WDCH

I was finally able to go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Thursday.  My friend and I have been wanting to go since it was built, which makes it nine years.   It did not disappoint.   The building architecture is beautiful, Gustavo Dudamel the conductor was great, Beethoven's Piano Concerto #1 performed by Leif Ove Andsnes was good, and the LA Phil sounded wonderful.  It truly was a special evening and a memory to cherish.

Parking in the WDCH parking garage was convenient ($9).  We had dinner at Noe Restaurant in the Omni Hotel; which was less than a half mile walk.   It was even a pleasant walk when  going through California Plaza past the Museum of Contemporary Art.  The restaurant had a nice view of parts of the downtown LA skyline; and the decor is elegant.    The food is French Cuisine with a touch of Japanese influence.   I had the salmon, served over vegetables fresh from the hotel garden.  And for dessert, we had the house-made ice cream.   The meals were $25 each and dessert was $8.   At Patina, the WDCH restaurant, dinner probably would've been about twice as much; though, it has gotten reviews as one of the best in the world.   Maybe one day......

We had parked at about 5:30PM, and we just made it to the pre-concert talk at 7-7:45PM.   That gave us just enough time to find our seats by 8PM for the concert.   We had seats in the center of the back row of the balcony.   I actually liked our seats.   There was no one behind us; the balcony seats all have railings in between them, and there is room for people to walk by, without having to stand up.    And the back of the center section actually opens to a walkway so there is air circulation and even a view of part of downtown.  I might actually even prefer these over the seats in the terrace and orchestra where there were no railings in between the rows, even if they are stadium-type seating in most places.   And the seats behind the orchestra don't even have armrests in between.  The balcony seats were $63 each + $8 ticket handling.

I liked the Largo movement of the Piano Concerto the most, over the Allegro con brio and the Rondo:  Allegro scherzando.   The slower movement was just more poignant.   The acoustics in the concert hall are so good that it picks up every sound.  So, between the first and second movement for late seating, it actually took awhile before they were able to start up again; and at one point, the pianist even closed the piano lid and humorously crossed his arms to wait till everyone found their seats and it quieted down again.  And between the Piano Concerto and the "Eroica" (or Heroic) Symphony, Leif Ove Andsnes surprised us with an  encore, even though it was not the end of the concert, though it was the end of his part in it.   He played the last movement in another one of Beethovan's pieces; and it was utterly beautiful and impressive.  That was a nice added surprise.

Then, for the Symphony, it was well performed.   For most of it, I was watching Dudamel as he conducted.   He is so expressive and really gets into some parts of it, where it's almost like he is dancing.  I enjoyed all movements - the Allegro con brio, Marcia funebre:  Adagio assai, Scherzo:  Allegro vivace, and the Finale:  Allegro molto.

What a special evening.   My friend said that it inspired her; and also made her miss playing in orchestra.  I look forward to going to another concert; and maybe it'll be within this season.   My enthusiasm must have been evident when I was talking about it to my parents, for they also expressed an interest in going as well.  What a blessing to have had the opportunity to go.   I read in the playbill that Dudamel's contract has been renewed until the 2018/19 season,, which will be the 100th anniversary of the LA Phil.