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Talent Has Hunger—Go See It
There are many films about classical musicians that miss the mark. Josh Aronson's film Talent Has Hunger is not one of those. If you want some real insight into what the life of a classical musician...
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Pure Romance
Robert and Clara Schumann I'm sending "heart medicine" to my dear friends Jerry, Soichiro, and Joanne—all who have lost wonderful life partners just very recently. This is my performance of a little...
View ArticleNational Identity—Addressing our Post-Election Crisis with Classical Music
This weekend I'm conducting a concert titled "Classical Meets Neoclassical." It explores ideas of national identity and discourse. In light of our unprecedented presidential election season and its...
View ArticleClassical Melting Pot in Copland's Appalachian Spring
Composed in 1944, Aaron Copland’s ballet Appalachian Spring defines the genre of a national American concert music. Iinspired by the American pioneer spirit. Copland taps into American history quoting...
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The Magical Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer Model 200, 1955; restored 2016 by Franco Skilan at Precision Piano, North Hollywood When I first played it, I just wasn't that impressed. Last fall, my piano teacher Salome Arkatov urged...
View ArticleQuick "Demo" of my restored Bösendorfer
A short video where I briefly demo the lower, middle, and upper registers of the Bösendorfer 200. Restoration was done by Franco Skilan of Precision Piano Services. Voicing by Ed Whitting.Still to...
View ArticleSpiritual Beethoven For A Happy New Year (op. 111 Arietta)
For all of us who love classical music, I thought a nice way to bring in the New Year is with some spiritual Beethoven. Beethoven's Arietta from his last piano sonata, No. 32 in C minor op. 111 is...
View ArticleDrones and Resonances Preview
I preview in this video why I chose the specific works for my new recording DRONES AND RESONANCES. Each piece—from Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and my own music— uses drone tones...
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Did Shostakovich Compose in Codes?
Shostakovich's autobiographic musical cryptogram: four notes to represent "Dmitri Shostakovich" Do you think Shostakovich's music speaks in “codes?” I don't mean merely the obvious musical...
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Humming Schoenberg's Piano Concerto
It was a thrill to hear hundreds of audience members vigorously hum the tone row to Arnold Schoenberg's Piano Concerto at my pre-concert talk for the LA Philharmonic. In preparing for the talk, I...
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Beethoven’s 4th Symphony—Does It Really Hold Together?
It’s fun to argue with friends about Beethoven’s fourth symphony. You start by suggesting that the four movements don’t really hold together so well. Then wait for fireworks. Musicians passionately...
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Beethoven 4th Symphony and The Chain of 3rds
Thanks for the great comments from the last blog, with such passionate agreement and disagreement about how well the four movements of the Beethoven 4th symphony "hang together." I think the question...
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LA Youth Orchestra Italy Tour 2017
Music making, joy, collaboration—all abundantly evident during the LA Youth Orchestra's second international tour, this time to Italy. Fifty students from all across Los Angeles performed in three...
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When Bach Dissolves Tonality
Ricercar from Bach's Musical Offering—note the many instances of chromaticism (sharps, flats, and naturals) The more you study J.S. Bach, the more you are struck by just how aware he was of the full...
View ArticleBach's Vortex
In my previous blog, I gave examples of Bach "breaking" the tonal system. In these moments, he seems to envision all the brazen harmonic innovations of the following centuries, right up to our time....
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Avaloch Farm Music Institute—A Unique Laboratory for Performers and Composers
Avaloch Farm Music Institute, New Hampshire It was a week of blazing intensity working with Sierra Ensemble, an ensemble of terrific San Francisco Bay Area musicians. We were in residence at the...
View ArticleWhat's Beneath Subterranean Dance
A brief excursion through my chamber sextet Subterranean DanceIt's like a bad Steven Wright line: the problem with new music concerts is that they always play music you don't know. So I have an idea:...
View ArticleMy Violin Duos—Making Two Violins Sound Like an Orchestra
I was captivated hearing some of Bartok's advanced violin duos, realizing that two violins could sound like an entire orchestra. I was inspired to compose six duos of my own, each emphasizing a...
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Picture Review of my November 3, 2017 Boston Court Concert
A few pictures tell the tale of my November 3rd Boston Court Performing Arts Center concert with Brightwork newmusic, Sierra Ensemble, and two of my LA Youth Orchestra violinists, Alisa Luera and Clara...
View ArticleBrahms Exorcises Two Ghosts—Symphony No. 1
All listeners immediately notice the influence of Beethoven in the Brahms first symphony. But in this symphony, I hear Brahms equally wrestling with Wagner, particularly the contrapuntal harmony in...
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