“Thirty-Onederfuls,” Number One: How It All Began

The tale of how I was “discovered in Hollywood” by a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic   November 1, 2019 marks 31 years since my first published review, and it is only fitting that my first (long-delayed!) entry in my memoir-ish series of “Thirty-Onederfuls” should tell the story of how it all began. Besides, my beloved and…

“Thirty-Onederfuls” Are Coming!

Being a series of reflections and snapshots of 31 years of reviewing…and a lifetime of listening   Any of my regular readers who have been signed up for about a year and a half or so may remember that I touted a new series of posts collectively titled “Thirty-Somethings.” November 1, 2018 was the 30th…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite: The Devil Is in the Details

BDDS offers strong performances, but falls prey to temptation in Stravinsky   Now in its 27th memorable season, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society has never played it safe; if anything, co-founders Stephanie Jutt and Jeffrey Sykes have thrived on adding all sorts of twists to their programs. Not every dart thrown hits the bullseye…but…

Introducing “30-Somethings”

Celebrating my 30th year as a critic/annotator, an occasional series of the performances, people and places I just can’t forget   It was probably about five years ago, as I approached the 25th anniversary of my first published review, that I thought about making a “Top 10” list of the most memorable performances I had…

Merci, Monsieur Boulez…

When I first learned of the passing of Pierre Boulez on Tuesday, January 12, my first thought was the first memory that always came to my mind when his name came up. It was late May, 1992; I was sitting with him in the green room of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles…