[contextly_auto_sidebar id="6L1vQwHGvhhhWxyn2fDj3qlLYwI011YD"] ATYPICALLY, I'll start the week by recapping the weekend a bit. First, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is partway through its second Minimalist Jukebox. The Phil is doing its best to take an expansive view of this oft-caricatured movement. On Saturday I caught a John Adams-conducted concert that included a world premiere, U.S. … [Read more...]
Arts Funding in the UK, Minimalism in LA and Crash in New Jersey
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="lpJ1NjBTQ91gXSFAYVELC8izsXpf07Li"] WHY do folks in much of the rest of the post-industrial world – not just Europe but Canada and Australia and elsewhere – feel so much less anxiety about state funding of culture? I have my theories – some of which I explore in my book – but the issue continues to baffle me. Turns out that in the UK – a nation both very similar and … [Read more...]
The Return of Steve Reich
ON Tuesday I saw a fascinating concert by Steve Reich and Bang on a Can at Disney Hall. Once considered a minimalist with few ties to the mainstream, Mark Swed wrote in his review, Reich is now one of the most important and influential composers alive.I sat down with Reich a few years ago and found him very accessible and easy going. My article starts by referring to the landmark "Music for 18 … [Read more...]
Philip Glass Vs. Film Music
GLASS, who makes his Hollywood Bowl debut this week, discussed his film work with me recently.“Here’s an interesting experiment,” he said. “Play a film, any film, and then change the music. The film looks different. Then take the music, and change the film – the music doesn’t change. It’s astonishing. What does it tell us? When you put the two together, the core may be the music. Bernard Herrmann … [Read more...]