Arts Alive

On Arts Alive today, LA Times and Arts Alive film critic Kenneth Turan tells us about a perfect Valentine’s Day entertainment for lovers of sheep, and, of stop-motion animation. He spoke to KUSC’s Gail Eichenthal.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s survey of the politically-charged Weimar Republic era continues this weekend at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Esa Pekka-Salonen will conduct the orchestra and soloists in fully staged performances of the Kurt Weill/Bertold Brecht masterpiece, The Seven Deadly Sins. KUSC’s Gail Eichenthal has a preview.

Theatre, dance, music, experimental design, found objects, and more come together for a modern adaptation of the classic story of Frankenstein this week at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

Many performers have elaborate rituals that they go through before concerts — Glenn Gould used to soak his forearms in hot water before performances — but Stephen Hough has made a point of never depending on any of them.

Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885 – 1935) has a relatively small oeuvre, writing only a dozen or so major compositions in his life. However, each piece captures an entire world of emotion and structure and has a fascinating backstory, including one piece that has a secret love affair embedded in the music. Berg’s Lyric Suite is a highly expressive string quartet that was written in 1926. It wasn’t until 50 years later, that musicologists discovered that the piece actually contained a secret dedication and a hidden narrative of Berg’s love affair with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin.