A Mighty Fortress at Disney Hall

Disney Hall

The L.A. Phil under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel performed a rousing concert Thursday night.  The program included Bach's Cantata No. 60 "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort" with members of the L.A. Master Chorale and soloists Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano, Benjamin Bliss, tenor, and Kelly Markgraf, bass-baritone.  The Cantata was composed in 1723 when J.S. was 38.  He was newly appointed as organist and cantor at two Leipzig churches.  He wrote new music every week.  The subject of the Cantata is the fear of death and the hope of the afterlife.  This swing from fear to hope was represented by the singers with the alto as fear and the tenor as hope. 


This was followed by W.A. Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major with L.A. Phil's own Concertmaster, Martin Chalifour playing the solo.  Mozart's magical music as played by the orchestra along with Chalifour was wonderful.  He is a major talent and we are fortunate to have him on our L.A. Phil team.

After intermission, the full orchestra played Felix Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony No.5 in D Major.  He was commissioned to write this on the 300th aniversary of Martin Luther's Augsburg Confessions.  Mendelsshohn struggled with writing this symphony and was never happy with it.  For a good Lutheran like me...I loved it...as the final section, Allegro maestoso, is played with the full orchestra, timpani all, playing Luther's "A Might Fortress is Our God."  I think the good Lutherans in the audience were quietly singing all four verses.  We all rose for a standing ovation.

Luther as an Augustinian Monk from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder 1546

So, it twas another wonderful night at the Phil.  Thank you Gustovo and all the orchestra members for a memorable evening.

Mendelssohn in 1839 by James Warren Childe

Llyn Foulkes at the Hammer Museum

I roamed around Westwood today and enjoyed the free Thursdays at the Hammer Museum.  After visiting the wonderful permanent collection of paintings, I roamed over to the visiting exhibition of works by Llyn Foulkes.  The 150 artworks from collections in the U.S. and Europe have been brought together showing his diverse creations over a 50 year career.

Llyn Foulkes was born in 1934 in Yakima, Washington but has been based in Southern California for most of his career.  Surrealist painter, Salvador Dali, was Foulkes role model and that tells you a lot about this creative and sometimes wild artist.  He his both a painter and musician...playing drums in rock bands including his own called "Rubber Band."  He has also created an instrument which he calls the Machine, "a magnificent multipart instrument featuring a cluster of horns and cowbells, a bass, organ pipes, percussion, and more" which we observed on a video provided with head phones.  "The music, as fearless and direct as the paintings, demonstrate a refreshing honesty and forthrightness." (quotes from the exhibit description)

His paintings have evolved from devastated landscapes of post-WW II Germany where he was in military service, to rocky western landscapes, to "bloody head" paintings which feature portraits of political figures and others with obscured or mutilated faces.  He painted a lot of Mickey Mouse in his scenes.  His former father-in-law was the head animator of Disney Studios and he gave Foulkes the Mickey Mouse Club Handbook from 1934.  Foulkes was stunned by the blatant attempts to brainwash children.  So that's what's wrong with our generation?  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Quincy Jones presents young pianist Emily Bear

The Jazz Bakery continues their Movable Feasts this time at the Musicians Institute Concert Hall in Hollywood.  Last night, Quincy Jones (just turned age 80) introduced eleven-year-old Emily Bear who tore into the grand piano with her own jazz compositions backed by Auill Bailey, cello, Peter Slavov, bass, and Kevin Kanner on the drums.  This was an official CD release party for "Diversity" produced by Quincy and Concord/Qwest Records. 

Colleen and I enjoyed the music and of course bought the CD.  This is the second time we have gone to events where Quincy Jones has introduce young performers who he is encouraging, coaching and producing their music.  What a guy!  Keep an eye out for this new "phenom" Emily Bear.

Visiting my friends by Rodin at the Norton Simon Museum

Twas a great day for lunch with my colleague Dottie and to visit my friends sculpted by Auguste Rodin that grace the grounds outside the Norton Simon Museum. 

Auguste Rodin, the French sculptor, lived from 1840 to 1917, 77years.  One of his most famous bronzes is "The Thinker," created in 1880 when he was 40 years old.  Pasadena's "Thinker" is Cast No. 11 of 12 in the world and sits outside the Norton Simon overlooking Colorado Blvd. and the annual Rose Parade that passes by.  It is wonderful to walk around the aloft sculpture and admire the artist's creation of a meditative man in creative thought.  Rodin wrote:  "What makes my Thinker think is that he things not only with his brain, with his knitted brow, his distended nostrils and compressed lips, but with every muscle of his arms, back and legs, with his clenched fists and gripping toes."

