Category Archives: classical music

December 14, 1908: Mahler’s farewell concert with the New York Philharmonic

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 14, 1908: Gustav Mahler conducts his final concert with the New York Philharmonic with music by Wagner and Beethoven. Mahler was much applauded and his reading was “masculine” and “even rude!” But there was “untunefulness” in the wood winds and “overemphasis of the brass.” Continue reading →

Posted in @news, classical music, Front Pages, Music | Comments Off

November 21, 2009 — Artist’s Notebook: Gustavo Dudamel

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 2009: Collaborating with the L.A. Daily Mirror, artist Marion Eisenmann did some sketches of Gustavo Dudamel conducting rehearsals of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Continue reading →

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September 25, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 25, 1959: Matt Weinstock on the success of pianist Van Cliburn. Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Columnists, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off

Gustavo Dudamel: Tinseltown’s Gift to New York

Posted on February 8, 2023 by lmharnisch

Headline in The New York Times. I am celebrating the announced departure of Gustavo Dudamel (though not until 2026) – without the jubilation of New Yorkers, but certainly not in mourning as Los Angeles may be. If I were more … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music | Tagged classical music, Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic | 2 Comments

From the Vaults — ‘Vamonos Con Pancho Villa!’

Posted on March 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

“Vamonos Con Pancho Villa!” (“Let’s Go With Pancho Villa!”) is the surprisingly dark, roughly hewn story of six friends who call themselves “the lions of San Pablo” and join the Mexican Revolution as much for the adventure as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1936, classical music, Film, From the Vaults, Music | 1 Comment

Matt Weinstock, March 22, 1961

Posted on March 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

In the highly advanced future, people will still use file cabinets! March 22, 1961: Are truck drivers really articulate? Matt Weinstock thinks one fellow is … and a woman calling the Philharmonic for tickets doesn’t know much … Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, March 1, 1941

Posted on March 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

March 1, 1941: Lee Shippey writes about Marian Anderson and Tom Treanor has the story of Schuyler Standish, 13, who just enrolled at UCLA. Katharine Hepburn has promised director Garson Kanin a yes or no … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, art and artists, classical music, Columnists, Comics, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off

Conductor’s Remarks on L.A.’s Music Touch off Sound and Fury

Posted on March 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 24-March 4, 1941: British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham comes to town to conduct two programs by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and my doesn’t he get people furious with his comments about classical music in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, classical music, Film, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off

On the Frontiers of Ethnomusicology

Posted on February 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 11, 1911: Among the items at the Southwest Museum is a flute, made of a human bone, that was discovered while excavating Native American graves on Santa Catalina Island. The flute was something of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, classical music, Music, Obituaries | 1 Comment

‘Fantasia’ Acclaimed as Film Masterpiece

Posted on January 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 30, 1941: The Times publishes three items on the Los Angeles premiere of “Fantasia”: A review of the film by Edwin Schallert, a music review by Isabel Morse Jones and a color story on … Continue reading →

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Voices: Milton Babbitt, 1916 — 2011

Posted on January 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

March 7, 1986: As he nears the age of 70, composer Milton Babbitt tells Times arts writer Marc Shulgold, "Even so-called popular composers don't really care what an audience likes. In the end, you write for … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Jan. 26, 1961

Posted on January 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 26, 1961: The sound of an auto collision at Sunset Boulevard and Roxbury Drive attracted the usual crowd of onlookers and as Eugene Rodney, producer of the Robert Young TV show, dejectedly appraised the damage to … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, broadcasting, classical music, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Jan. 14, 1941

Posted on January 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 14, 1941: Open letter to Al Jolson. My Dear Al: If this letter angers you, forgive me. I realize that the $500 you sent me before Christmas to spread good cheer among the poor … Continue reading →

Posted in #opera, art and artists, classical music, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 16, 1960

Posted on December 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

Dec. 16, 1960: Matt Weinstock has the story of a cat that was taken to West Hollywood because its Bunker Hill home was to be torn down, but made its way back because it was evidently homesick. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, art and artists, classical music, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Dec. 7, 1940

Posted on December 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

Dec. 7, 1940: Yes, the bell on traffic semaphores in the old Warner Bros. cartoons wasn’t a joke. Today, we just honk since drivers are usually checking their BlackBerrys when the light turns green. … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | 1 Comment

Bruno Walter’s Last Concert

Posted on December 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

Dec. 2, 1960: Van Cliburn, the Cold War sensation who won the 1958 Tchaikovsky piano competition, performs the Brahms second piano concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Bruno Walter at Shrine Auditorium. [Yes, I cringe … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Music, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Nov. 8, 1940

Posted on November 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

Nov. 8, 1940: Hear tell the Basil Rathbones will give up their Brentwood mansion for a more modest home. Big charity donations make it necessary, Jimmie Fidler says. Also on the jump, a review … Continue reading →

Posted in #opera, classical music, Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off

Voices – Joan Sutherland, 1926 – 2010

Posted on October 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

Nov. 22, 1966: Times music critic Martin Bernheimer interviews Joan Sutherland … in his Volkswagen? Yes, it’s true. She and Ricky (her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge) are getting ready to do “Lucia” at the new Met, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in #opera, classical music, Music, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Why History Must Be Saved, Even When Nobody Wants It

Posted on June 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

The death of Ernest Fleischmann, former executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, offers a nice point of departure for a few musings about how casually we treat the past. About a year ago, I noticed a trash cart … Continue reading →

Posted in classical music, Lakers, Music | 2 Comments

Pavarotti in ‘La Boheme’

Posted on June 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 6, 1980: With the skill of a surgeon, Martin Bernheimer dissects a performance by operatic sensation Luciano Pavarotti (d. 2007). “He conquered. He came. He sang. In that order,” Bernheimer says. Notice that in return for agreeing … Continue reading →

Posted in #opera, classical music, Stage | 1 Comment