April 2012
31 posts
Happy Birthday, Haydn.
March 2012
26 posts
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“The seven-member Shams Ensemble, which plays on traditional instruments, is a...”
– Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times (Music review: Pacific Symphony celebrates Iranian New Year)
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“It can be playful, can be shy. It is joyful. It makes you want to get up and...”
– Iranian guest conductor Farhad Mechkat quoted in Los Angeles Times story on American Composers Festival, “Nowruz-Celebrating Spring” March 22-27. Read more here.
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““‘Casablanca’ is filled with great emotion, and the score created by the great...”
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DON’T LET TIME GO BY AND MISS “CASABLANCA” WITH...
Get swept off to a world of romance, wit, intrigue and remarkable music as the orchestra recreates the score—live!—to the classic film, “Casablanca,” shown on the big screen. Led by Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, the Symphony delivers the lush emotion captured in the triumphant soundtrack created by old Hollywood’s best-known composer Max Steiner. Featuring the popular song “As Time...
“That lush detail continued to pay dividends throughout the screening… so...”
– Read Tim Mangan’s review of “Casablanca” in the Orange County Register. http://bit.ly/wnGZ3n
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IT’S A NEW DAY!
Pacific Symphony’s Classical Connections concert, “A New Day—Celebrating Nowruz,” onSunday, March 25, at 3 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, deeply probes Danielpour’s new work. Written for orchestra, chorus and soprano solo, “Toward a Season of Peace” brings together sacred texts from different religious traditions, woven together with texts by the great Sufi poet Rumi....
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IT’S A SHAME TO MISS THE SHAMS!
Concluding ACF, Nowruz, on Tuesday, March 27, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is a concert devoted to thehighly acclaimed Shams Ensemble, which draws its influence from traditional Kurdish, Sufi and classical Iranian music. The group was founded by composer Kaykhosro Pournazeri in 1977 with a vision of bringing back the lost art of the tanbour through compositions that...
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CELEBRATE SPRING!
The American Composers Festival opens with “Nowruz—Celebrating Spring,” exploring intersections between American and Persian music, on Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24, at 8 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Led by St.Clair, the performance features Grammy Award-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, known for her astonishing voice. Her ability to perform challenging new works makes her...
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Radio personality Alan Chapman interviews composer...
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COME TREK A NEW MUSICAL LANDSCAPE AT 11TH AMERICAN...
Indeed, this year, Pacific Symphony’s acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) embraces the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring and has been celebrated since ancient times. Led by St.Clair, the festival—presented in collaboration with Farhang Foundation—delves into the music of Persian-Americans through three programs featuring Persian music.
Read more about the...
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IF I’M NOT PERSIAN, WHY WOULD I GO TO A CONCERT...
“Because it’s music that stirs the heart and wakes the senses,” says Music Director Carl St.Clair. “Especially during the spring; this is a time to reflect and look forward. The musical heritage of Persia is very old and rich with its own style and character.”
“Our Nowruz celebration will create a festive atmosphere that is filled with music of integrity, joy, fun and is in keeping with the...
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“The typical Classical Revolution event is a “chamber music jam,” where local...”
– A Classical Revolution on Capitol Hill brings chamber music to your local cafe
Interview: Joyce Yang on Rachmaninoff
We spent some time chatting with pianist Joyce Yang about her performance with Pacific Symphony tonight through Saturday of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Here’s what she had to say.
PS: What is your approach to performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 during a live concert?
JY: Before I walk out on stage to play Rach 3, I have to tell myself to stop worrying about the...
