The Score | Ludwig’s Van

Residents of Los Angeles spend a lot of time in their cars, and for five weeks this fall the Los Angeles Philharmonic joined the fray with VAN Beethoven. The customized yellow van parked at locations like Museum Row, MacArthur Park, and the LA County Fair, where visitors could step inside, put on Oculus virtual-reality headsets, and experience Music Director Gustavo Dudamel in 3D leading the LA Phil in the famous opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Footage was recorded at Disney Concert Hall with cameras and binaural audio recorders placed among the musicians. The experiment was timed to coincide with an “Immortal Beethoven” festival at Disney Hall, featuring two complete Beethoven symphony cycles performed by the LA Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.