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Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

ARIA’s Opening Night Festivities at LA OPERA- From Russia with Love

ARIA’s Opening Night Festivities at LA Opera: From Russia With Love All text and Photography © 2011 By Leticia Marie Sanchez At LA Opera’s ARIA’s White Night party, chaired by actress and singer-songwriter Emmy Rossum a vivacious fur-capped hostess floated around the dance floor bearing divine desserts. As James Bond would say, from Russia With Love. The Maestro himself, Placido Domingo, appeared at the ARIA party to introduce the talented artists behind the production of Eugene Onegin including:conductor James Conlon,Stage Director Francesca Gilpin, and Lighting Designer Peter Mumford. Additionally, the party goers met the stars of Eugene Onegin including: Dalibor Jenis (Eugene Onegin), Oksana Dyka (Tatiana), Vsevolod Grinov (Lensky), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Olga), James Creswell (Prince Germin), Ronnita Nicole Miller (Filipievna), and Keith Jameson (Monsieur Triquet). The Über-talented Oksana Dyka (third from Left, below) whose performance as Tatiana brought down the opera house with multiple standing

Review: Itzhak Perlman and Beethoven at the Hollywood Bowl

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 for the humanistic performance of violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman who led the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s in an all-Beethoven program including Romance No. 1 in G Major, Romance No. 2 in F. Major, Symphony No. 8 in F Major, and Symphony No. 5. The indefatigable Mr. Perlman had the dual role of violist and conductor at Tuesday’s magnificent performance. Mr. Perlman’s sensitive interpretation of Beethoven had guts, soul, and heart. As a conductor, Maestro Perlman is easily the best one to have graced the stage of the Hollywood Bowl for his talent in bringing out the best in each individual member

Review: Rooting for the villain- the seductive powers of Richard III at Theatricum Botanicum

Rooting for the villain: the seductive powers of Richard III at Theatricum Botanicum By Leticia Marie Sanchez Nestled in a wooded glen, underneath the evening stars and accompanied by the hypnotic hum of crickets, Topanaga Canyon’s Theatricum Botanicum adds a dose of magic to Shakespeare. The outdoor Globe-like theater simultaneously infuses the Bard with reality and wonder. The march of Richard III’s army down dark, forest-like hills conveys a dimension of realism and immediacy that cannot be matched by an enclosed venue. Similarly, the towering loft used during the Tower of London murder scene enhanced the mysterious mood. The vast verdant set suspended the audience’s disbelief, as did the cast of talented actors in the Theatricum’s production of Richard III. On Saturday night’s performance, Melora Marshall starred as the protean protagonist, triumphantly suspending the audience’s disbelief that the Machiavellian king could

Mozart at Crepuscule: Southwest Chamber Music at the Huntington- July 9-August 21

Mozart at Crepuscule All Text and Photography © 2011 Leticia Marie Sanchez Last night marked the opening weekend for the Grammy Award -Winning Southwest Chamber Music‘s Summer Festival at the Huntington. While Lorenz Gamma, Shalini Vijayan, Jan Karlin, Luke Maurer, and Peter Jacobson performed String Quintet No. 1 in B flat major, K.174 and String Quintet No 2 in C Major, K.515 by Mozart and Chanson d’orage for Two Violins by Alexandra Du Bois, audience members sat in the loggia or picnicked on the grounds of the Huntington Museum which is rarely open at night. The Huntington at dusk resembled an estate in an Evelyn Waugh novel- with a dash of mystery— As the crepuscule fell and the silver moon rose, the viola’s voice and the cello’s crescendo created a true midsummer’s night dream. The soft light warmed the profiles of ancient heroes.. For

All the World’s a Stage: William Leavitt’s “Theater Objects” at MOCA

All the World’s A Stage: William Leavitt’s Theater Objects at MOCA By Leticia Marie Sanchez All photography© MOCA All the world’s a stage, all the men and women merely players. Nowhere does Shakespeare’s expression hold more true than at William Leavitt’s Theater Objects at MOCA. Walking into the exhibition one hears the constant chirping of birds and the flow of cool air. Are we in a jungle? A theme park? On the set of a play? Leavitt’s engaging exhibition interacts with its audience, causing the museumgoer to constantly question where he or she stands. Co-curated by MOCA Curator Bennett Simpson and Ann Goldstein, former MOCA senior curator and director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, William Leavitt: Theater Objects represents the first solo museum exhibition and retrospective of the artist’s 40-year career. The exhibit showcases approximately 90 works from 1969

