An argument can be made that, despite the ample cultural riches in the 805, the Ojai Music Festival (June 9-12) garners the greatest respect beyond its area code — within its own specific realm. Unlike other 805 events, the festival is routinely covered by taste arbiters the New York Times and the New Yorker, with generally high praises. International forces and talents converge in this small, beauteous valley location.
The caveat is that the festival’s particular “world” is a somewhat esoteric, focused primarily on contemporary and modern classical music. Legendary names and historical cachet precede the festival’s legacy, sporting such famed music figures as Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Eric Dolphy, Elliott Carter, Esa-Pekka Salonen, multiple visits from Pierre Boulez, great American composer John Adams, and countless other musicians-who-matter.
As with all festivals and other annual cultural events, the pandemic threw best-laid plans off course. Ojai’s planned 2020 festival, featuring music director designate Matthias Pintscher, had to go the way of streaming. Then to celebrate the festival’s grand 75th anniversary in 2021, boasting John Adams as music director, the time frame shifted to last September, with triumphant results.