Arts Alive

KUSC’s Alan Chapman has a lot to say about music, but can he say it in 60 seconds? That’s the Chapman Challenge. We ask a question and Alan has a minute to answer it. Today’s question is from Maria in Santa Barbara who wants to know “What exactly is a sonata?”

In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat, a nameless protagonist swears by his sanity while recounting a wild tale that combines arson, a black cat, and the death of his wife. Long Beach Opera’s version, which opens this weekend, is a musical mashup of songs by English songwriter David Sylvian plus arias from J.S. Bach’s cantatas. The production is a collaboration with Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and conductor Martin Haselboeck. We spoke with LBO Artistic and General Director Andreas Mitisek about The Black Cat, part of LBO’s 40th season offerings and Mitisek’s 20th year at the company’s helm.

2018 was a big year for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She celebrated the 25th anniversary of her 1993 appointment to the US Supreme Court by then President Bill Clinton. She is the second woman to have held that position and for a time was the only woman on the panel of justices. Her work has included notable rulings in cases involving gender discrimination, search and seizure, and international law.

Last October, the Skirball Museum opened a first-ever exhibit in honor of the justice. Titled Notorious RBG: Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it takes an exploration of Ginsburg’s life through exhibits and her writings. Continuing with their year of honoring Ginsburg, the Skirball will host composer and soprano Patrice Michaels this Sunday, January 13th as she presents a concert featuring her song cycle “The Long View” from her 2018 album Notorious RBG in Song.

Picture this: you’re driving down the 5 Freeway in the Central Valley. All of a sudden, in your rear view mirror you see two 30-foot stretch limos. As they pull up beside you, you notice that these limos aren’t your average everyday limos. They are, in fact, the world’s longest Steinway grand pianos, traveling at 90 miles-per-hour on the freeway. That scene has never actually happened, but it was the inspiration for a piece of music by composer John Adams. The piano/limousine hybrids appeared in a dream that Adams had years ago and that dream inspired his Grand Pianola Music, a piece Adams wrote in 1982 and one that he says, “seems to have something to offend everybody.”

These days it’s not as common as it used to be for composers to number their works, and group them together within an “opus”. But even when it was, Opus 1 wasn’t necessarily the first piece that they had written, or even had published. Some were too busy churning out pieces to take the time to inventory them fully, others chose what they thought might be their breakout work. But here’s a sampling of some of the works that have that designation.

KUSC’s Alan Chapman has a lot to say about music, but can he say it in 60 seconds? That’s the Chapman Challenge. We ask a question and Alan has a minute to answer it. Today’s question is from Joseph in Phoenix, Arizona. He writes, “I was watching a handbell choir on television and I was wondering how they split up the melody.”

Today on Arts Alive, contributing reporter Jeffrey Freymann is exploring a story about how a promising pianist turned personal tragedy into new music.

LA Times and KUSC film critic Kenneth Turan joins KUSC’s Gail Eichenthal to discuss “Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki”, a new documentary about the eponymous Academy Award-winning animator and filmmaker.

Let’s take a look at the evolution of the Keyboard, from the clavichord to the modern grand piano. As the instruments developed over time, they got bigger, louder, and capable of more nuance.

KUSC’s Alan Chapman has a lot to say about music, but can he say it in 60 seconds? That’s the Chapman Challenge. We ask a question and Alan has a minute to answer it. Today’s question is from Laura in Costa Mesa. She writes, “It’s the big season for Handel’s Messiah. What can you tell me about Handel’s oratorios in sixty seconds?”