A Hunger for Music

By the hundreds they come to eat, drink and be merry--loaded down with gourmet meals packed in picnic baskets and wine chilled in ice chests.

Victor Vener, maestro of the California Philharmonic Orchestra, wouldn’t have it any other way at his summer concerts on the grounds of the Arboretum of Los Angeles County in Arcadia.

Music, like food, feeds the soul.

“Hey, way back there,” Vener tells a group with a picnic spread out on a blanket. “Thank you for coming.”

Through Sept. 26, every other Saturday, Vener and the CalPhil will feed the music-hungry masses with opera, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Broadway melodies at this second annual series called Festival on the Green.

Of course, the real grub--from cold salads to hot dishes pulled out of insulated bags--is provided by the ticket holders. They arrive in the heat of day, lugging every amenity--from coolers to candles to china--to dine al fresco, setting up a virtual dining room under the stars.

But mostly they’re here because they love the classical music of Vener’s white-tuxedoed musicians.

On one summer evening, Mother Nature is a class act herself. She finally turns down the heat and turns up her own natural air-conditioning. Even the crickets seem laid-back as a hush fills the arboretum when Vener announces the orchestra will perform the “Titanic” theme song.

With the moon a snowball in the dark sky, the melody provides a romantic setting, just right for couples to get lovey-dovey.

Vener wouldn’t mind. After all, romance--like music--feeds the soul.