Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times
Classical music critic for the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Mark Swed
Guest
FROM Mark Swed
Which Way, L.A.?
The Legacy of Ernest Fleischmann As we reported yesterday, Ernest Fleischmann died on Sunday at the age of 85. He retired 12 years ago, but for 30 years he controlled the Los Angeles Philharmonic , making it one of the top orchestras in the country with worldwide credibility. Mark Swed, music critic for the Los Angeles Times , offers an appreciation.
Which Way, L.A.?
LA Phil Says So Long to Salonen, Hello to Dudamel On Sunday, Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct his last concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic .
Which Way, L.A.?
Listen to the Music For the first time in years, state money is flowing to public schools for the teaching of music, just as the Los Angeles Philharmonic hires a new conductor who is a poster boy for music education developed in Venezuela. Gustavo Dudamel became director of Venezuela's National Youth Orchestra when he was 17. He's won the Gustav Mahler conducting competition in Germany, and conducted Mozart's Don Giovanni at La Scala . When Esa-Pekka Salonen steps down as music director of the LA Philharmonic at the end of next season, Dudamel will be his successor. Salonen took over when he was 34. Dudamel is now 26. We hear about Dudamel and a possible turnaround for creative arts in California schools.
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To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.