"The Burghers of Calais," 1884-95 Cast No. 10 of 12, depicts a time in the Hundred Years' War in 1347, when the city of Calais had been under siege for 11 months.  Calais is on the coast of France and just across the English Chanel from England.  Six prominent citizens offered their lives to the English King, Edward III, if he would spare the city.  The sculpture was commissioned by the city leaders to honor these leaders and Rodin shows them in attitudes showing their preparation to die.  Fortunately, the English Queen Phillips interceded because she was about to give birth and believed it would be a bad omen for her baby.  The Burghers and the town was set free.  The expressions on the faces of these leaders show them as "troubled and isolated individuals brought together by their anguish and common purpose....dressed in tattered sackcloth...showing fear, indecision, anguish, and nobility."  Their presence provides a powerful message on the approach to the entrance to the museum.  Their size dwarfs even big guys like me.

Weekend Roaming around San Luis Obispo County

Twas a glorious weekend in San Luis Obispo County....Los Osos to see Lars the Dentist, Winery Roaming with Colleen, Ginny and Lars and dinner in SLO with Nancy and Jim.  Thank God for family and friends...they are the greatest!

Roaming around Bergamot Station in Santa Monica

Bergamot is a facility housing many art galleries in Santa Monica.  It was previously a railroad station from 1875 to 1953.  The galleries opened at the site in September, 1994.  Soon a new railroad station will drop off passengers from the Metro Expo light rail line from downtown L.A. to the beach.  They will be able to enjoy this community of art galleries and leave their driving to the Metro driver. 

Here are some of them gems I discovered in my roamings at Bergamot today:

William Turner Gallery

Rex Yuasa's exhibition in the Turner Gallery is called "Diochrome" through May 18th.
The artist was born in Tokyo and completed his fine arts studies at San Diego State and Cal. Arts.  He lives in San Diego at teaches at U.C. San Diego.

Below are works by Koji Takei also born in Tokyo in 1955 and lives in Los Angeles.  "Takei reworks mostly found objects to provide an engaging wry and witty commentary on the nature of relationships- complex with their humor, contradictions, paradoxes and ironies."

Latin American Masters Gallery:

Julio Valdez was born in the Dominican Republic and lives in New York.  "Valdez's water paints are aquatic theatres, stagin grounds for the artist's reflection on his personal life, and the collective histories of the Caribbean."

"Officiante del Mar II," 2010-2012 is 12 feet long with submerged figure with arms raised and an octopus with tentacles extended.

"Girl Bather," 2010-2011 oil on polyester silk on canvas

"Hombre Empujando al Elefante," 2011 by Franciso Toledo (Mexico) born 1940

"The Queen of Sheba," 1970 by Carols Merida (Guatemala) 1891 - 1984

Lois Lambert Gallery:

Martiros Adalian was born in Armenia and started painting since he was three years old.  He graduated from Terlemezian Art College and then moved to the U.S. in 1990.  "Adalian depicts images of the human body, its relationships with surroundings and its responses to the phenomena in nature.   He loves to work at night in a relatively silent atmosphere...painting on the floor of his studio with help of anything but brushes...mostly sweeping brooms.".

Rosegallery:

"Sepulveda at Mississippi," by John Chiara a 'San Francisco based artist pushes the photographic medium through his choice of process and the mastery of its possibilities.  Chiara's giant cameras, which he designed and built himself, are transported to locations on a flatbed trailer to produce one-of-a kind large-scale prints." 

"Agua Dulce at Route"

In the DNJ Gallery:

The dnj Gallery is showing an exhibition called "American Ruins" by Max MacKenzie.  He pays homage to his Midwestern roots with photographs from Minnesota and the surrounding area.  He captures empty structures that recall the struggles of previous generations.

James Gray Gallery:

These artist are children served  by "The Help Group" in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month.

Tag Gallery:

Brigitte Schobert, a native of Germany, and a California resident for 30 years.  The untitled painting above is an Acrylic on Canvas shown in the Tag Gallery.  She explores the use of colors, shape and texture to create abstract images.  "I want to stimulate the fantasy of the viewers and reach them on an emotional rather than rational level," says Schobert.



"Welcome to Jordan Downs," 2013 by Carole Garland.  "She was in search of a Los Angeles at once architecturally, sociologically or historically intriguing and outside her comfort zone.  He paintings are also in the Tag gallery.  The exhibit is called "Edgelands."

Top is "Capitalism" 2012 by Garland
Bottom is "Florence & Normandie" 2012 (site of the start of the Rodney King verdict riots in South L.A.)

Ellen Star paints "Parks and Gardens."  "Besides being emotionally soothing, nature also provides me with aesthetic stimulation."  The above painting is "Huntington Gardens," 2013 acrylic on canvas

Ellen Starr's "Palisades Park Vista," 2013

Carole Garland's "MacArthur Park"

Beach Day in L.A.

It was 80 degrees at the beach today and much hotter in land.  So, the folks took to the beach...what a gift we have living in So. Cal.  Here are a couple of pictures from today's outing to the beach.