Classicalmusic

I played the Doors card to get into the green room. "Do you think the maestro [Gustavo Dudamel] would want to meet Jim Morrison's drummer?" I said to security. On that note, my girlfriend and I were whisked backstage at Walt Disney Concert Hall with film composer Charles Bernstein and his wife. Then we had to wait. And wait. "The Dude," as in the hot dog named after him at Pink's, was changing from his tuxedo into a polo shirt and slacks after conducting an incredibly powerful "Symphonie Fantastique" by Hector Berlioz.

Trash juggernaut "Fifty Shades of Grey" continues to rake in the dough, and not just through book sales. The classical-music album that was spawned from the racy bestselling trilogy of novels has taken the No. 1 spot this week on the Nielsen Soundscan classical albums chart. "Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album" features Baroque, choral and operatic pieces that are referenced in the novels. The album was released last week on Capitol Records and includes 15 tracks selected by author E.L. James.  "Fifty" came in at No. 1 on the Nielsen classical-album chart for the week ending Sept.

One evening in 1966, not long after the Los Angeles Philharmonic moved into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, concertgoers were surprised to find a picket line in front of the hall on opening night. Though picket lines were a dime a dozen in the '60s, this one was unusual, for these young music lovers were protesting the shortage of works by Gustav Mahler on the philharmonic's agenda. The protest received radio coverage, and it had the effect of launching the local Gustav Mahler Society. Can you imagine such a scene today?

Jeremy Denk What: With the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Where and when: 8 p.m. Saturday at the Alex Theatre, Glendale; 7 p.m. April 18 at Royce Hall, UCLA Price: $18 to $100 Contact: (213) 622-7001,

Here's a selection of upcoming family concerts presented by local orchestras: Jan. 10 Pasadena Symphony Assn. Musical Circus "From Russia With Love" -- instrumental "petting zoo" and performance 2 p.m. Americana at Brand, 889 Americana Way, Glendale Free (626) 793-7172, Ext. 16 www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org Jan. 16 and 23 Los Angeles Philharmonic Toyota Symphonies for Youth "The Four Seasons," Vivaldi's violin concertos, as seen through the eyes of a weather forecaster 11 a.m. (pre-show activities at 10)

As Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians take the Disney Hall stage to rehearse, guest conductor Lorin Maazel hangs back almost shyly in the doorway. But there is no hanging back when he takes the podium a few minutes later to lead the orchestra through Sibelius' Second Symphony. Within a few minutes of music-making, it is very clear who's in charge. The conductor has bowing suggestions for the strings and timing ideas for the woodwinds. He singles out entire orchestra sections and individual musicians, working with the violins one moment, players on oboe, timpani and trumpets the next.

Imagine a postmodern Aaron Copland or Charles Ives with a pop cultural twist, and you're primed for the music of Michael Daugherty. A composer of his time and birthright, Daugherty is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native and the musical embodiment of Americana. His canvas reflects a 20th century cultural mosaic dotted by the likes of Elvis and Superman and Jackie Onassis. At age 55, Daugherty is also the exuberant master of his craft, an artist whose sophistication and compelling appeal can seem utterly at odds with the often kitschy titles of his works.

When I was in college, I hated Richard Nixon. Everyone I knew (except perhaps my father) hated Richard Nixon. My perspective was as a politically engaged undergraduate at UC Berkeley during the war in Vietnam -- holding a low draft number. I gradually stopped hating Nixon. But it wasn't until Oct. 22, 1987, in the company of bejeweled and Stetson-topped Texans, that I began to understand why. Houston Grand Opera had commissioned John Adams' "Nixon in China" to celebrate the opening of a new opera house.

There's nothing new about classical musicians trying to expand their fan base. Even if deeds don't always match goals, plenty of performers make the effort. Still, one doesn't expect a largely unknown, foreign artist with little connection to this country to undertake such a project in America -- let alone mostly fund the enterprise himself. Yet here is Johannes Moser, a Berlin-based cellist of German and Canadian parentage, doing just that. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon at Pepperdine University's Raitt Recital Hall, presenting "Sounding Off: A Fresh Look at Classical Music," the fourth of six concerts in a cross-country tour he conceived to reach audiences that might otherwise be unfamiliar with or even resistant to classical music.

