English Blog

A Movie “Silver Linings Playbook” 12/25/12 December 26, 2012

I am pretty sure anyone can share some/many portions of this movie, mental disorder, marriage problem, affairs, family tension, loosing job, self-esteem, love, loneliness……. I have had some of those problems in my family, and I can relate with this movie very easily. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) lost basically everything, his house, his job, and his […]

Yoga and Alexander Technique 12/12/12 December 12, 2012

I have been practicing Yoga daily for the last 15-20 years. Before going to bed, I do several yoga poses for stretching and relaxing, and do some floor exercises when I don’t go to gym. I started to practice yoga when I was doing a doctoral degree in music (DMA) at Rice University. I was […]

Nyx by Esa-Pekka Salonen and LA Phil, and Lutoslawski, Tchaikovsky and Schumann 12/8/12 December 8, 2012

I attended the dress rehearsal for LA Phil’s concert with a conductor laureate, Essa-Pekka Salonen. The program includes Salonen’s west coast premiere of Nyx, Robert Schumann’s very special and affectionate piano concerto, Lutoslawski’s Les espaces du sommel, and Tchaikovski’s Francesca da Rimmi. First of all, I enjoyed Tchaikovsky. It shows the composer’s forte which he […]

A Movie “Argo” 12/3/2012 December 4, 2012

Argo is more than Hollywood fiction movie. It is based on the true story from 1979, and this true story is almost unbelievable. The American embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and they took Americans as hostage. However, six embassy workers managed to escape to the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador. With the […]

A Movie “Skyfall” 11/26/12 November 26, 2012

I usually don’t miss any James Bond movie, and yes, I went to see the newest one, “Skyfall”. My local movie theatre got amazing seats which have huge space for each person and recliner. Oh well I was just so comfortable and happy sitting there as if I were at home. It was so interesting to see people […]

Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet Op. 34 11/19/12 November 19, 2012

I had a wonderful time performing Brahms Piano Quintet with amazing musician friends. We performed 2 occasions last week. One anecdote tells how Brahms composed his works. One evening in Vienna, Brahms joined his friends at cafe, and his friend asked him how he spent his day. Brahms answered “I was working on my symphony. In […]

My Own Chamber Music Fest 11/7/12 November 7, 2012

Last Sunday November 4th, I had 2 chamber music concerts, one at LACMA Sunday Live, and another one for LA Phil’s Committee group. At LACMA, we played trios for flute, cello, and piano by Kuhlau, Martinu, and Kapustin, and duo for cello and piano by Mendelssohn. This program covers a wide range of musical styles, Classical […]

Golijov: Azul at Disney Concert Hall 11/7/12 November 7, 2012

I really liked this colorful piece, “Azul”, by Osvaldo Golijov. I went to LA Phil’s Sunday matinee concert on November 4. “Azul” was performed right after Barber’s “Second Essay” for Orchestra. I am a big fan of Barber’s music, from piano solo pieces (I recorded his “Excursions” Op. 20 for my first CD) to wonderful […]

The Movie “The Master” 10/31/12 October 31, 2012

The movie “The Master” tells the story of Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a World War II veteran struggling to adjust to a post-war life, and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Symour Hoffman), a leader of a philosophical movement known as “The Cause” (Scientology). Dodd sees something special in Freddie, and accepts him into Dodd’s movement. They […]

Sir. András Schiff “J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II” Concert 10/29/12 October 31, 2012

We heard Sir. Schiff’s WTC Book I last Wednesday, and he performed Book II a week later at Disney Hall. As I was deeply touched and moved by Book I concert, I was more involved by his playing with Book II. The concert started little after 8pm, and with a regular length intermission the concert ended […]