California
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July 21, 2023
While students pushed themselves intellectually in Thursday’s morning discussion, the afternoon was ripe with delight in the fine arts. The California High School Summer Program took a trip to Los Angeles, with stops at the Getty Center and the Hollywood Bowl!
After lunch, the group made the 65-mile southbound trip in a convoy of charter buses and vans, arriving early in the afternoon. They then split into groups to wander the museum’s wings and pavilions with autonomy to appreciate every work on display.
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The exhibits were a feast for the mind and soul — St. Thomas’s definition proved true, the greatest of works delighting all who saw them — as internationally sourced paintings, spanning centuries, were on display. Religious art, revolutionary impressionism, and more sparked thoughtful contemplation and conversation.
Enriched by the experience, it was on to dinner. The group headed to a park next to the Hollywood Bowl to feast on submarine sandwiches. Conversations were initially about the Getty but soon turned toward excitement for the upcoming performance, which, for many, would be their first classical concert.
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The night’s performance was from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which began by playing Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 25. The orchestra then moved on to Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, featuring virtuoso cellist Alisa Weilerstein, concluding with the Philharmonic’s performance of selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Photos: The Hollywood Bowl
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The first rose and fell with the classically styled symphony. Four movements and a wave of applause. Then, the cellist entered stage left and took the audience by storm. Each movement drew in the hearts of all attending through seemingly every high and low of the human experience. Ms. Weilerstein sped along with draw and pluck, then slowed for a dissonant suspense, upended the tension in release, and — in the words of a student — “expressed the passion of Tchaikovsky’s work with utter nobility.” The audience rose for its ovation, and Weilerstein gave an encore in return. An intermission, then the Bard’s story of feud, love, and tragedy came to life in the selections. A bombastic entrance gave way to tenderness, shattered by vengeance, and perishing in tragedy. The audience again rose, and the students absorbed the performance in rapture.
The drive back was marked by excited conversation over the arts experienced, followed by a Rosary, then restful dozing for the journey’s remainder. Once back to campus, students bedded down, pleased by the works seen and apprehended.
At today’s classes, they will venture into Pascal’s Wager and the works of J. Henri Fabre. See the Summer Program Blog this afternoon for details!