Like Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel, 26-year-old Robin Ticciati possesses an impressive résumé, boyish looks, powerful supporters and even curly dark hair. Still, for the London-based conductor who makes his L.A. Phil debut Thursday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall, any expectation of him as the "British Dudamel" is a little fanciful. "The comparison is really touching," says Ticciati, the principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and, beginning next season, the principal guest conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Bavaria, Germany.

Jeremy Denk is a relatively young, up-and-coming concert pianist acclaimed for his renditions of Bach, Beethoven and Ives. He's also something a bit more 21st century: "a wigged-out blogger," to steal a phrase he once applied to himself while posting in a Starbucks. His blog, Think Denk: The Glamorous Life and Thoughts of a Concert Pianist, takes a playful, sometimes contrarian approach to music and culture. One post defends Chopin's piano music from those who consider it "pure boredom in a jar"; another looks at the use of Schubert in the "Twilight" movies.

Describing violinist Daniel Hope is no easy task. There is first the matter of his nationality. The musician was born in South Africa, raised in England and now travels with an Irish passport even though he makes his home in Hamburg, Germany. Hope is a much in-demand soloist these days, but the violin isn't his only vocation. He devotes significant time to climate-change causes and is a published author with two books under his belt -- one about concert-going etiquette and another about his family, which he wrote in German.

About two years ago, the pianist Emanuel Ax started thinking about how to celebrate the bicentennials of the two great Romantic Era composers, Chopin and Schumann (both born in 1810). Given that he both knew and performed with other world-class musicians and orchestras, Ax came up with the idea of a multi-part concert program involving a great many of those colleagues. His longtime collaborator, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, came onboard, and so did soprano Dawn Upshaw. Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Barbican, New York's Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic not only agreed to host the concerts but also to co-commission new music from a variety of composers.

Robin Ticciati and the L.A. Philharmonic Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. Friday Price: $22.50 to $170 Contact: (323) 850-2000, www.laphil.com

Like Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel, 26-year-old Robin Ticciati possesses an impressive résumé, boyish looks, powerful supporters and even curly dark hair. Still, for the London-based conductor who makes his L.A. Phil debut Thursday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall, any expectation of him as the "British Dudamel" is a little fanciful. "The comparison is really touching," says Ticciati, the principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and, beginning next season, the principal guest conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Bavaria, Germany.

One evening in 1966, not long after the Los Angeles Philharmonic moved into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, concertgoers were surprised to find a picket line in front of the hall on opening night. Though picket lines were a dime a dozen in the '60s, this one was unusual, for these young music lovers were protesting the shortage of works by Gustav Mahler on the philharmonic's agenda. The protest received radio coverage, and it had the effect of launching the local Gustav Mahler Society. Can you imagine such a scene today?

When Southwest Chamber Music became the first American ensemble since the Vietnam War to set up a musical residency in Vietnam in 2006, artistic director Jeff von der Schmidt had high hopes that the two countries -- forever tied through history and war -- would forge lasting bonds in music. Now the Pasadena-based group is cementing its position to help guide Vietnam's musical future. With a highly competitive grant from the U.S. State Department, Southwest will soon embark on a six-week exchange with Vietnam's two premier music institutions.

Berlin Philharmonic Where: 8 p.m Monday and Tuesday When: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles Price: $55 to $215 Contact: (323) 850-2000 or www.laphil.com/

'Nixon in China' What: Long Beach Opera Where: Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach When: 8 p.m. March 20 and 4 p.m. March 28 Price: $5 to $95 Contact: (562) 435-2994, www.longbeachopera.org Running time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

When I was in college, I hated Richard Nixon. Everyone I knew (except perhaps my father) hated Richard Nixon. My perspective was as a politically engaged undergraduate at UC Berkeley during the war in Vietnam -- holding a low draft number. I gradually stopped hating Nixon. But it wasn't until Oct. 22, 1987, in the company of bejeweled and Stetson-topped Texans, that I began to understand why. Houston Grand Opera had commissioned John Adams' "Nixon in China" to celebrate the opening of a new opera house.