Earning more ‘bravos’
Gustavo Dudamel called the orchestras he conducted at the L.A. Phil opening-night gala his family. “Can you imagine to have the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela as a family?” the L.A. Phil’s music and artistic director asked at the party following the all-Beethoven program on Sept. 29. “It’s the best.”
Party attendees included Oscar winners Hilary Swank, Christoph Waltz and Julie Andrews, actors Bryce Dallas Howard of “Jurassic World,” Kate Burton of “Scandal,” Chris O’Donnell of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” William Shatner of the original “Star Trek,” Mia Maestro of “The Strain,” Matthew Lillard of “Scream,” Gael García Bernal of “Amores Perros” and Alex Meneses of “Everybody Loves Raymond”.
Other VIPs included “Birdman” director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisors Don Knabe and Sheila Kuehl, gala co-chairs Lynn Booth and Joan Hotchkis and their committee members Judy Beckmen, David Bohnett, Edye Broad, Mari Danihel, Margaret Eberhardt, Jane Eisner, Kiki Gindler, Elaine Goldsmith, Carol Colburn Grigor, Sarah Ketterer, Soraya Nazarian, Annette O’Malley, Diane Paul, Ann Ronus, Tawny Sanders, Carla Sands, Larry Schmitt, Sutton Stracke, Barbera Thornhill, John Williams, Alyce Williamson and Marilyn Ziering.
Howard joked that she engineered her invitation to the shindig by narrating “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in July at the Hollywood Bowl. “I did ‘Midsummer’ at summer camp, and I always wanted to do something at the Hollywood Bowl. So I jumped at the opportunity, and then I was invited to come here tonight.... That was my whole strategy all along, getting the chance to come to something like this. It was a wonderful bonus.”
During the program, “The Brilliance of Beethoven,” Dudamel conducted the two orchestras in excerpts from “Egmont” and “The Creatures of Prometheus,” accompanied by guest artists, including Waltz as narrator and dancers from the Barak Ballet. The concert concluded with “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, sung by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
After the confetti fell and the applause faded, men in powdered wigs and period Viennese get-ups welcomed gala guests into a tent beside Disney Hall. Inside, murals of Vienna decorated the walls and Patina served a classic Austrian dinner of Wiener schnitzel, spatzle and elderflower-cranberries.
“I had a stressful day, and I rushed here,” said Swank. “I sat in my seat, and I was just transported into a really beautiful place. Obviously that’s because of the conductor who is at the helm and because of Beethoven’s work.... Of course, I love movies, but music is one of the most inspirational things for me. It just moves me in a way that many of the other arts don’t.”
More than 650 guests attended the dinner and concert, purchasing tickets priced from $2,500 and tables costing up to $150,000. The black-tie affair raised $3.5 million for the L.A. Phil and its education programs.