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Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings

Classical

Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings Tickets

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Rating: 4.1 out of 5 based on 32 reviews

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Reviews

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 based on 32 reviews
  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by toeknee2006 on 7/1/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    Great show. I hope Eric gets the budget he needs to produce it further. :)

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Lost Opportunity

    by wallacec on 6/30/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    No one loves the music of Eric Whitacre better than I. His "Cloudburst" is my go-to for escaping my cares. But I didn't quite know what to make of "Paradise Lost". It's a heavy theme at best and an ambitious undertaking. The humongous chorus was impressive and talented, and some of the whispering effects were brilliant. The musical ensemble, especially the cellist, was great and got such a rich sound of just a few players. But here's the rub: It doesn't know whether to be an opera, a chorus or just a collection of songs. Some of the music was breathtakingly beautiful as you would expect from Mr. Whitacre, but the pace seemed lumbering and leaden. Even the fight scenes lacked energy. While the main performers were astoundingly talented (and young and good-looking), they couldn't rise above the weight of the material to lift the soul. Thank goodness for the playfulness of the character Gravitas. Worth a view, but not a repeat.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Riveting!

    by AbigailsMuse on 6/29/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    From the first note to the last, this performance was captivating and magical. The different melodies, the minimal staging, and the incredible cello performance made this the best concert I've seen this year.

  • Rating: 2 out of 5

    So much for so little

    by Nonniesan on 6/29/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    Musically, this was uneven but more interesting than not. The vocalists were great. But the book and the lyrics were simplistic, obvious and predictable. And while the overall idea was intriguing, even bold, the actual realization was disjointed and unsatisfying. As the Times critic noted, it definitely needs more tweaking.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Paradise Lost was fantastic!

    by Anonymous on 6/29/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    I enjoyed the show very much. The choral sound was full and expansive and extremely fulfilling. Loved the percussion accompaniment. Especially enjoyed the cellist. She was AMAZING!! Solo singers sounded great, although I felt they needed to be amplified slightly more at times throughout the performance. Maybe the voices weren't strong enough for some sections of the music. All in all the performance was FANTASTIC!!! I am very excited with Eric Whitacre's style of composition. It's a fresh, contemporary sound that is enticing the younger generation to give choral music singing a try. We need someone to carry on the tradition. Thanks Eric!

  • Rating: 2 out of 5

    Drama about what?

    by Buchachaman on 6/28/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    Eric Whitacre's composition uses all the bells and whistles and sort of sounds as though it should be important and meaningful, but there really isn't much there to hang your hat on. It appeared that many in the audience were ecstatic about the presentation, but I found it tedious and without any clarity of purpose. High drama about what? And young women fighting and breaking arms. Huh? A new breed of super women, who only look frail but possess super powers? I found the addition (?) of the massive chorus behind the performers to be overwhelming, killing most of the good diction and projection of the solo voices. As a staged concert version, which I assume this to be, suffers from stilted movements by the actors and odd movements of actors around the stage.

  • Rating: 1 out of 5

    Boring, cliched, and melodramatic

    by Jahlie on 6/27/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    I was expecting something "innovative" but instead got something full of obvious symbolism, elementary (as in school!!) storytelling and music that had potential but was repetitive to the max. Come on, the audience isn't so stupid that we need butterflies and wings to "get it". Very pedestrian. The actors, choir and musicians were capable of meeting far more engaging challenges.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Eric Whitacre's Paradise Lost was overwhelming!

    by Jiffy18 on 6/27/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    The performance was superb, the on-stage performers, and the added 300+ chorus created an environment of overwhelming sound, and turned Disney Hall into a place of their very own. I was so captivated by the performance that I never noticed the stage when it moved to create the post-apocalyptic settings the cast performed in! I have seldom cried tears of joy, but the opening sequence definitely got those happy tears flowing.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Eric Whitacre's Genius Lost?

    by Songfaucet on 6/27/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    I very much wish I could cram another two stars onto my rating, but in so doing, I would compromise my honest response. To the positives first: Everything was well-executed by a passionate team of singers, dancers, actors and musicians. And - as ever - Mr. Whitacre proved an integral part of the presentation on the podium. The 200ish-voice choir did well, bringing cinematic energy and color to the scene. But my disappointment lies in the missed opportunity of showcasing to a general audience the genius of Whitacre's work with choirs. In the last decade, he created a much-needed new wave of sonority in advanced choral repertoire, fantastically plumped up by a touch of The Hip and Current (also much-needed in a genre generally overrun by geeks and goofballs). Arvo Part handed the metaphoric baton to Whitacre and told him to run like hell. And he has. In the context of Paradise Lost, the choir becomes a humanized realization of what audiences hear so often in movie scores: a touch of basil on top of the predictable plate of red sauce. If it's not there, you miss it. But no one praises the chef for his basil. The story was fast-moving, emotional and un-original, giving me frequent flashbacks to Avatar and other storylines involving the impending doom of some futuristic winged society. Within the first two minutes, my companion and I had mapped out the subsequent punchlines to the story. (Have we really no new stories to tell?) My criticism of the show is actually a compliment to Mr. Whitacre, to whom I address the following: Your music is brilliant and beautiful enough to warrant two hours of an audience's time, attention and concert-going dollars. I applaud your interest in spreading your wings (so to speak) and trying new territory. But I will hope upon hope that this project is just a stepping stone to something that gives general audiences the chance to experience the awesomeness of a 200-voice choir singing your fantastic music. No need to embellish with programmed drum tracks or a thin plot. Think bigger and I believe they will come. That said, because of what Whitacre has contributed to the musical world, I wish him and this project success and lots of high-paying audience members. He deserves increased attention. And if that success must travel on the back of Exstasis, then so be it.

  • Rating: 1 out of 5

    An unfortunate evening

    by vancejl on 6/27/11Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles

    It was like bad Gilbert and Sullivan. The characters were shallow, and the plot confusing. I couldn't tell who was the hero in this tragedy. I think it was me, my fatal flaw apparently having been that I paid to see this. There was supposed to be a choice and sacrifice. It never seemed to materialize. All I saw was selfishness, self righteousness, and thinly disguised drug use by every character. The fight choreography was sub par. It mayed me realize that hell is a place on earth and saturday for 90 min., it was the disney concert hall. The only saving grace was that the misical score was catchy and interesting. So unless you are blind and don't understand English or Latin I cannot, ney I will not recommend this for or too you. P.S. send your enemies in droves.