Posts by Culturalcocktailhour
Schoenberg to Strauss– Thanks but No Thanks
If you don’t have anything nice to say…. Richard Strauss’ caustic jabs about Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg came back to haunt him. In his delightful Book of Musical Anecdotes, Norman Lebrecht reveals that when Schoenberg was asked to compose a piece for his sharp tongued critic, he wrote back as follows: “Dear Sir, I regret that I am unable to accept your…
Read MoreReview: Pittance Chamber Music
Pittance Chamber Music and the Chambers of the Heart By Leticia Marie Sanchez All photography ©2017 Leticia Marie Sanchez Chamber Music comprises music that can be played in a large room or chamber, or as denoted by the French “chambre.” This week’s concert by Pittance Chamber Music suggests a second meaning: music that penetrates the chamber of…
Read MoreBeethoven: In a Stew Over Beef?
by Leticia Marie Sanchez According to Norman Lebrecht, author of “The Book of Musical Anectodes” (Simon & Schuster, 1985), Beethoven flew off the handle when a waiter at the Viennese restaurant “The Swan,” brought him the wrong meat dish. Some artists are particular about their piano benches (Gould) while others are particular about their beef. An outraged Beethoven…
Read MoreMarch Highlight- Pittance Chamber Music- Free-Music Center Founder’s Room
A delightful Cultural Cocktail recipe: An infusion of R. Vaughan Williams+ a shot of Britten+ a dose of Korngold= a TOP PICK! And, it’s free! Sunday, March 26th 3 pm Pittance Chamber Music Presents Members of the L.A. OPERA ORCHESTRA with ARNOLD LIVINGSTON GEIS, tenor and PAUL FLOYD, piano Program: On Wenlock Edge, R. Vaughan Williams; Selected Folk Songs, Benjamin Britten; Sextet,…
Read MoreOutside of the Broad Museum…
All photography ©2017 Leticia Marie Sanchez “It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
Read MoreSibelius and the Cigar Royalty
According to Katerine Bakeless, in her book “Story Lives of Great Composers,” Jean Sibelius received minor ducats for one of his most famous compositions, Valse Triste. The payment for his work? A small sum and a box of cigars. Meanwhile, Valse Triste went on to be performed internationally, over and over. Yet, Sibelius did not receive one dime of royalties…
Read MoreSalvador Dalí and the Scuba Diving Fiasco
by Leticia Marie Sanchez Salvador Dalí, surrealist extraordinaire, decided to lecture at the 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition dressed to the nines in scuba gear. He commenced giving his speech, Fantomes paranoiaques authentiques (authentic, paranoid, phantoms) when suddenly, he could not breathe. As Dalí waved his hands for help, the audience laughed uproariously. The more he suffocated and gesticulated,…
Read MoreReview: “Bouchardon: Royal Artist of the Enlightenment”- a MUST SEE Exhibit at the Getty Center
Review: “Bouchardon: Royal Artist of the Enlightenment” at the Getty Center by Leticia Marie Sanchez All photography ©2017 Leticia Marie Sanchez This Enlightening Cultural Cocktail recipe includes: Splashes of Sculpture and Infusions of Drawing! Juxtaposition is the name of the game at the Getty’s exhibit on Edmé Bouchardon. Sculpture and Drawing. The Sacred and the Profane. Aristocracy and the Common Man.…
Read MoreMassenet and the crossed phone line: Dial M for Murder
by Leticia Marie Sanchez French opera composer Jules Massenet once experienced an untimely mix-up in phone lines at the precise moment he was dashing off the finishing lines to an opera. Stuck on the last scene of his opera Thérèse he called up his collaborator from a hotel phone to brainstorm together. Unfortunately, the lines got crossed, and…
Read MoreValentine’s Weekend at the Getty
All photography ©2017 Leticia Marie Sanchez Bouchardon’s “Cupid” Stole My heart! Look for an upcoming review on Bouchardon: Royal Artist of the Enlightenment on Cultural Cocktail Hour Glorious day, post-tempests in LA:
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