CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK
Nothing could be more L.A. than the shiny new car that lives in front of the shiny Walt Disney Concert Hall, right? Hardly.
Walking past a new-model vehicle with its showroom sticker affixed to the windshield to get into concert halls and opera houses is a common international phenomenon. Last time I was at the tony Salzburg Festival, a flashy Audi, if I remember correctly, was parked in front of the Grosses Festspielhaus.
And now the pristine, white new Opera House in Oslo, a year old and already a landmark, has a pristine, white new Mercedes messing up the building’s sculptural Minimalism. It’s a nice car and very nice building, but the combination looks cheesy, just as the Acura does on Disney’s doorstep. Moreover, Oslo’s Mercedes, which doesn’t get great gas mileage, adds an extra dose of dissonance when you consider Norway’s reputation for environmental awareness.
Still, we needn’t be too harsh on these automakers. They’re still supporting the arts and doing so at a time when other businesses are pulling back. And we have to hope they keep it up, given how car companies are currently faring. As much as I dislike the Acura in front of Disney or the Lexus at the Hollywood Bowl or the Mercedes at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, I dread the possibility of them being driven off these prestigious lots.
The German, Japanese and Swedish car companies, at least, understand the importance of culture in a way Detroit doesn’t, and that’s a worry. Volvo, for instance, has its headquarters in Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg, and the company has long been the major supporter of the Gothenburg Symphony. The orchestra, now headed by Gustavo Dudamel, has become a huge attraction and is in great demand internationally.
On a recent visit to Sweden, orchestra officials told me that Volvo remains committed to its sponsorship, but they worry that Ford, which owns Volvo, will pull the plug. The economic downturn has now hit orchestras overseas, and the Gothenburg Symphony had to cancel a Japan tour with Dudamel next season.
Two years ago, I attended the first Manchester International Festival in England, and Saab was a major sponsor -- attractively painted Saabs with the festival logo could be seen being driven around town. This year Saab, which General Motors owns and has bankrupted, is not on the list.
Oh, yes, and thank you Acura for those tasty brownies that you sometimes serve to Los Angeles Philharmonic audiences after concerts. Affixing your logo on them doesn’t bother me in the slightest and is, like Saabs tooling through Manchester, my idea of positive branding. But Acura and Mercedes might rethink where they park their cars. Interfering with Disney and the Oslo Opera House can create a negative impression. I now wince every time I see a white Mercedes on the freeway.
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