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Richard S. Ginell

Richard S. Ginell writes regularly about music for the Los Angeles Times, Musical America.com, Classical Voice North America, and American Record Guide.  He has also contributed to Gramophone and The Strad, among many other publications. In another lifetime, he was chief music critic of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Articles by this Author

Recording Review
July 21, 2020
George Crumb Resumes Composing Experimental Piano Preludes
BY Richard S. Ginell

A delightful new CD highlights recent keyboard works inspired by early modernist paintings.

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Streaming Review
July 13, 2020
Premieres of Early Shostakovich Solo Piano Works Stream Around the World
BY Richard S. Ginell

Three young Russian piano stars perform recently discovered pieces in a joint recital.

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Recording Review
June 28, 2020
James MacMillan Pulls Out the Stops For His Choral Fifth Symphony
BY Richard S. Ginell

The composer’s latest major work is a symphony on par with Mahler’s Eighth.

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Recording Review
June 21, 2020
A Concerto for Turntables From Composer/DJ Gabriel Prokofiev
BY Richard S. Ginell

Prokofiev delights in blurring boundaries in his quest to bring classical music into the 21st century.

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Recording Review
June 15, 2020
Seong-Jin Cho Simulates a Concert Recital in the Studio
BY Richard S. Ginell

Three single-movement sonatas highlight the pianist’s formidable range on a sparkling new recording.

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Recording Review
June 6, 2020
An Enticing New Cello Concerto Inspired By Rumi
BY Richard S. Ginell

Anna Clyne’s concerto, composed for soloist Inbal Segev, makes an impression.

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DVD Review
May 30, 2020
LA Phil 100 DVD Conjures a Lost World
BY Richard S. Ginell

A powerful concert benefits from judicious editing and stirs poignant memories.

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CD Review
May 18, 2020
Zosha Di Castri Lays Many Cards on the Table in Her First CD
BY Richard S. Ginell

A decade’s worth of the Canadian composer’s challenging new music takes time to absorb.

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CD Review
May 12, 2020
Jacaranda Live Launches With Two Revived Julius Eastman Pieces
BY Richard S. Ginell

The adventurous concert series celebrates the early minimalist with an inaugural CD of his challenging music.

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CD Review
May 2, 2020
Gabriel Kahane Takes on Homelessness and the Housing Crisis
BY Richard S. Ginell

The composer’s timely, poignant work is lovingly rendered by the Oregon Symphony and guests.

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CD Review
April 24, 2020
Anonymous Man Reveals an Intimate Side of Michael Gordon
BY Richard S. Ginell

The composer’s latest is a choral memoir of life in a Soho loft.

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CD Review
April 13, 2020
Richard Valitutto Plays Modern Nocturnes and Lullabies
BY Richard S. Ginell

Spooky twilight music dominates the fearless keyboard wizard’s latest release.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
April 6, 2020
Thomas Adès Celebrates Keyboard Virtuosity and Dances With Death
BY Richard S. Ginell

Pianist Kirill Gerstein delights in a recording of a playful new Adès concerto.

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CD Review
March 27, 2020
Ted Hearne’s Place Sings About Housing Insecurity
BY Richard S. Ginell

A new CD offers a glimpse of the composer’s much-postponed multimedia collaboration with poet Saul Williams on issues of gentrification.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 9, 2020
The Ageless Herbie Hancock Launches LA Phil’s Power to the People! Festival
BY Richard S. Ginell

Jazz takes center stage with the LA Phil and the octogenarian keyboard wizard.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
March 2, 2020
A Stunning Performance of the Fourth Symphony Caps LA Phil’s Ives Cycle
BY Richard S. Ginell

Dudamel delves into the details with his superb readings of the American master.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 25, 2020
Dudamel Revives Ives in Start of Symphony Cycle
BY Richard S. Ginell

Gustavo goes for the gusto with Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 in LA Phil’s welcome Ives Festival.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 11, 2020
Salonen’s Electrifying Performances Open LA Phil’s Weimar Festival
BY Richard S. Ginell

Conductor and orchestra up their game in music by Hindemith, Schoenberg, and Kurt Weill.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 10, 2020
LA Chamber Orchestra Pays The Soraya a Visit
BY Richard S. Ginell

It’s a trek from downtown, but the venue’s superior acoustics prove perfect for the chamber orchestra’s wide-ranging concert.

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New Music Review
January 23, 2020
Laurie Anderson’s Electrified String Trio Defies Categories
BY Richard S. Ginell

This combo highlights the improvisational chops of the chameleonic Anderson.

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