieces, Mr. Dudamel treated this most familiar work of the evening with the kind of spiritual approach — dare I say reverence — applied more typically to Bruckner.  He let the slower passages breath without ever allowing them to be turgid, and keeping the faster movements snappy yet eminently danceable.  His transformation of the “Simple Gifts” tune from folksy melody to fanfare and ultimately to regal march was done with perfect bloom, and the final movement denoument which followed it was the perfect exhale, with Mr. Dudamel milking every ounce of silence at the conclusion to maximize the effect.  It worked brilliantly.  It was also the orchestra’s best playing in both concerts, with strings achieving the right mix of warmth and sheen, the woodwinds lustrous, brass resplendent, and percussion ever-present without becoming overpowering.

It was an impressive and entertaining start to the season.

Random other thoughts:

• At both concerts I attended, the audience was shockingly loud, like they were still in Hollywood Bowl mode despite having moved into the more resonant confines of Walt Disney Concert Hall.  It manifested itself percussively on Thursday, with droped canes, dropped programs, and coughs puncturing airy musical passages.  On Sunday, it was an abundance of cell phone ringers left on, with a particularly jazzy piano riff providing some in opportune clashes with Mr. Thibaudet’s playing.  Ugh.
• The audience wasn’t the only people still not in top fall-season form.  The house managers had a rather obtuse moment on Sunday:  in the middle of one of the pieces, they inadvertently turned the house lights fully on, then overcompensating by turning most of the lights off (except those on stage, thankfully), before finally getting them right again.  In addition to some nervous chuckles from the audience, there were some smirks clearly evident among the musicians on stage.

RELATED POSTS

• Comings and goings at the LA Phil and beyond (Fall 2019 edition): new CEO, harp, and violins; a Principal Oboe update; plus much more

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Photo credits:

• Mr. Thibaudet:  photo by Eric Dahan/Intenser
• Ms. Bullock:  photo by Christian Steiner