OCTOBER 2011

Scaling High Fashion | page 4

The Fashion Institute of

Design & Merchandising

celebrates its collection

f r o m t h e p r e s i d e n t | page 2An arts oasis in Coachella

o n t h e a i r | page 6Programming highlights

o c to b e r 2 011

m e m b e r s g u i d e

.orgUSCc l a s s i c a l fm 91.5k

happy birth

day

o c t o b e r b i rt h d ay s

Marin AlsopLuciano BerioGeorges BizetGeorge CrumbCharles DutoitVladimir HorowitzCharles IvesEvgeny KissinTon KoopmanFranz LisztYo-Yo MaMidoriNiccolò PaganiniSteve ReichNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovCamille Saint-SaënsSir Georg SoltiJohann Strauss IIGiuseppe VerdiRalph Vaughan Williams

It is unusual to start a project and take positive steps forward for years without taking a few steps backward. Yet this has been the case with a project we undertook several years ago in the Coachella Valley, funded by a community engagement grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

What began with us asking a simple question about the needs of the arts community led to the formation of ArtsOasis, an organization that promotes and supports the arts throughout the Southern California Desert (www.artsoasis.org). ArtsOasis also advocates for public and private policies that nourish the creative sector and promote economic vitality. The group recently merged with the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) to help create an economic blueprint for the Valley that includes the arts.

A great deal of hard work has gone into creating the new organization, building a robust website, raising its profile, and negotiating a merger. All this occurred in three short years, and has seemed effortless, in part because the timing was right. Leaders in the arts and business communities were ready to work together, and policy-makers were ready to consider the arts as part of the larger economic vision for the Valley. Strong leadership emerged. Many people have been responsible for the success of ArtsOasis, but none more than Len Kapner and Robert Stearns.

Len Kapner has been a long-time advisor to me, and I asked him to lead our project in the Coachella Valley. Very quickly, Len met Robert, who had an exten-sive arts résumé and a desire to help galvanize the arts community. Thomas Flavin, CEO of CVEP, also had the vision to see the synergy between ArtsOasis and CVEP. The right timing, plus the right leadership, plus the cata-lyst that is KUSC, led to a success story almost unique in my 25-year career.

I am so proud of the work KUSC does on a daily basis thanks to your support, and I am equally proud of the work we do behind the scenes on projects like ArtsOasis.

Enriching the Coachella Community

Classical KUSC Members Guide is published monthly by the University of Southern California, University CommunicationsUVI H201, 3375 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles, CA 90089-7790

President Brenda BarnesGeneral Manager Eric DeWeeseDirector of Corporate Affairs and General Sales Manager Abe ShefaProgram Director Gail Eichenthal

classical kusc members guide

Executive Editor Gail EichenthalManaging Editor Katie McMurranFeatures Editor Sheila TepperCopy Editor John Foley HindmanStaff Photographer Diane AlancraigDesign Stacey ToriiArt Direction Sheharazad P. Fleming

2 classical kusc members guide | october 2011

Brenda Barnes

f r o m t h e p r e s i d e n t

cover photo

Designer Alexander McQueen, “Peacock Dress” (silk organza, silk tulle & silk lace)Fall/Winter 2008-09.courtesy | FIDM

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&Hummel, Haydn,

High Fashion

v i s i t u s at k u s c .o r g 3

continued on page 4

Social history is enjoying a harmonious moment in Los Angeles this fall thanks to a stunning exhibition at downtown LA’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum. The

luxurious walking stick of composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) and the magnificent court suit of his pupil, composer/pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) are but two of the highlights of FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000–2010, on view at the museum through December 17. It is likely that more than two centuries have elapsed since these two fascinating objects, essential representations of a special personal and musical relationship, have been seen in the same public room.

Although Haydn was 46 years Hummel’s senior, their paths had many crossings. Both knew Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Haydn becoming the younger master’s good friend in the mid-1780s. The two (Haydn and Hummel) played in string quartets together and clearly held each other in the highest regard. The young Hummel began music lessons with Mozart in 1786, at age 8. Just five years later, Haydn composed a piano sonata for Hummel, who premiered it in London in Haydn’s presence. In 1804, Hummel succeeded Haydn as Kapellmeister (music director) to Prince Esterházy of Hungary. The music-loving Esterházy family was one of the wealthiest in Europe and maintained a vast palace outside the music capital of Vienna.

