Music

L.A. Opera’s “The Two Foscari”- A Must-See Production

September 22, 2012

What Lies Beneath: Probing the Shadows of Power in LA Opera’s I Due Foscari by               Leticia Marie Sanchez Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, rued Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Or, in the case of Giuseppe Verdi’s I Due Foscari, uneasy lies the…

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Review: Keeping an Audience on its Toes: “Framework” at MOCA- A Must See Production

July 21, 2012

Review: Keeping an Audience on Its Toes: “Framework” at MOCA A Must-See Production  by Leticia Marie Sanchez Text © 2012 Leticia Marie Sanchez Cultural Cocktail Hour® is a registered trademark Jean Cocteau once remarked, “The Louvre is a morgue. You go there to…

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Venice Italy Summer 2012- Cultural Cocktail Hour’s Top 3 Picks including exclusive behind-the-scenes video at La Chiesa San Vidal

June 20, 2012

The Venetian Cultural Cocktail recipe is 2 oz Gothic,  a shot of violins, and an intoxicating golden liquor otherwise known as Gustav Klimt! Cultural Cocktail Hour‘s Travel Tips for Venetian exhibits Summer 2012 by Leticia Marie Sanchez All Photography, text, and video © 2012 Leticia Marie Sanchez Cultural Cocktail…

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Backstage at LA Opera: the scene behind the scene….

April 19, 2012

Backstage at LA Opera: Sneak Preview of La Bohème By Leticia Marie Sanchez All text and photography ©2012 Life Imitates Art, and art imitates life in LA Opera’s upcoming production of La Bohème. In Puccini’s opera about bohemian Paris, the two young…

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Review: Simon Boccanegra at LA Opera- a MUST-SEE Production

February 13, 2012

 Review: LA Opera’s Simon BoccanegraA Night of Dignity and Gloryby Leticia Marie Sanchez ©2012 Director Elijah Moshinsky’s Simon Boccanegra, now on stage at LA Opera, was originally created in 1991 for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and exudes majesty and dignity. The…

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A little Sibelius to soothe those affected by the Santa Anas: “Chorus of the Winds” from the Tempest. Op. 109

December 4, 2011

As you rake the leaves, turn on the lights, and look at the beauty untouched that is all around us- Enjoy!

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Eugene Onegin

September 19, 2011

Opera Review: The Visual Poetry of LA Opera’s “Eugene Onegin” by Leticia Marie Sanchez “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” During LA Opera’s psychologically profound production of Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” red skies foreshadowed…

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Review: Itzhak Perlman and Beethoven at the Hollywood Bowl

September 7, 2011

By Leticia Marie Sanchez The program notes for Tuesday’s concert at the Hollywood Bowl included a 1920 quotation from Italian musician and conductor Ferrucio Busoni, “With Beethoven humanity enters into music for the first time.” Busoni’s postulate also holds true…

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The tumultuous love life of Richard Strauss- part deux- Strauss versus Stransky

August 9, 2011

Since so many of my readers enjoyed reading about Richard Strauss’s unusual engagement to the libretto-throwing singer Pauline De Ahna: Strange Love: the berserk engagement of Richard Strauss  we will now continue onto his roller coaster marriage. Due to a letter mix-up, his wife…

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Strange Love: the berserk engagement of Richard Strauss

July 18, 2011

by Leticia Marie Sanchez Some men plan a midnight stroll by the beach. Others a calm picnic under stars… Richard Strauss‘ engagement to temperamental soprano Pauline de Ahna involved: 1. being shrieked at by a soprano, having a musical score thrown at his head, and ducking flying objects…

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