Monday Morning with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the L.A. Phil at the Bowl

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Gustavo Dudamel directing the L.A. Phil

L.A. Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, music director

Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano

Vittorio Grigolo, tenor

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, bass

Michelle De Young, mezzo-soprano

Colleen and I enjoyed a beautiful morning at the Hollywood Bowl at a rehearsal of the L.A. Phil and Master Chorale with soloists performing Verdi's Requiem.  This powerful music was created by Giuseppe Verdi in 1873 when he was 60 years old...a master at creating over 25 operas at the time.

This Requiem is an opera based in the Catholic Mass.  Verdi wrote this one year after the death of his friend Alessandro Manzoni a famous Italian novelists, "I promessi sposi (The Betrothed.")  Verdi is recorded to have said "I would have gone down on my knees before him if we were allowed to worship men."  Verdi was so shocked when he heard of Manzoni's death that he could not bring himself to attend the funeral.  By a year later, he had created this Requiem Mass to express the depth of the emotion he felt.

This rehearsal of the production was very moving even with stops for Dudamel to sculpt the work to his standards.  The Forte sections boomed from the Bowl Shell...all 100 voices of the Master Chorale and 100 member Philharmonic...with trumpets, trombones, horns, and Timpani (thank you Josepth Pereira) in full force.  The soft sections were delicate and moving...some were moved to tears.

The soloist were also wonderful with Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano, Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano, Vittori Grigolo, tenor, and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, bass.

Twas a WOW morning...thank you L.A. Phil and friends for the gift.

Yes, there is an orchestra and chorale under the sun shield at the bowl...we could see most all of them and of course Dudamel conducting the gifted musicians.