{"id":44889,"date":"2024-07-05T15:24:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T13:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a4a41d75-6a3c-4a5f-9ad1-08c0d4ca29b3"},"modified":"2024-07-05T15:36:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T13:36:14","slug":"los-angeles-musical-tour-from-rachmaninov-to-john-cage-these-are-the-l-a-homes-of-14-musical-titans","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/los-angeles-musical-tour-from-rachmaninov-to-john-cage-these-are-the-l-a-homes-of-14-musical-titans\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles musical tour: from Rachmaninov to John Cage, these are the L.A. homes of 14 musical titans"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 05 July 2024 at 13:24 PM<\/p>

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As Europe\u2019s artistic luminaries flocked to Los Angeles after Hitler came to\u00a0power in 1933, they found themselves in a thriving, if sometimes incongruous, cultural landscape. Drawn by the climate, Hollywood industry and the promise of creative freedom, they purchased homes in Beverly Hills and on the mountainous lanes of Laurel Canyon. They rubbed shoulders with movie moguls and starlets. They learned how to drive and play tennis.<\/p>

The writer Thomas Mann dubbed this environment \u2018German California\u2019. It was where composer Arnold Schoenberg<\/a><\/strong> and philosopher Theodor Adorno met up while grocery shopping, where Stravinsky<\/strong><\/a> discussed a film project on Charlie Chaplin\u2019s patio, and where Rachmaninov<\/a><\/strong> applied his large hands to gardening.\u00a0<\/p>

Los Angeles musical tour: Brentwood<\/h2>

Arnold Schoenberg<\/strong><\/h3>

116 North Rockingham Avenue<\/em><\/p>

A faculty post at UCLA in 1936 prompted Arnold Schoenberg and his wife Gertrud to buy this Spanish revival house in leafy Brentwood, just across the street from the actress Shirley Temple. Musicians came from afar to study with the Austrian master, who hosted Sunday afternoon gatherings with Viennese pastries and performances from the Kolisch Quartet and pianist Artur Schnabel. <\/p>

Arnold Schoenberg’s Spanish revival house in leafy Brentwood. Pic: Brian Wise – Brian Wise<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Schoenberg composed works including Kol Nidre<\/em> and his Piano Concerto here, sometimes between rounds of tennis with George Gershwin<\/a><\/strong> and Harpo Marx. His athletic son Ronnie became a junior tennis champion and, to his father\u2019s annoyance, the more famous Schoenberg at the local tennis club.\u00a0<\/p>

\"Portrait
Arnold Schoenberg poses with his family, Los Angeles, 1950. (Photo by PhotoQuest\/Getty Images) – PhotoQuest\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Esa-Pekka Salonen<\/strong><\/h3>

12000 Saltair Place<\/em><\/p>

In the decade that Esa-Pekka Salonen owned this airy, six-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom house (pictured top), he added some touches from his native Finland including a sauna with a musical inscription from Sibelius\u2019s Finlandia. <\/em>Built in 1993 and designed by LA architect Ted Tanaka, the 4,700-square foot house provided a generous space for Salonen and his family during his directorship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He sold the home in 2011 after accepting a post with London\u2019s Philharmonia Orchestra.<\/p>

Los Angeles musical tour: Beverly Hills<\/h2>

George Gershwin<\/strong><\/h3>

1019 North Roxbury Drive (demolished)<\/em><\/p>

Brothers George and Ira Gershwin rented a Spanish colonial revival house in 1936-37, having migrated west after the commercial failure of Porgy and Bess<\/strong><\/em>. Here, they focused on writing for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals; songs included \u2018A Foggy Day,\u2019 \u2018Shall We Dance\u2019 and \u2018They Can\u2019t Take That Away From Me\u2019. The stately residence, with its pool, tennis court and chauffeur\u2019s quarters, was built in 1928 for the silent film star Monte Blue and was later home to the singer Rosemary Clooney. Despite protests by preservationists and Gershwin admirers, new owners razed the house in 2005.<\/p>