LA Phil: Beethoven Night at Hollywood Bowl 8/19/11

August 22, 2011

This was another beautiful evening at Hollywood Bowl with friends. The program was Choral Fantasy and 9th Symphony conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos. I believe Choral Fantasy was Beethoven’s study to prepare for 9th symphony so it was a nice programing to hear them back to back.

I had a very nice experience besides music and picnic. There was a Hispanic family sitting in front of us, the parents with a girl (about 10 years) and a boy (about 6 years). The parents were affectionate and caring. The children had a hard time sitting through the concert, but the parents made the situation fun and interesting for them. When the 4th movement of 9the symphony started, 2 children suddenly sat still and stared at the stage. They did not move. They were listening carefully. So I was imagining they are a part of YOLA (LA version of El sistema in Venezuela), and just started to play instruments. This was their first classic concert to attend. Somehow the children have heard the piece before. My imagination was going around. Later I learned that YOLA has done Beethoven 9th Symphony this past semester. It was a great exposer for the kids, and I was happy to watch them involved in the music.