Walt Disney Concert Hall – November 11, 2025
This was my first Green Umbrella concert and I have to say it was interesting. It was touted as Caribbean and Latin composers, which I suppose it was, but not at all what I was expecting.
I had originally dismissed this concert because tickets were a little expensive and I had just come back from out of town, but then I got an ad for LA Phil friends and family discounts and looked the concert up again. I ended up with a $25 ticket in row 3. Row 3!!!!! I have never been so close! That alone was enough to sell me on it. I bought my ticket the same day as the concert. Julie couldn’t go, so it was just me. I was concerned about traffic because there was an accident on the 10. Maps sent me to the 105 and the 110. I opted not to pay $7.65 for the express lanes and was still there early enough to park in my favorite spot (for the usual $10 price) and use the restroom before finding out they hadn’t yet opened the house. Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever been so early the house wasn’t open yet! In hindsight I shouldn’t have gone in right when they opened the doors either because I had to keep standing up to let people get by me to their seats. I did end up bonding a little with the person in the seat next to me over our mutual dislike of Moulin Rouge.
The show opened with a Christian Quiñones piece entitled Pasemisí, Pasemisá. It was a string quartet who interspersed their playing with a lot of snapping, clapping, knee slapping and shouting. Very weird but also somewhat cool. Next up conductor Raquel Acevedo Klein and orchestra took their places for Nathalie Joachim’s I’m Right Here which was more traditional with lots of percussion. Followed by Tania León’s Toque which was even more percussive. And then Amanda Hernández’ poem Arquitecta set to music by Angélica Negrón and sung by Lido Pimienta. There were supertitles projected above the stage for the non-Spanish speakers (although I may have been the only non-Spanish speaker there), but I could follow along pretty well without them. It was a really beautiful piece.
After intermission, we were treated to the world premiere of Recovecos which involved more poetry by Amanda Hernández with tropical fruit being played by Angélica Negrón. Yes folks, you heard that right. She hooked wires up to various pieces of tropical fruit and PLAYED the fruit. It was weird but also strangely cool. We heard a piece entitled Fragmentos by Juan Andrés Vergara and then Darian Donovan Thomas took the stage in a very short taffeta party dress to play Volver, Volver (world premiere arrangement) on some bells, something that made bird sounds and an electric violin. It was hard for me concentrate on the music because I was so distracted by the hairiness of the legs below the hem of the very short party dress. The evening concluded with another world premiere of an LA Phil commissioned work by Lido Pimienta (and performed by Lido Pimienta and Darian Donovan Thomas) entitled Corazón. It wasn’t really the conclusion of the evening since there was an afterparty at a nearby bar. It was the end of the evening for me though because it was a worknight. I was amused to note that the dress code for the evening seemed to be “something black and Dr. Marten chelsea boots” The conductor’s chelsea boots were black, Angélica’s chelsea boots were metallic silver and Darian’s chelsea boots were white (with red socks).
Even though it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, I have to say I didn’t hate it. It was definitely weird, but in a good way. Would I go see it again? Probably not…but for $25 front orchestra seats? Maybe.