Arts Alive

In 17th-century England, opera hadn’t really taken off, but audiences did enjoy having a few songs mixed into a stage play. That’s why composer Henry Purcell’s King Arthur is considered a semi-opera. And in this century, Purcell’s work is about to get a dramatic makeover by Long Beach Opera.

The new film version of “Little Women” started getting Oscar buzz before it even opened. It is in theaters this weekend, and LA Times and Arts Alive Film Critic Kenneth Turan tells KUSC ‘s Gail Eichenthal, it’s an old story well worth revisiting.

In the past year, actor John Lithgow has portrayed Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Rudy Giuliani. In the new movie Bombshell, he plays the late, disgraced one-time head of Fox News: Roger Ailes. John Lithgow joined contributing reporter Tim Greiving for a discussion on choosing cringe-worthy roles, finding empathy in villains, and more.

During the holiday season, it’s fairly common to hear Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. The instrument that plays the iconic solo in that piece is called the celesta, a keyboard instrument where the hammers strike orchestral bells. Nowadays, the celesta is a standard instrument to find in the symphony hall as well as pop and film music. It’s the instrument behind Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter as well as the introduction to Won’t You Be My Neighbor from Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood. When Tchaikovsky wrote for the celesta, however, it wasn’t a common instrument at all. In fact, he was one of the very first people ever to use it.

There are things that are certain in life. Taxes are due April 15. Going to the DMV is never a good time. And at Christmas, you will always hear “Jingle Bells”. The first Christmas song you learned to sing in school. Sung by carolers (and cats) worldwide. Favorite holiday tune of the Joker – because he gets away. You know it as well as Happy Birthday – perhaps better. But how much do you know about “Jingle Bells?”

On this edition of Arts Alive: shaping future community leaders in the arts. The Young Musicians Foundation of LA has launched an initiative that will bolster its own education initiatives while also helping young musicians become transformative arts leaders. KUSC’s Gail Eichenthal has more on the “Debut Fellowship Program.”

Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Composer Morten Lauridsen sat with KUSC’s Jim Svejda to discuss the process and legacy.

On this edition of Arts Alive, a review from Los Angeles Times and KUSC film critic Kenneth Turan of a new documentary that closely follows the lives of a group of British people. Turan tells KUSC’s Gail Eichenthal those people will already be familiar to many fans of this art form.

How does a composer become a composer? Everyone’s stories are different. For Christopher O’Brien, the path to composition led through choir. O’Brien is an 11th grader at Harvard Westlake School. He’s 17, a poet, and a composer. He says it was Randall Thompson’s setting of the poetry of Robert Frost that initially inspired him to write music.

December is the busiest month for the musicians of the LA Master Chorale. In addition to concerts chock full of carols, they’ve got multiple performances of Handel’s Messiah on tap this month—both the very popular sing-along version and what music director Grant Gershon jokingly calls the “please don’t sing-along” version. As Gershon tells KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen, this year, the LA Master Chorale is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of a piece of music that has been central to their repertoire ever since they premiered it 1994. Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium.