Photo of Brett Mitchell by Jeff Nelson
This week's Classical Californian is Brett Mitchell, the new Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony. In an episode recorded before the recent fires, he shares some of the pieces that inspired his love for music as he was growing up. He's chosen music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and John Williams. (Note that for their January 25th concerts at the Ambassador Auditorium, the Pasadena Symphony will be offering free tickets to first responders, and those who have been displaced, evacuated or experienced loss during the fires. There's more information here.)
Peter Tchaikovsky - "The Forest of Fir Trees in Winter" from The Nutcracker - Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, "Pathétique" - Alfred Brendel, piano
John Williams: "Leaving Home" from Superman: The Movie Original Soundtrack
John Williams: "The Magic of Halloween" from E.T. the Extraterrestrial
Robert Schumann: "Du Ring an meinem Finger" from Frauenliebe und -leben - Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Bengt Forsberg, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, mvt 1 - Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor, mvt. 3 - Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur; Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Richard Wagner: Wotan's Farewell Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre - Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
