Mary Beth Crain

In the world of the weird, the Tiger Lillies have a special place. First of all, they are so strange — oh, let’s be polite and say unique — that they defy classification. The three-piece London-based cult band claims a “signature” blend of “chanson, opera and Gypsy music,” which, however,......

They dress in long cassocks and look like monks in the throes of their devotions. No flashy stage antics here — the sober 12-member Russian Patriarchate Choir is the only vocal ensemble authorized to officially represent the Moscow Patriarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, and do they ever do their......

Whenever you get the chance to hear the dazzlingly perfect Andras Schiff, whose delicate touch, technical wizardry and otherworldly tone is enough to give you goose bumps, take it. The Hungarian-born British pianist has, in the past, been known for his superb take on Bach, succeeding — some say surpassing......

Piano Spheres, that bold and courageous series devoted to 20th- and 21st-century piano repertoire, kicks off its 2007–2008 season with the incredible Gloria Cheng. How to describe this keyboard wizard? It’s tough, because as a pianist myself, I can attest to the fact that there’s basically nothing on this earth......

Ready for the world’s first digital robotic opera? Well, it’s not ready for you yet — its tentative premiere is scheduled for late 2008 in Monte Carlo — but thanks to Cal State Long Beach’s University Art Museum, we’re being treated to a preview of a work that’s being described......

That’s right — it’s two performances of an all-Russian program at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring the electrifying Nicolai Lugansky at the keyboard, barreling his way through that most vigorously passionate of Romantic tours de force, the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3. Back some 50 years ago, 23-year-old Van Cliburn won......

The poetry of Rumi is still as beautifully mysterious today as it was 800 years ago. The provocative, evocative Sufi master speaks in riddles spun from breathtaking imagery and profound observation, and one can only admire any musician courageous enough to attempt to translate the powerful complexity of his words......

The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus is one heck of a talented group of kids, and now they’ve got an opera written just for them. In the most ambitious production mounted by any children’s chorus in the nation, the LACC presents the world premiere of Keepers of the Night, composer Peter......

Summer in L.A. always means lots of music under the stars. But there’s no more satisfying outdoor concert series than Southwest Chamber Music’s Summer Festival at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Surrounded by awesome grounds studded with Roman statuary, with the setting sun providing the perfect backdrop,......

If you want to hear romantic piano at its most brilliantly intense, then Hélène Grimaud is your ticket. The French-born artist stunned the world some 20 years ago when, at the age of 16, she won a Grand Prix du Disque for her recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2......