Review: The Real Housewife of Düsseldorf County—Clara Schumann

The Real Housewife of Düsseldorf County—Clara Schumann Israela Margalit’s “Trio,” currently playing at the Lounge 2 Theater in Hollywood, offers a window into the artistic triangle between Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Johannes Brahms. Maragalit, a concert pianist, tied the play together with her own recorded compositions of Schumann, Brahms, and Beethoven. Photo: From Left- Bjørn Johnson, Meghan Maureen Mc Donough. Jeremy Shranko Meghan Maureen Mc Donough played the grim, subdued Clara Schumann, a once famous concert pianist repressed as a housewife cooking beans. Mc Donough’s Clara was a woman drained by years of belittlement by an insecure husband who would toss cruel jabs at her, including, “Those who can’t compose, play.”Her father, dynamically portrayed by Peter Colburn, bemoaned the wasting of Clara’s life. Bjørn Johnson, captured Robert Schumann’s madness with pathos, particularly when he called out in the asylum for his beloved

Review: Young Director’s Night at LACMA

Review: Young Director’s Night at LACMA by Leticia Marie Sanchez On March 5, LACMA Muse presented its 10th Annual Young Director’s Night. Six talented young directors presented a wide range of creative films. Left. Sylvia Sether’s “Overdrawn.” Winner of the Art of Film Award Cat Youell’s “The Mischievous Case of Cordelia Botkin” brought to light a true story episode from 19th century San Francisco history (death by chocolate) with charm and humor. Sylvia Sether’s “Overdrawn,” (and winner of the Fourth Art of Film Award) exhibited comedic chops and timing in its depiction of a single bank teller pushed to the edge. Jordan Bloch’s “Underdogs,” created unsettling tension as a bounty hunter wreaked havoc amongst diners in a roadside restaurant. Left. “House of Olive Trees” directed by Thouly Dosiois Thouly Dosiois’ beautifully shot “House of the Olive Trees,” set in Greece,

Review: -Must See- Tennessee Williams puts the fun in dysfunctional at the Fountain Theater

Tennessee Williams puts the fun in dysfunctional at the Fountain Theater ©2011 by Leticia Marie Sanchez The Fountain Theatre’s “A House Not Meant To Stand” deserves a standing ovation. The dynamic cast, its Gothic set spewing forth leaks, and the darkly wry barbs of Tennessee Williams added up to a riveting performance of Williams’ “spook Southern Gothic spook sonata.” From Virginia Newcomb’s rapturous ecstasies as born-again Christian Stacey to Lisa Richards’ slithering portrayal of Jessie Sykes to Daniel Billet’s sensitive portrayal of a protective son, the entire cast brought William’s last play to life. Most strikingly, Sandy Martin fully inhabited the character of Bella Mc Corkle: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although the play brimmed with zesty zingers, Martin poignantly captured Bella’s confusion and maternal loss with unsettling realism. Martin grounded the play as a spiritual anchor during literal and figurative

Music Review- The Pasadena Symphony & the Kramer Effect

The Pasadena Symphony: Old Friends Immortalized- the Kramer Effect By Leticia Marie Sanchez On Saturday evening, in its incarnation at the Ambassador Auditorium, the Pasadena Symphony came alive. 27-year old guest conductor Tito Muñoz led the symphony on an exploration of Benjamin Britten’s “Soirees Musicales”, Dvorák’s “Cello Concerto in B minor, and Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” In contrast to its previous location near bustling Paseo Colorado, the symphony’s new venue, nestled between pools and the Egret Fountain designed by British sculptor David Wynne, embodies an atmosphere of tranquil civility. The venue, once hailed by Ella Fitzgerald for its fine acoustics, allowed the nuances of individual instrumentation to flourish, rivaling the sound of Downtown LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. An important facet of art is its ability to capture the essences of loved ones, to paint affectionate portraits, and bequeath them

Music Review: Richard Goode: Richard the Great

Richard Goode: Richard the Great by Leticia Marie Sanchez Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York: Richard Goode, Richard the Great. Audiences at the Walt Disney Concert Hall attending his January 19 recital were bathed in the purity of Bach, the sweetness of Haydn, the pathos of Schumann, but, thankfully not in the tempest of the Los Angeles thunderstorms outside. The award-winning Mr. Goode holds the distinction of being the first American-born pianist to have recorded the complete Beethoven Sonatas. His numerous honors include: the Avery Fisher Prize, Yale University’s Sanford Medal, and a Grammy award. Goode’s thematically unified program showcased a study in contrasts. He opened the program with two pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II. The haunting, melancholy Prelude and Fugue in F-Sharp minor, BWV 883, with its tripartite

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