Presented free of charge to the public, FIDM’s FABULOUS covers more than 200 years of fashion history, from 1800 to the present. More than 170 pieces—donated and purchased garments and accessories worn by women, men, and children—are showcased, each with a rich

c o v e r s t o ry

More than two centuries of fashion history at the FIDM Museum & Galleries

by Kevin L. Jones

photo

Austrian composer Johann Hummel’s

Court Suit (silk velvet, faille, embroidery floss, gold and silver embroi-

dery purl and frieze, rhinestones and

sequins) c. 1810-14.courtesy | FIDM

story to tell, and the exhibition is accompanied by a 375-page catalogue featuring a preface by that grandmaster of French haute couture, Hubert de Givenchy.

The woman responsible for the captivating musical dimension of the exhibition is Yvonne Hummel, a devoted KUSC listener and the wife of Michael Hummel, great-great-grandson of Johann N. Hummel. In 2009, Mrs. Hummel—who lives part of each year in Los Angeles—arrived at the FIDM Museum office to show the curators “some old family clothes.” That day became one of the most memorable we who work at FIDM will likely ever experience!

Mrs. Hummel proceeded to unveil the majestic, 200-year-old French suit (c. 1810–14) belonging to Johann Hummel, who wore it at the imperial Austrian court. Shocked at first, we thought it must have been made for a late-19th century masquerade ball, or, perhaps even a Hollywood movie. Court “suits” are rare and usually survive with missing pants or in otherwise poor condition. This ensemble is in the extraordinary category, and would have been worn only by a key player in society. Diamond buttons, rather than Hummel’s gold and silver embroidered examples, would have been the sole signifier of difference in status between the emperor and the musician.

Music written in Hummel’s hand, a lock of his hair, and a lithograph of his likeness are also among the Hummeliana on view. Of particular interest to KUSC listeners will be a manuscript of previously unknown music by the composer that was discovered in the course of mounting the exhibition. A conservator is carefully separating the pages heretofore hidden behind the folio currently on view in hopes of having the “new” music revealed and performed publicly before the

show closes. Franz Joseph Haydn’s rosewood-and-ivory walking stick (c. 1800) is another gift from Yvonne Hummel that

evokes the relationship between the two composers. It is being shown along with a notarized document that Betty Hummel, Johann’s wife, obtained when she purchased this cherished memento from Haydn’s estate sale in 1809.

The exhibition’s 200-year span explores the multiple worlds of fashion, through French haute couture, mid-20th century American design, and international contemporary creation. Included are accessories, jewelry, textiles, and vintage documents. A highlight of the exhibition, at the opposite end of the time spectrum from Haydn and Hummel, is the extraordinary and much-lauded lace-and-tulle “Peacock Dress” by the late British designer Alexander McQueen


photo

Designer Alexander McQueen, “Peacock Dress” (silk organza, silk tulle & silk lace)Fall/Winter 2008-09.courtesy | FIDM

“eclecticisM”: Carolyn Hove, English horn; Vicki Ray, p.; Rebecca Henderson, ob. Crystal Records 823.

by Jim Svejda

Solo recordings for the English horn are about as common as hockey players with front teeth. It goes

without saying, they should be a lot more common (English horn recordings) since, as all right-thinking music-lovers know, it’s easily the most beautiful of all musical instruments.

Carolyn Hove, solo English horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is probably the greatest

English hornist in the world today. (That, incidentally, is the considered and—by definition—authoritative opinion of Nicholas Daniel, who many consider the world’s finest oboist.) Not only is her tone as large, liquid, and sensuous as they come, but she plays with a finesse, agility, and all-encompassing musical intelligence that make her one of the most completely satisfying musicians of our time.

From the Beethoven Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen,” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute—and after hearing this arrangement, you probably won’t want to bother with the original cello version again—to the more recent works that were actually written for the English horn, Hove’s third album for Crystal is another textbook example of how this difficult instrument can and should be played, but rarely, if ever, is. The two big works—Jeffrey Rathbun’s Suite for Oboe and English horn and John Steinmetz’s Suite from an Imaginary Opera—are obviously important additions to the instrument’s scant solo repertoire; what a pity there was neither space (nor money) to include the wonderful English horn concerto written for her by William Kraft.

