THE DA CAMERA SOCIETY - JOHN LAUTNER SILVERTOP EVENT
The Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary's College has a series of chamber music in Historic Sites. Named after the 17th-century term for music played in a "chamber" (musica da camera), the Da Camera Society was founded at Mount St. Mary's College in 1973 to restore chamber music to the intimate environments for which it was originally intended.
Our first event was the Paris Piano Trio playing at the Doheny Mansion that was built in 1899. One event was held at the famous Silvertop House designed by renowed architect John Lautner.
About John Lautner: (Wikipedia)
From 1933-1939 Lautner worked and studied under Wright at the studios in Wisconsin and Arizona, alongside other renowned artists and architects like E. Fay Jones, Paolo Soleri and Santiago Martinez Delgado. His first significant solo project was his own Los Angeles home, the Lautner House (1939), which helped to establish his name. From the late 1940s until his death, Lautner worked primarily on designing domestic residences. His distinctive application of the principles of Organic Architecture was of course profoundly influenced by his apprenticeship under Frank Lloyd Wright. Lautner's approach to architecture embodied many of Wright's philosophies and preoccupations, above all, the notion of a building as a "total concept". Like Wright, his work also shows a strong preoccupation with essential geometric forms—the circle and the triangle are dominant motifs in both his overall designs and his detailing—and his houses are similarly rooted in the idea of integrating the house into its location and creating an organic flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, although Lautner's work arguably took the latter concept to even greater heights. Lautner's reputation was considerably restored by his groundbreaking design for the Leonard J. Malin Residence, also known as the "Chemosphere" (1960), which has become one of his best-known and most influential creations.
Reiner Residence - Silvertop
As his career developed Lautner increasingly explored the use of concrete and he designed a number of homes for his more affluent clients that featured major structural elements fabricated from reinforced concrete. The Reiner-Burchill Residence, "Silvertop" (1956), was his first major exploration of the sculptural possibilities of concrete, features a large arching concrete roof over the main house and an eye-catching curved concrete driveway that sweeps up and around the steep block.
The views from the house were spectacular. The shape and form of the structure was awe inspiring. It was very clean and modern. The living room glass panels had a sculptural curve form that made a visual statement viewing it from the inside or out. It was the perfect setting for an initimate evening of music. Combining to art forms into one magical night. The opportunity to hear music as well as see one of Lautner's private residence rarelly open to the general public was a moment in time I could not miss. I was lucky that my partner knew of my love of music and architecture and opened me up to the Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary's College, Chamber music in Historic Sites series.
Click here to view my photo gallery which contains photos I took at Silvertop the night of the event.
Enjoy,
Francesca
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