California Philharmonic, Victor Vener (music director), Jack Sanders (guitar). Vivaldi: Concerto in D Major, RV.93, and Concerto in C Major, RV.425; Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien, Op.45; Gabrielli: Canzoni Septimi Toni no.2 and Canzon Primi Toni; Respighi: The Pines of Rome; and various stage and screen music with an Italian flavor. Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena, CA.

Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, California, has been saved from the wrecking ball and is now again open for concerts, after a ten-year hiatus. It has the best acoustics on the West Coast, but the property was sold and slated for a huge housing development. Fortunately, sane minds prevailed and the property was taken over by the Harvest Rock Church.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles is visually awesome but has very bad acoustics. [see: "The Myth of the Walt Disney Concert Hall," Journal of the Classical New Jersey Society, Vol.4, No.15, p. 23.] Ambassador Auditorium is visually magnificent with superb acoustics. The floor is completely carpeted, all aisles and under all seats, giving the Auditorium a very warm sound quality. The walls are flat but with no parallel surfaces. Acoustic reflectors are used on the ceiling above the stage and over the audience. The Auditorium is a mid-sized hall seating about 1200, with a crystal clear and goose-bumps-inspiring acoustic.

Gorgeous carpet, a beautiful crystal chandelier, wooden railings, rose onyx, and purple wool carpet enhance the lobby. A reflecting moat with walkways surrounds the building and creates an impressive exterior, particularly at night. The Auditorium clearly is a class act, and southern California is blessed to have such a fine hall.

The California Philharmonic, which is best known for its very popular, out-door series "CalPhil Festival on the Green" - now in its tenth summer - at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, is a relatively new occupant of Ambassador Auditorium. The theme of this particular concert - "Viva Italia!" - was music by Italian composers and music about Italy, combining popular music of screen and stage with classical music by Vivaldi, Gabrielli, Tchaikovsky, and Respighi.

Vivaldi's concerto RV.93 was originally for the lute; RV.425 for the mandolin. Jack Sanders performed with glowing warmth, although the amplified guitar was too loud and overwhelmed the accompaniment of the strings. Sanders builds his own instruments and also is on the faculty of Pomona College.

There was some magnificent horn playing in Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, with a rousing eruption at the end. Respighi's The Pines of Rome showed off the glorious tone of the massed strings, and principal trumpet David Washburn performed magnificently in his off-stage solo. The powerful brasses of the California Philharmonic were nicely showcased alone in the Gabrielli.

Conductor Victor Vener knows how to reach an audience, and his introductory remarks before each piece were not only understandable and informative but also were sprinkled with nice touches of humor. He conducts in an unobtrusive manner, allowing the musicians to enfold the music. I was told that there was only one full rehearsal before the actual performance, which is incredible given the high quality of the music making. But musicians in Southern California are expert at sight-reading, since the studios cannot afford lengthy rehearsals and thus demand near perfection from the start.

Only in Southern California could a concert of movie music be coupled with classical music - and work. That is because so many of the musicians perform in movies for the studios and thus are able to perform both genres flexibly and flawlessly. And audiences appreciate both genres too.