Judging by the audience’s response, the final item listed on the program was what many had come for: Williams’s title theme from Star Wars, one of the most well-known compositions in the modern music repertoire. There were a couple of encores, including the theme from Indiana Jones and the “Imperial March,” or Darth Vadar’s theme, from Star Wars, which drew cheers from fans and a standing ovation.

This article is filed under Movies, Music, Performing Arts.

Taking the second violin part, Gilbert, who has previously played in the Philharmonic’s chamber music concerts, proved himself to be as much an accomplished instrumentalist as a conductor, though he quipped, in a video interview published on the Philharmonic’s Website, “I certainly don’t intend to try to take the city by storm as a violinist.”

This article is filed under Music, Performing Arts.

For its world premiere of Heart of a Soldier at San Francisco Opera, the creators chose to concentrate on the personal story of Morgan Stanley’s security head Rick Rescorla, whose actions led over 2,700 World Trade Center South Tower workers to safety, only to lose his own life when he reentered the building to search for stragglers. The opera focuses on his journey from childhood in Cornwall, England, to his role in the tragic events on 9/11. An exploration of a life that culminated in those heroic actions is a story worth examining.

Unfortunately, it was poorly told.

This article is filed under Music, Opera, Performing Arts, Theatre.

  At my 17th birthday dinner at a place that played live music, the host sat me and my family behind a wall. We couldn’t see the band; we could barely hear the muffled tones and applause. I was not 18, and in Northern Virginia, this made it difficult to see any interesting music live. [...]

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music, Religion.

Glyndebourne: one of the names in the British calendar. Up there with Wimbledon, Henley and other occasions which involve large quantities of strawberries being consumed in extremely specific clothing. With the added attraction of some of the best opera in the world.

This article is filed under Blog-Theater, Music, Opera, Theatre.

“Over there I don’t feel totally Conogolese, and here, I don’t particularly feel Belgian,” says Baloji, a Congolese/Belgian musician who recently released his second album, Kinshasha Succursale. The story of Africa’s Congo is a long and troubled one, outlined in terrifying honesty by Adam Hochschild in King Leopold’s Ghost (yes, that’s suggested reading). In short, [...]

This article is filed under Africa, Belgium, Blog-Music, Music.

When a music playing site catches the eye of the law, you know it’s got to be good. Turntable.fm is constructed for those who love the sound of their own iTunes libraries and can’t bear listening to Pandora or their perfectly made Grooveshark playlist one more time without others listening as well. In it, users [...]

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music.

  It’s good to be young, but let’s not kid ourselves It’s better to pass on through those years and come out the other side. -You Were Cool The El Rey Theater on Wilshire Blvd. in L.A. was the kind of large, ornate venue that you’d expect chamber music to be coursing through. The walls [...]

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music.

  I was late to the must-attend show in Chicago of 2011…and I’m better for it. James Blake went on stage around 10:00, I arrived close to 10:10, and before opening the heavy doors to the concert hall floor, I heard no indication that there was anyone inside. If I had arrived on time, I [...]

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music.

What do you do when you get tired of the place you live in? When you can’t stand the idea of heading down road that gets you to your house one more time? When you’d rather just take a right for once. Do you move? Do you give up? Let’s say you’re in Demascus, Maryland. Then I’d say yes. I’d say yes, get out of there. Find another Safeway to forage in. Find another lawn to mow. But you can’t leave Los Angeles. You’ve learned that from the Eagles.

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music.

We are pleased to announce the start of CLR’s new music blog. Ben Caro, a Los Angeles based writer, and Charlie Coffeen, a professional musician from Chicago, will be keeping you informed about all areas of the music world — concerts, albums, up-and-coming artists, as well as Charlie’s insights into life on the road and [...]

This article is filed under Blog-Music, Music.

Anna Nicole zipped herself up in a bodybag, surrounded by a crowd of camera-headed creatures which had been stalking her all the way through the second act, peering at her and sorting through piles of rubbish on the stage. The sudden blackout at the end produced a pause, then elated applause.

This article is filed under Music, Opera, Performing Arts, Theatre.

Happy arbitrary and consumerist holiday from CLR and The Fourth Wall! Richard Phillips’s album artwork is lovely. Dirty Vegas were basically a few-dance-hits-wonder, but if your one massive hit comes with a video like “Days Go By,” you win at awesome. Ten years ago, “Days Go By” soared onto pop radio and MTV’s after-school hit [...]

This article is filed under Movies, Music, Television, The Fourth Wall.

This week, Julia Rhodes and I (Dan Fields) recall a bygone era, when entertainment for kids – specifically the musical accompaniment – got as much attention and thought as anything produced for an adult audience. It’s not meant strictly to pick on Elton John, but he seems an appropriate figurehead for the rather bland trends in children’s movie music today. This is not your typical twentysomething anti-Disney rant. It is a cry of nostalgic woe, and includes a number of selections from pre-downhill-slide Disney. Please enjoy, and remember some songs you might like to track down and show your own kids.

This article is filed under Best Movies, Children's Literature, Humor, Movies, Music, Television, The Fourth Wall.

Every Tom Russell song has something to say about the human heart. In each voice he invokes there are universal echoes of love, doubt, weakness, fear, restlessness and faith. The figure of the wanderer – whether soldier, cowboy, nomad, pioneer, outcast or pilgrim – passes again and again through his work.

This article is filed under Africa, Art, Biography, Canada, Mexico, Music, Performing Arts, Westerns, Writers.