Music for the Soul..
Spectacular performance tonight at the Ambassador Auditorium by the Colburn Orchestra: the jazzy notes of Ravel, the stirring strings of Wagner & the passion of Shostakovich A very soulful Cultural Cocktail indeed!
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This week’s Top Pick: A peek into the Orchestra Pit
This week’s Cultural Cocktail recipe double includes: a double shot of Mozart, a chaser of Chausson, and a dose of Dohnanyi. PITTANCE CHAMBER MUSIC First concert of their 2016/17 inaugural season Sunday, October 9th 3 p.m. Featuring: Members of the L.A. Opera Orchestra: Roberto Cani, Violin; Jessica Guideri, Violin Ana Landauer, Violin; Yi Zhou, Viola; John Walz, Cello; Rowena Hammill, Cello; Stuart Clark, Clarinet; Steven Becknell, French Horn; Domingo Colburn Stein Young Artist Summer Hassan, Soprano; Paul Floyd, Piano MOZART: Clarinet Quintet; MOZART: aria “L’amero saro costante;” CHAUSSON: Chanson Perpetuellel DOHNANYI: Sextet Op. 37 Eva and Marc Stern Grand Hall. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 135 North Grand Avenue, LA, CA 90012 For more information on tickets, please visit: http://pittancechambermusic.org Photo Credit: Brenden-John Photography From the Pittance Chamber Music Website: “A Pittance/ Denizens of underworld/A cavern for a stage/Invisible to all but those Who peer into the
read moreReview: Bacchanalia at the Getty Villa: A Haunted House Party
Bacchanalia at the Getty Villa by Leticia Marie Sanchez Roman party god Bacchus would look down fondly at the revelry taking place this fall at the Getty Villa Theater. Wine, women, and song abound. Director Matt Walker and his engaging Troubador Theater Company have adapted the work of Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus, refreshing lines from 200 B.C. with contemporary, hilarious zingers. The age-old story involves a prodigal son, Philolaches, partying like a rock star while his unsuspecting father, Theopropiedes, travels abroad. Aptly entitled “The Haunted House Party,” the ambiance of the adaptation feels like a ninety-minute zany house party with characters rapping, breaking into dance routines, and even calling out late audience members. As Matt Walker declared to the audience, “there is no fourth wall.” The strength of this production lies in the talented cast, spontaneous ad libs, audience
read moreInvisible Chess Players
In the Sculpture Garden of the Norton Simon Museum during “Checkmate” August 27, 2016 All Photography© 2016 Leticia Marie Sanchez
read moreThis week’s Top Pick: Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach
Painting +Music+ Dance + History= An entertaining Cultural Cocktail Top Pick! All Photography© 2016 Leticia Marie Sanchez
read moreTicket to Nirvana- Buddhist Replica Caves at the Getty Center
By Leticia Marie Sanchez Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road Exhibit Closes on September 4, 2016 Stepping into one of the Buddhist Replica Caves at the Getty Center- away from the never-ending traffic, unrelenting tragedy in the news, and ceaseless summer political diatribes- feels like a welcome taste of Nirvana. Ommmmmmm. Standing inside one of these exquisitely crafted jewel boxes, one can almost levitate- at least mentally- with the flights of fancy inspired by visions of colorful mountains, praying bodhisattvas, and winged spiritual beings that grace the ceiling. The Getty’s Julia Grimes provided enlightening details about the replica caves, modeled after caves on China’s Silk Road, some dating back to the 4th century. Grimes explained that at the time the caves were first designed, Buddhism was a
read moreAngels Vocal Art: A refreshing dose of opera in the summer
By Leticia Marie Sanchez During the summer, many LA opera lovers may feel pangs of withdrawal, the sense that autumn is too many weeks away to wait for the thrill of hearing an aria live. Cultural Cocktail Hour has discovered a cure for those craving an opera fix. Angels Vocal Art represents the only opera festival in Los Angeles this summer and last weekend presented the Gran Gala di Verdi at the State Playhouse Theater. Angels Vocals Arts allows emerging singers to perform alongside opera professionals, and on Saturday night, young students poured their hearts and souls into the works of the timeless maestro, Giuseppe Verdi. Moreover, the Verdi Chorus anchored the evening with the solemnity of seasoned performers. I will leave you with the resounding motto of the Verdi Chorus, included in the evening’s program: “We are The judgment of
read morePhotos: Season Finale- Salon de Musiques: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Photos taken at the Season Finale of the Salon De Musiques at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion by Leticia Marie Sanchez Music has a healing power, and, in the wake of tragedies in the headlines, I felt particularly hopeful after listening to the uplifting program by Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann at the Salon De Musiques Season Finale on June 12th. As Thomas Carlyle once remarked, music “leads us to the edge of the infinite, and lets us for a moment gaze into that.” Through the talented direction of Founder Francois Chouchan, the Salon embodied the restorative capacity and deep humanity of a language that needs no words.
read more“Duchamp to Pop”- A Must-See Exhibit
by Leticia Marie Sanchez Cultural Cocktail Hour® is a registered Trademark This week’s Cultural Cocktail Hour involves a Pinch of Parody, a Dose of Double Entendre, and a Highball of Warhol- Bottom’s Up! “Duchamp to Pop” is a must-see exhibit in Southern California due to the wit of Marcel Duchamp and his influence on the Pop Art Movement. CCH loves any exhibit where you can unleash your inner art detective; “Duchamp to Pop” lends itself to peeling back layers of culture and indulging in wordplay and irony. Cheeky puns are the name of the game. For instance, when one usually thinks of the Mona Lisa, one imagines crowds of tourists lining up to see a dignified work encased behind glass, vigilantly guarded by museum security. Quite to the contrary, Marcel Duchamp’s mischievous Mona Lisa, La Joconde, bears an absurd mustache,
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