The Russians Came to the Bowl

Last night the Los Angeles Phil performed works of two Russian composers.  The orchestra was led by Leon Botstein who is with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Bard Music Festivals.  He has been president of Bard College in New York since 1975.  He opened the concern with an introduction of the concert titled "Russian Resistance."  
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Violinist Jennifer Koh was the soloist on the Prokofiev Violin Concerto N. 2 in G minor.  She is "recognized for her intense commanding performances delivered with dazzling virtuousity and technical assurance...with impassioned musical curosity."  She was born in Chicago of Korean parents and made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11.

Sergei Prokofiev, (1881-1953) wrote the Concerto in 1935 and soon thereafter he repatriated to Russia.  He left his homeland in 1918 and lived in the U.S. and Paris but homesickness and opportunity led him back to Russia.

The second half of the evening was the Dmitri Shostakovich's (1906-1975) Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op 93.  The program states "Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony is 48 minues of traged, despair, teror and violence and two minutes of triumph."  This symphony is seen as a depiction of the Stalin years of death of 8 to 20 million people by the stalin regime.  Stalin died on March 5, 1953 which is perhaps the reason for the two minues of triumph.  The composer wrote the Tenth right after Stalin's death.

A Peak at the Grand Canyon

'Twas a light rain during our visit to the Canyon.  We tool a look at the Canyon in the rain and went Into the 101 year old El Tovar Hotel for a wonderful lunch.  When we came back out, the Canyon disappeared in a shroud of fog.  So walked along the edge to the Bright Angel Lodge and on to the Kolb Studio on the edge at the beginning of the trail down the Canyon.  The Kolb brothers ran this studio for many years...taking photos of those descending and offering to sell them to the folks when they crawled back to the top.  They also took their cameras and the newly invented movie camera down the Colorado River from start to finish and charged admission to their movie in the studio.  By the way there are over 350 rapids to run on the river. One picture shows one of the brothers head poking through the side of a boat.  They just patched it and kept going.  

Here are some of my pictures of the rainy canyon, setting on the porch and inside pictures of the El Tovar and of the Kolb brothers.

 

More Sedona Life

Sedona is a beautiful place to just be and experience.  Below are pictures of being along Oak Creek at beautiful L'Auberge de Sedona, a sunset jeep ride out into the rugged country, a hike along the West Fork, the look out on top, and sunsets.  Enjoy!

Visit to Prescott, AZ

Colleen and I drove over the mountain through Jerome to Prescott to visit her cousin, Patricia and Bud.  They toured us through the Arizona territorial Capitol of Prescott.  We walked around the old court house square and then payed our respects to the 19 Hotshots who died in the fire last month.  I was moved by the make shift memorial that covers the fence around their headquarters.

Sedona, AZ vacation

After a swimming pool weekend in Phoenix with friends Tim and Sandy, Colleen and I arrived in Sedona for our weeks vacation.  We begin feeling the auras, vortexes, and the inspiration of a full moon on the red rock cliffs...mellow.

Below are pictures from the art village of Tlaquepaque, views from the Chapel of the Holy Cross and breakfast at the Enchantment Resort in Boynton Canyon.

Beautiful places! 

Natalie Cole and Chucho Valdes at the Bowl

Colleen and I enjoyed Natalie Cole and Chucho Valdes at the Hollywood Bowl last night.  The evening opened with 72 year old ChuchoValdes at his  piano with group playing Latin Jazz.  He is the son of Cuban Bebe Vales.  Bebe and Nat King Cole played together in Havana in 1958. He is currently part of a Latin advisory group with Carnegie Hall that includes our own Gustavo Dudamel.  

Natalie appeared after the intermission and sang some of her old favorites including the duet with the video of her father..."Unforgetable."  She then sang some of her new Spanish language album including a duet with a recording of her father.  Chucho came out to join her on the key board for a Latin Jazz number and the evening ended with an encore of "Oye Como Va" with the audience on their feet and dancing to the music.

Natalie had large string orchestra plus her band with 4 trumpets plus 3 back up singers...over 20 talented musicians on the stage.  Another fun night of music at the Hollywood Bowl.  Thank you L.A.!

Monday Morning with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the L.A. Phil at the Bowl

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Gustavo Dudamel directing the L.A. Phil

L.A. Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, music director

Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano

Vittorio Grigolo, tenor

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, bass

Michelle De Young, mezzo-soprano

Colleen and I enjoyed a beautiful morning at the Hollywood Bowl at a rehearsal of the L.A. Phil and Master Chorale with soloists performing Verdi's Requiem.  This powerful music was created by Giuseppe Verdi in 1873 when he was 60 years old...a master at creating over 25 operas at the time.

This Requiem is an opera based in the Catholic Mass.  Verdi wrote this one year after the death of his friend Alessandro Manzoni a famous Italian novelists, "I promessi sposi (The Betrothed.")  Verdi is recorded to have said "I would have gone down on my knees before him if we were allowed to worship men."  Verdi was so shocked when he heard of Manzoni's death that he could not bring himself to attend the funeral.  By a year later, he had created this Requiem Mass to express the depth of the emotion he felt.

This rehearsal of the production was very moving even with stops for Dudamel to sculpt the work to his standards.  The Forte sections boomed from the Bowl Shell...all 100 voices of the Master Chorale and 100 member Philharmonic...with trumpets, trombones, horns, and Timpani (thank you Josepth Pereira) in full force.  The soft sections were delicate and moving...some were moved to tears.

The soloist were also wonderful with Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano, Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano, Vittori Grigolo, tenor, and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, bass.

Twas a WOW morning...thank you L.A. Phil and friends for the gift.

Yes, there is an orchestra and chorale under the sun shield at the bowl...we could see most all of them and of course Dudamel conducting the gifted musicians.