In short, to hear this instrument played as really no one else plays it these days, look no further than here.


m u s i c s h e l f

Honoring the Horn

(1969–2010). The flamboyant frock is from his fall/winter 2008–2009 collection. An exhibition of his work which closed in August 2011 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art drew an audience that placed it in the top 20 exhibitions ever presented at the Met.

In the rare category, as well, is a reception gown (c. 1878) by the English Charles Frederick Worth, who is considered the “father of haute couture,” and a Redfern court gown (c. 1907). Boasting an 11-foot, entrance-making train, the gown was worn by Anne Bloomfield Gamble Schofield Post when she was presented at Buckingham Palace to King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

Movie buffs will enjoy Mae West’s sky-high stacked platform heels that elevated her 5-foot stature to 5’10”. Several designs from famed Hollywood couturier and ready-to-wear designer Gilbert Adrian are also part of the exhibition. Before opening his own design house in 1941, Adrian was famous for being the designer to MGM stars Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, and Joan Crawford.

Fashionistas can see designs from the House of Dior, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Gianni Versace, and a Halston dress with textile design by Andy Warhol. The Rudi Gernreich Archive resides in the FIDM Museum and will also be represented in the exhibition.

Unbelievably, at least 70% of the 15,000 objects in the FIDM Museum have been gifted by generous patrons, most from Southern California. The FABULOUS! exhibition alone represents more than 1,000 donors over more than 30 years. We (gladly) receive many calls from potential donors, and most of them visit with their possessions in hand. This creates what might be called a continuous “Antiques Roadshow” atmosphere in the FIDM Museum curators’ office.

The FIDM Museum focuses on the strong design merits of high fashion. Acquisitions are made based primarily on how well an object represents its time period, its exceptional design, and the designer’s overall work. Accessories are also a vital component, along with such ephemera as periodicals, patterns, and photographs that support the study of design and provide illuminating historical contexts.

Our mission, in addition to aquiring and displaying, is to conserve and educate. The FIDM Museum comprises two main parts: the permanent collection, used for exhibitions and research, and the study collection, used by FIDM students and teachers

continued on page 7


arts aliveSaturdays | 8 amKUSC’s hour-long arts-and-music magazine, hosted by Brian Lauritzen.

the opera show with Duff MurphySaturdays | 9 amThe world of opera comes alive with classic and newly released opera recordings.

symphonycastSaturdays | 6 pm A weekly program featuring concert performances by the world’s great orchestras.

Modern times with alan chapmanSaturdays | 10 pmMusic from recent decades.

soul Music with Kimberlea DaggySundays | 7 amSerene choral and instrumental works spanning a millennium, from Gregorian chant through music of today.

baroque and beyond with brian lauritzenSundays | 9 amThe best and brightest selections from this “irregular pearl” of a period.

los angeles chamber orchestra broadcastsSunday, October 2 | 4 pm Michael Stern, conductorJoshua Ranz, clarinetAndrew Shulman, celloKellogg: Mozart’s Hymn Golijov: Last Round Copland: Clarinet Concerto Wolf: Italian Serenade Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor

Sunday, October 9 | 4 pm Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor & pianoMozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 Lutosławski: Musique funèbre (Funeral Music) Haydn: Symphony no. 103 (Drum Roll)

Sunday, October 16 | 4 pm Highlights from Baroque Conversations

Sunday, October 23 | 4 pm Louis Langrée, conductorLise de la Salle, pianoRavel: Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto no. 2 Beethoven: Symphony no. 2

Sunday, October 30 | 4 pm Jeffrey Kahane, conductor & keyboardSasha Cooke, mezzo-sopranoBach: Keyboard Concerto no. 6 Bach: Cantata 170, “Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust” (“Contented rest, beloved soul’s desire”)Bach: “Erbarme dich, mein Gott” (“Have mercy, my God”) from St. Matthew Passion Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3

From the top with christopher o’rileySundays | 6 pmThe radio showcase for the best young classical musicians in the country.

the record shelf with Jim svejdaSunday, October 2 | 7 pm (repeats Saturday, October 8, 9 pm)the english rachmaninoff. Historic recordings of his own (and other composer’s) music, by the English composer York Bowen.

