Mark Swed Bids Farewell as L.A. Times Classical Music Critic After 121 Seasons
Mark Swed steps down as classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times on Friday, concluding a 121st season on staff. His final column recounts a trip to Halberstadt, Germany, for the August note change in John Cage's "Organ2/ASLSP," performed at St. Burchardi Church over 639 years. Swed filed his first music review 50 years earlier at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He reflects on Cage's influence, the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and his predecessor Isabel Morse Jones, who covered music from 1925 to 1947 and founded the Music Academy of the West. He also notes new artistic leadership at the L.A. Phil, L.A. Opera, L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, L.A. Master Chorale, the Wallis, and Long Beach Opera. Swed plans to contribute irregularly to The Times.
Key facts
- Mark Swed steps down as Los Angeles Times classical music critic on Friday.
- His final column describes attending the August note change in John Cage's "Organ2/ASLSP" in Halberstadt, Germany.
- The organ piece is being performed over 639 years at St. Burchardi Church.
- Swed filed his first music review 50 years earlier at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.
- He reflects on the influence of John Cage and the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
- He cites predecessor Isabel Morse Jones, who covered music from 1925 to 1947 and founded the Music Academy of the West.
- He notes new artistic leadership at the L.A. Phil, L.A. Opera, L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, L.A. Master Chorale, the Wallis, and Long Beach Opera.
- Swed plans to contribute to The Times on an irregular basis.
Entities
Artists
- Mark Swed
- John Cage
- Nicolas Goldberg
- James Joyce
- Frank Gehry
- Peter Zumthor
- Michael Govan
- Isabel Morse Jones
- Igor Stravinsky
- Arnold Schoenberg
- Crete Cage
- Dalai Lama
- Rodney King
- Edvard Grieg
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Dmitri Shostakovich
Institutions
- Los Angeles Times
- Los Angeles Herald Examiner
- St. Burchardi Church
- Salzburg Festival
- Music Academy of the West
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Music Center
- Walt Disney Concert Hall
- Colburn Center
- LACMA
- MOCA
- Guggenheim
- L.A. Opera
- L.A. Chamber Orchestra
- Pacific Symphony
- L.A. Master Chorale
- The Wallis
- Long Beach Opera
- Alternative for Germany
- Metro D Line
Locations
- Halberstadt
- Germany
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Salzburg
- Austria
- Metz
- France
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- Santa Barbara
- Hong Kong