January 15, 2019—CAMA presents Itzhak Perlman, violin—International Series at The Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara

After 32 years, the Los Angeles
Philharmonic returned to the
Granada stage for what would
be the highlight of the 2008
season and conductor Esa-Pekka
Salonen’s final Santa Barbara
performance.
Photo by David Bazemore
architect Roger Phillips and acoustician David
Conant would assure that no orchestra would
ever again complain that they were playing into
a pillow!
On March 6, 2008, the Granada threw open
its doors for a Spanish-themed patron’s gala.
Santa Barbara Independent reviewer Charles
Donelan reported that from the red carpet
outside to the grand staircases that flank the
lobby, the space was packed with well-heeled
supporters sipping wine and greeting one
another enthusiastically. The opening night
performances of the Santa Barbara Choral
Society and Santa Barbara Symphony, as well
as that of renowned pianist Warren Jones, who
arrived on stage together with the Granada’s
brand new Steinway via the giant open elevator
of the orchestra pit, left the audience enthralled.
After intermission, Opera Santa Barbara and
State Street Ballet’s collaboration on the opera
Carmen was dazzling. “With the opening of this
Granada, a star theater has been born,” wrote
Donelan.
In February, Donelan had reported that
Stephen Cloud, who programmed for both CAMA
and the Lobero Theatre, believed that May 3
would be the real acid test for the room’s acoustics.
“Dave Conant, the principal acoustician,” Donelan
had said, “feels confident that the acoustic bumps
added to the walls and the oversized orchestra
shell will offset any issues raised by the structure
of the theater as a whole.”
Conant’s confidence was not overblown.
After the Los Angeles Philharmonic returned
to the Granada Theatre for the first time in
32 years on May 3, Donelan opined, “[It] was
easily the most anticipated event of the 2008
season thus far, and it more than lived up to
some very high expectations.” Not only was
this the first time the Philharmonic performed
at the new Granada, it was Music Director Esa-
Pekka Salonen’s last performance in Santa
Barbara. Donelan lauded the program devoted
to two monumental works, the Piano Concerto
No. 2 of Johannes Brahms and three selections
from Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner, and
ended by saying, “The piece, the orchestra, the
soloist, the conductor, and the room all came
together for an unforgettable experience….
The Granada is back, and the Los Angeles
Philharmonic has shown what majesty there is
to look forward to.” •
CAMA AT THE GRANADA THEATRE - ITZHAK PERLMAN
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