Beethoven & Falla at the LA Phil with Master Chorale

I attended a concert at Disney Hall Thursday that was full of fire and might.  Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, the Spanish conductor led the Phil in performing Beethoven's 8th Symphony I especially enjoyed the Bassoon solos played by Whitney Crockett.

After the intermission, the 64 member L.A. Master Chorale filed in and many percussionists took their places (anvils, bass drum, bells, castanets, cymbals, snare drum, glock-enspiel, tam-tam and triangle), along with the opera singers and later a dancer and guitarist.  The stage was full with additional horns, a tuba, woods, two harpists and a celesta player.  They performed a 65 minute opera "La vida breve" by Manuel de Falla written in 1905.  The brief life is about a young gypsy girl, Salud, who falls in love with Paco who seduces her but plans to marry an nice middle class girl.  He pledges his devotion to Salud but plans to get married the next day.  Salud is distraught and after much anguish and singing, she falls dead at Paco's feet at his wedding.  It was a amazing performance made most special by the beautiful Spanish dancer, Nuria Pomares whose picture is seen below.