STAR BOWLERS NEW SEASON, CELEBRITY LINEUP CONDUCTOR JOHN MAUCERI UPBEAT.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer It's been 15 years, and they're still making John Mauceri John Mauceri (born 1945, New York) is an American conductor, producer and composer for theatre, opera and television. He was a protege of Leonard Bernstein.[1] offers he can't refuse. We catch up with Mauceri, the principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the Orchestra, as he is coordinating a new orchestral work based on the music from ``The Godfather'' films that the Bowl Orchestra is scheduled to perform toward the end of summer. Think those scores are easy to get ahold of? Not so, says the maestro. We're talking three films, with an estimated 200 hours of music that needs to be boiled down to a 15- to 20-minute suite. `` `The Godfather,' for all its fame and popularity, does not exist as a piece of music that orchestras can play from the original film version,'' insists Mauceri. ``There are some arrangements made later, but playing `The Godfather' that people know is impossible. ``I have, over the past 15 years, tried to make accessible music that's not otherwise performable, music that's been written in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. or is associated with Hollywood and L.A. This year, with `The Godfather' and the Disneyland music (performed over the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. weekend), I'm doing two works.'' Yes, we've arrived at yet another opening of another season at the Hollywood Bowl, and in discussing the concerts he'll conduct, Mauceri sounds like he's been handed the keys to a toy store A toy store, or toy shop, is a retail business specializing in the services of selling toys. No longer held to the limitations of the brick and mortar outlet, the toy store has successfully created a presence within the e-commerce industry. . Disney music! American favorites! ``Camelot!'' Russians! Opera! Old friends! New visitors! And, of course, plenty of fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to . ``It's good that we have some really good things to celebrate,'' he says. Indeed he does. The summer of 2005 will mark Mauceri's 15th year and - on July 31 - his 300th performance with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Mauceri, who spends his non-Bowl months as music director of the Pittsburgh Opera Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Company of Pittsburgh. , also turns 60 in September. ``We've played to some 4 million people. That's a huge number for a really new orchestra,'' says Mauceri. ``I never lose consciousness of the fact that it's the people of Los Angeles who built the Bowl. The biggest challenge for me is to compete with what I did the previous years and to make it fresh and interesting. If this were my second year or my 18th, we would all be in the same position to just constantly reinvent.'' Friday's opening-night festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. honor the newest additions to the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame - Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn "Trisha" Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is a three-time Grammy-winning American country music singer. Her first number one single was "She's in Love with the Boy" (released 1991), followed by 8 more number one singles. , Joshua Bell
To complement the ``Happiest Music on Earth''-themed Fourth of July weekend, Mauceri has created a 10-minute suite from the animated film ``Alice in Wonderland.'' For the event, the Walt Disney Co. - which co-produces - has opened up its musical vaults, allowing Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to play theme-park music (including ``Pirates of the Caribbean'' and ``It's a Small World'') in their original orchestrations. Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim gets a 75th birthday celebration July 8 from the likes of performers Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Nathan Lane and Jason Alexander. The mood gets distinctly operatic July 10 with ``Twilight of the Gods,'' focusing on the third act of Wagner's Ring Cycle. As the season develops, Bowl audiences can expect some intriguing performance pairings. July draws to a close with the Great American Concert honoring outstanding American women and featuring opera's Deborah Voigt, musical theater's Barbara Cook and jazz songstress song·stress n. 1. A woman who performs songs, especially ballads or popular songs. 2. A woman who writes songs. See Usage Note at -ess. Dianne Reeves. (July 29-31). Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan will share a night of jazz and soul Aug. 3. Oscar-winning ``Cabaret'' actor Joel Grey and German chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] Ute Lemper offer ``The Roaring '20s: Paris - Berlin - Chicago.'' For good measure, Jeremy Irons will be King Arthur to Melissa Errico's Guinevere in the one-night concert staging of Lerner and Loewe's ``Camelot.'' (Aug. 14). The summer season will draw to a close with the semi-hush-hush ``The Big Picture.'' Coinciding with the American Film Institute's release of its greatest film scores, the program will include selections from several of the top-ranked scores. Except that audiences won't know what those scores are until they hear them played. ``As people leave, they will get the program, a piece of paper listing what they did hear,'' says Mauceri. ``The musicians will have to sign some sort of nondisclosure sheet when they get music to practice.'' For a full rundown of the Hollywood Bowl's 2005 summer season, visit www.hollywoodbowl.com. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com OPENING NIGHT AT THE BOWL What: The season kicks off with a celebration featuring Joshua Bell, Trisha Yearwood and a tribute to Frank Sinatra by Quincy Jones. Where: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. When: 8:30 p.m. Friday Tickets: $15 to $97. (323) 850-2000; ticketmaster.com; hollywoodbowl.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Musical Fireworks The Hollywood Bowl mixes it up as it kicks off a new season (2) CHAKA KHAN . AUG. 3 (3) NATHAN LANE . JULY 8 (4) TRISHA YEARWOOD . FRIDAY (5) no caption (John Mauceri) |
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