“Now entering its fifth season, Le Salon de Musiques remains a charming oddity on the Los Angeles music scene—a chamber series that insists on the 18th-century tradition of physical proximity between audience and performer, while exploring lesser-known composers of the 20th century and beyond,” writes David Ng in Tuesday’s (10/7) Los Angeles Times. “The new season, starting Sunday, features … contemporary composers including Howard Hanson, Frank Bridge and John Ireland. There will also be concerts devoted to music by Schubert and Rachmaninoff. Le Salon has attracted top musicians from the L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Opera. This season’s performers will include Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the L.A. Philharmonic, and Carrie Dennis, the orchestra’s principal violist. The monthly concerts … take place of the fifth floor of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion…. After each performance, the audience has the chance to mingle with the musicians in the tradition of classical salon culture—with the bonus of a catered buffet spread.” Pianist François Chouchan, the series’ founder, says, “You can experience the reverberations from the instruments and even the breathing of the musicians. There’s an alchemy that forms…. People get to socialize with prominent musicians and see that they’re regular humans.”
Posted October 9, 2014
