REVIEW: On opening night, SummerFest delivers passionate performances in an empty hall
Christian Hertzog
August 22, 2020
La Jolla Music Society’s annual festival — slimmed down to six concerts — opens virtual series with excellent sound, crisp images and top-notch musicianship
“The show must go online.”
That updated show business adage appears to be the way of the classical music world these days.
On Friday night, the La Jolla Music Society — under the artistic direction of Inon Barnatan — offered its version of a COVID-19-safe production. SummerFest, now in its 35th year, opened its slimmed-down 2020 season with a YouTube broadcast of a pre-recorded performance of “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives and a live performance of Schubert’s Quintet in C major inside an empty Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center.
The sound was excellent, and the video appeared to be high-definition…