Christian Hertzog

Poor Mary Magdalene. All she wants is a little sleep, but the junkie in the jail cell next to hers is screaming in agony from withdrawal. As Mary tries to understand the addict's pain, a chorus sings "Howl ye, howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand."......

See also: Lil B Discusses His Career Strategy: "Every day, there's something new for me. I have to be very picky and choosy what I do." It's nothing new for popular musicians to venture into classical. Ragtime king Scott Joplin wrote two operas; George Gershwin crossed over from Broadway to......

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the main event of 19th-century opera! In this corner, sporting facial hair resembling a terrier, composer of 26 operas, the man from Milan, the Italian Stallion, Giuuuuuuseppe Veeeeerdiiiiiii. Over here, rockin' the neck beard, the composer of 13 operas, the bad boy from Bayreuth, the Teutonic......

See also: The Classical Music Concerts We're Most Looking Forward to in 2012 This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of America's most influential composer, John Cage. He was born and raised -- and studied composition with Arnold Schoenberg -- right here in L.A. The man was one......

See also: *Mahlerpalooza: Our Tips for Getting Through Gustavo Dudamel's Nine Concerts in 22 Days *Stravinsky vs. Schoenberg: Who Was More Gangsta? Did you have a WTF moment Saturday night, a tug towards the ocean followed by a sensation of heaviness pulling downward for a second? What you felt was......

Towering classical music geniuses Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg were pitted against each other as the two great rivals of the 20th century. But who was really better? The dour Austrian professor who emancipated dissonance (Schoenberg), or the tiny Russian conductor who lifted other composers' musical styles like a kleptomaniac......

5. Cage 2012 Southwest Chamber Music, Japanese American National Museum, March 3-4 Hey L.A., where's the love for your native son, John Cage? It's the 100th anniversary of his birth next year, and the only party in town is being thrown by Southwest Chamber Music. The opening Cage 2012 concert......