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| PHOTOS : JOSHUA A. TRILIEGI " L A WALKING SERIES " 2008 - 2012 (DETAIL) EXHIBITING ON OCT 25TH 2012 |
BUREAU : RADIO
JIM SVEDJA on KUSC 91.5 FM Classical Music
BY JOSHUA A. TRILIEGI
Jim Svejda is kinda the main man over at KUSC Classical Radio.
He interviews many of the composers , conductors and classical
musicians that come through Los Angeles and Hollywood today.
Although I am someone whom loves Jazz , Americana, Rock & Roll
and many of the genres that spring from these movements, most of
it actually comes from Classical music. Beethoven & Stravinsky
are pretty much the Punk Rockers : Johnny Lydon and The Clash
for instance. Mozart and Bach would be your Pop, like The Beatles
or The Eagles. Brahms and Tchaikovsky would be your Rock , like
maybe, The Who & The Rolling Stones. Our opera, string and horn
stars? Well Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane come to mind.
When we make these simple links between popular music and classical,
we can really tap into classical music in a way that makes it engaging
and as current as any music we might hear on the street today or blaring
from car radios, head phones and mp3 players alike. If you can handle
being in the room with someone whom is willing to teach you a thing or
two and not slow down to do so, Jim Svejda and the classical evening
concerts are there for you.
Jim is one of those witty fellows whom can twist a phrase, share
his knowledge and leave you wondering what the heck he was talking
about as he moves onto the next track in a way that only a lover of
music can truly do. For those whom know a bit about the music, his
interviews and reflections are especially interesting. He digs pretty
deep in to the sidelines, bios and even the gossip that surrounds
many of the great composers of classical music. The interesting thing
about living in Hollywood is that we get a lot of great film composers
coming through town or campaigning for their annual shot at an Oscar,
Emmy or other worldly accolade. From Trent Reznor's music for David
Fincher' s most recent film to composers for the latest Star Trek or
Harry Potter Series. These interviews are often informative and quite
entertaining.
If Rock & Roll is a tough guys music than classical is a smart mans
or even a smart alacks soundtrack. I often try to guess which composer
is playing to my close companions and attempt to identify the work
itself. Bolero by Ravel is kinda easy, anything by Eric Satie is pretty
distinguishable, Beethoven's Ninth is like recognizing Stairway to Heaven
by Led Zeppelin, most of us know it by heart. But the subtleties of Holt' s
The Planets or Purcell or Handel or Hayden can be rather tricky. Especially
since many of the greats were highly influenced by one another, students of
each other and speaking to their contemporaries through these compositions,
early influences and even robbing one another.
Once you have gotten hip to Mr. Svejda's style, most others come off
as stuffy, weak or dare I say : just plain simple minded. Tune into
Classical Music at 91.5 FM and especially Jim's Show in the evenings
from 7PM to midnight weekdays. There is a focus on Opera on the weekend
mornings and younger players in the evenings on Sundays. Also try
to see a live Concert at Disney Hall or a String Quartet or an Opera soon.
Los Angeles has come a long way in terms of first class music of a formal
