Blog | LA Phil

The view from the hut in Toblach, Italy where Mahler composed Das lied von der Erde.

Via email from Paulina

A Thousand Words, Part II – Getting the Shrine Ready

January 31, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

We've shown you a little of what went into getting Walt Disney Concert Hall ready for a rehearsal with the LA Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela - now here's a sneak peek at some of the work that's been going on a few miles south at the Shrine.

Mahler in LA

January 30, 2012 | Posted by Norman Lebrecht in Los Angeles

Gustav Mahler, at center, influenced LA more than most people know; his friends and devotees with connections to LA included (clockwise from top left) his wife Alma; and composers/conductors Otto Klemperer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner, Arnold Schoenberg and Bruno Walter.

More than midway through The Mahler Project, not much has been talked yet about Mahler in Los Angeles.

Mahler in Los Angeles? He never set foot on the West Coast, much as he would have liked to. As conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Mahler invented orchestral touring and visited 12 cities in the Northeastern U.S. in 1909-10. Had he lived longer, he might have made it out West and maybe to Los Angeles.

ALOUD – A Conversation with Deborah Borda and Norman Lebrecht

January 30, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

Author Norman Lebrecht is Mad about Mahler, too - after all, he's written two books on the subject, including the recent Why Mahler: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed Our World.

Here's Lebrecht with the LA Phil's very own President and CEO, Deborah Borda, in a conversation about Mahler held by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles' ALOUD series and co-sponsored by The Mahler Project.

Why Mahler? Why Mahler? How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed Our World from ALOUDla on Vimeo.

This Week in Mahler, Part III – The Homestretch

January 30, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

Photo of Gustavo Dudamel and Martin Chalifour courtesy of the LA Times

Well, here we are.

We've entered a sort of "endgame" for The Mahler Project here in LA. The Project will roll on for two more weeks in Venezuela after the final, haunting notes of Mahler 9 fade into the warm afternoon air on FEB 5 - but after next Sunday, the grand effort we know as The Mahler Project is over in the United States.

That is, until FEB 18, when people around the country will be able to walk, drive, bike or skip to their local movie theaters, order a large popcorn and sit back to enjoy the "Symphony of a Thousand" live from Caracas, Venezuela as party of LA Phil LIVE.

That said, there's still plenty of Mahler to be had this week. Here's what's happening, Mahler-wise:

Out On The Town – The SBSOV Vists YOLA

January 29, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

YOLA

Editor's note: This post was written by Daniel Berkowitz, the LA Phil's YOLA Manager.

During a break in the action last week, nearly 30 musicians from the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela visited our two YOLA sites: YOLA at HOLA, our partnership with Heart of Los Angeles, and YOLA at EXPO, our partnership with Harmony Project and EXPO Center. EXPO, HOLA and SBSOV are preparing for a side-by-side concert on JAN 30 - it's right around the corner!

And Now For Something A Little Heavier…

January 27, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

Contrary to popular belief, the music of Mahler isn't all sunshine and light...

What makes the symphony-ending hammer blows in Mahler 6 happen here at the LA Phil

We're being facetious, of course, as Mahler's symphonies are famously dense and more than a little somber throughout - LA Phil Music Director Gustavo Dudamel noted in his post-concert talk after a performance of Mahler 1 that "no one loved to suffer more than Mahler." And, if there's a symphony that proves this fact, it's Mahler 6. After all, a symphony doesn't get to be known popularly as "The Tragic (der Tragische) without earning a reputation for being on the dark side - it ends with three crushing hammer blows - but, true to form, Mahler composed the work at a relatively happy time in his life.

Here are a couple of facts about Mahler 6 that you might not know:

Violin Heroics à la Mahler

January 27, 2012 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Los Angeles

There's no shortage of media coverage surrounding The Mahler Project - it's a big project, after all - but one of the more interesting perspectives on the whole thing is coming from Laurie Niles, the editor of Violinist.com.

Laurie Martin and LA Phil Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour, courtesy of Violinist.com

As you might expect, her coverage is a little skewed towards the violin player - notes about tunings and tempos abound - but it's also got some gems, such as an interview with LA Phil Concertmaster Martin Chalifour where he discusses the instrument he plays as well as the challenges posed by the requirement of actually switching violins during Mahler 4.

You can read all of Laurie's coverage here.