Sunday, October 9 | 7 pm (repeats Saturday, October 15, 9 pm)a buyer’s Guide to the brahms. A survey of the best of the readily available recordings of the composer’s vocal music.

c l a s s i c a l kusc o n t h e a i r

weekend highlights oCToBER 2011


Sunday, October 16 | 7 pm (repeats Saturday, October 22, 9 pm)Mr. rhapsody. The famous recordings of the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies made by the Russian-Ameri-can pianist Alexander Borovsky.

Sunday, October 23 | 7 pm (repeats Saturday, October 28, 9 pm)Gabbing with Galbraith. A conversation with the extraordinary Scottish-born guitarist Paul Galbraith. (The first of two programs.)

Sunday, October 30 | 7 pm (repeats Saturday, November 4, 9 pm)Galbraith, Part 2. The conclusion of a conversation with guitarist Paul Galbraith.

sunday Night opera with Duff Murphy and Jim svejdaSunday, October 2 | 9 pmMonteverdi: Orfeo

Sunday, October 9 | 9 pmVerdi: Falstaff

Sunday, October 16 | 9 pmVaughan Williams: Sir John in Love

Sunday, October 23 | 9 pmNicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Sunday, October 30 | 9 pmWeber: Der Freischütz

Performance todayWeekdays | 3 amLive concerts by famous artists in concert halls around the globe, as well as interviews, news, and features.

continued from page 5

for hands-on inspection and instruction.

The non-profit FIDM Museum Foundation was established in 1978. Later, the foundation created the FIDM Museum & Galleries space of 10,000 square feet, where three major exhibitions are usually mounted each year. The museum plays host to the movie industry by presenting an annual exhibition entitled The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design. In 2005, the museum presented the first and only exhibition of costumes from all six films in the Star Wars saga, called Dressing A Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars. In 2009, High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture attracted large crowds—Bloomingdale, whose 1978 gift of classic French haute couture was one of the Institute’s first major acquisitions, is a founding donor to the FIDM Museum.

FIDM Museum exhibitions are our gift to the community. With deep gratitude to all of our donors, we hope all KUSC listeners will enjoy the FABULOUS! exhibition.

FIDM Museum & Galleries, 919 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90015. Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., September 13–December 17. Free to the public. For more information: 213-486-4015; www.fidmmuseum.org

The non-profit FIDM Museum is located in downtown Los Angeles at FIDM/ Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. The college is headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, with additional campuses in Orange County, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Kevin Jones is fashion historian and curator of the FIDM Museum Collections.

photo

Austrian Composer,

Joseph Haydn’s,

Walking Stick (Rosewood,

ivory and metal) c. 1800.

courtesy | FIDM

P.O. Box 77913Los Angeles, CA90007-0913

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ClassiC EvEntsp r e s e n t s

Simon Keenlyside,

BaritoneSaturday, October 29

at 7:30 p.m.

The BrOad STage

For tickets and inFormation: thebroadstage.com or 310.434.3200

Phot

o by

Uwe

Are

ns

Dennis Bartel5 am–9 am weekdays4 pm–6 pm saturdays

For tickets and inFormation: www.uclalive.org or 310.825.2101

Friday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m., ROyce Hall

presents

Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestrafeaturing

the west coast premiere of counter-tenor

Philippe Jaroussky

Händel and Vivaldi Fireworks

ClassiC EvEntsp r e s e n t s

P.O. Box 77913, Los Angeles, CA 90007-0913Telephone 213-225-7400E-mail [email protected] www.kusc.org

Music Inquiries | Comment Line 213-225-7412Membership Inquiries [email protected] Inquiries 213-225-7411Major Gifts 213-225-7534

Alan Chapman9 am–1 pm weekdays10 pm–midnight saturdays

Kimberlea Daggy1 pm–4 pm weekdaysnoon–2 pm saturdays7 am–9 am sundays

Rich Capparela4 pm–7 pm weekdays

Jim Svejda7 pm–midnight weekdays9 pm–10 pm saturdays7 pm–8 pm sundays

Duff Murphy9 am–10 am saturdays

Brian Lauritzen9 am–1 pm sundays

Jamie Paisleymidnight–2 am saturdays

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OCTOBER 2011

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