Dana Point Symphony

Music is the wine which inspires one to new generative processes, and I am Bacchus who presses out this glorious wine for mankind and makes them spiritually drunken — Ludwig van Beethoven
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life — Ludwig van Beethoven
The Dana Point Symphony is a new arts organization that started in 2012 with the laudable mission to provide world-​class classical music to the Dana Point and surrounding community and make it accessible to everyone. Concerts are held at the beautiful St. Edwards the Confessor church in Dana Point.
My son was invited by his music teacher, a performer in the orchestra, to attend a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, my favorite, on my first evening back to Orange County for Mini-me’s Spring Break. It was a much needed ending to a very interesting day as I was rear ended by a 75 year old (who I deemed Pa Kettle) on the way to the San Jose airport.
I have seen many productions of the 9^th throughout the years and purchased many versions on CD. My favorite is the versions conducted by Ferenc Fricsay at the helm of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The 9^th is hailed as one of Beethoven’s greatest works and some critics believe it is the greatest musical piece ever written. A small piece of trivia: The Philharmonic Society of London originally commissioned Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 1817. The main composition work was done between autumn 1822 and the completion of the piece in February 1824 although there is ample evidence in Beethoven’s sketchbooks that bits of musical material that appeared in the 9^th were written in 1811 and 1817. Finally, the piece was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony.
There was a time when any decent sized community had a thriving orchestra. With the decline in the interest of the classical arts, and with classical music’s own missteps in keeping the cultural traditions going, most small and mid sized towns no longer have orchestras. Also, with small exceptions, the big cities orchestras are not exactly thriving either. So this small group, putting on quality shows without a lot of pretense, is much needed in a County that does not have a history of support arts organizations for the long term.
Seating here is first come, first served. There may be reserved seats for season ticket holders but we were just there for a single show. Sightlines are excellent and having the show in the church lends an air of intimacy.
The performance was very good for a community level ensemble with a particularly strong string and percussion section. The Church of the Master Choir was a little hesitant at first but the featured singers enthusiasm soon carried the day and the finale stirred a rousing reaction from an otherwise subdued crowd. Even my jaded son enjoyed the finale. The Principal Conductor Dean Anderson led with passion and in the spirit of accessibility, even allowed the crowd to clap in between movements or pauses when ordinarily that is considered uneducated manners.
Of course this crowd had the same problem as most classical crowds. As my son asked: «Why is everyone so old? They are even all way older than you?» I hope this organization, created with the vision by Executive Director Berenika Schmitz, can indeed make this beautiful music accessible and create new classical music lovers.