Friday morning at Disney Hall: Vivaldi’s ‘Four’ at 11

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If you’re a music lover who abhors audience clapping between movements of your favorite works, then maybe attending 11 a.m. performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall is the way to go. On Friday morning, conductor Harry Bicket led the Los Angeles Philharmonic and rising-star violinist Veronika Eberle in an invigoratingly youthful account of Vivaldi’s masterpiece, ‘The Four Seasons.” Throughout that extended work -– actually four concertos, each in three movements -– there was quiet. The same was true for the rest of the program, Vivaldi’s Concerto in G major for Two Violins and Two Cellos, and a suite from Rameau’s last opera, “Les Boréades.”

It’s a different vibe from a traditional evening or weekend concert.

And surprisingly to the uninitiated, this brunch-time concert was as well attended as any on a Saturday night. “It’s a geriatric crowd, of which I am a member,” said a white-haired veteran of Disney Hall’s morning fare. “A lot of us come to these concerts because we can see the highway better during the day.”

He said half-price “rush” tickets also made going more attractive, but warned of limited availability when Gustavo Dudamel is conducting or a famous soloist is on the bill.

“There’s a good vibe at these morning concerts,” said Alan Chapman, radio host at KUSC-FM (91.5), who led a similarly well-attended “Upbeat Live” pre-concert discussion with Bicket at 9:45. “It’s mostly a crowd that doesn’t have a job to get to.”

Although young people also attended, they were clearly in the minority. “It’s nothing new,” said Lisa Bellamore, a Philharmonic representative. “Nor is it an experiment designed to attract new audiences. We did these concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion too.”

The Phil’s concert on Friday ended shortly after 1 p.m., another advantage. It meant that whether you were younger or older, a full afternoon was still ahead. The next brunch-time concert is scheduled for Jan. 29, with others to follow March 19, April 2 and, with Dudamel on the podium, May 7.

--Rick Schultz