In October 2003, the doors opened to one of the world’s most celebrated venues - the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. The building has become a cultural landmark in Los Angeles as well as "a sensational place to hear music…In richness of sound, it has few rivals on the international scene, and in terms of visual drama, it may have no rival at all," says The New Yorker.  

Indeed, on the 13th of this month, the acoustics of the Walt Disney Concert Hall were put to the test when a series of baroque instruments were presented collectively as well as solo. While many of these instruments (including the baroque viola-de-gamba, a variety of flutes, vihuela de mano, santur, rebab and psaltry) were phased out of classical music repertoire due to their inability to get loud enough to fill a royal court, the Walt Disney Concert Hall was the perfect arena to showcase their sound. The acoustics were brilliant and every soft strum resounded all the way to the back.

I was very lucky to review the LA Phil’s presentation of these rare musical experiences for LAsThePlace.com. "LA Phil Presents" is the presentation arm of the LA Phil and their aim is to expand the cultural offerings of the LA Phil Harmonic by producing concert series with distinguished visiting artists as well as jazz and world music concerts. This season, some of their special events included the Baroque Variations series, as well as Songbook and a Visiting Orchestra series. 

The Baroque Variations event on the 13th offered superb musicians playing seldom heard instruments in a musical trip dating through the life of Christopher Columbus. Some of the most striking sounds of the program were produced by the range of viola de gambas. The virtuoso Jordi Savall, one of the world’s premiere de gamba players and also the director of the night’s program, soloed frequently on the soprano viola de gamba, while Sergi Casademunt and Philippe Pierlot, played tenor and bass. 

The viola de gamba is something like a six stringed cello, however it is no longer included in the modern orchestra. After the 15th century, composers stopped writing for the instrument, mainly because its dynamic range failed to encompass the growing romanticism of the times. However, here in the 21st century, the haunting sound that these fabulous players produced evoked questions in my mind about why the instrument is so seldom played today.

Additionally, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, a Spanish, men’s acapella quartet, was another treat of the evening. Contributing songs to almost every phase of our musical journey, David Sagastume, Lluis Vilamajo, Furio Zanasi and Daniele Carnovich carried us to far off times with their ringing voices and precise harmonies.

Other noteworthy performances included those by Pierre Hamon (flutes and gaita), Dimitri Psonis (santur and percussion) Enrique Solinis (fihuela de mano and guitar), David Mayoral, (percussion) as well as the beautiful soprano voice of Montserrat Figueras.  Additionally, narration was given by three forceful narrators including Manuel Forcano (who had command of Arabic, Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew) Begona Olavide and Driss El Maloumi.

All in all, the evening was unlike any classical music concert I have ever attended.  While sometimes hard to recognize, the obscure music and foreign instruments brought blood to a very specific moment in world history. Mixed with poetry in a variety of languages including Arabic, Hebrew, and even the Quechua language of the ancient Aztecs, the music was haunting and set off a different emotional charge than a more typical classical repertoire. I want to thank the LA Phil for presenting such eclectic concerts and giving our community a chance to experience something so cutting edge, yet at the same time so historically significant.