Super Bowl 50 may not have been an instant classic — Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos eked out an ugly win against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, 24-10 — but the game and its commercials had several moments to please classical music fans.
The biggest story in the symphonic world going into the game was the appearance of LA Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles at the halftime show. Their exuberance showed, as the members and its conductor, clad in two-tone blue and raspberry jackets, kicked-off the performance playing an arrangement of Coldplay’s “When I Ruled the World.”
Congrats @LAPhil who just rocked it with #Coldplay for the #HalftimeShow! https://t.co/p1FWqsRabR#SB50#ChrisMartinpic.twitter.com/L5bmzNocDa
— Culturalist (@Culturalist) February 8, 2016
Later, Dudamel was spotted in the massive group hug ending the spectacle, nicely sandwiched between Beyoncé and Chris Martin of Coldplay.
Our own @GustavoDudamel + YOLA @ #SB50 w @coldplay@Beyonce@BrunoMars NBD! Support by texting YOLAhalftime to 33923 pic.twitter.com/WfZ3quVn6w
— Hollywood Bowl (@HollywoodBowl) February 8, 2016
Meanwhile, this year’s crop of commercials continued to feature classical music:
Intel merged the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth with its corporate theme in a 30-second spot focusing on digital innovation:
The apocalyptic-sounding score promoting video game Mobile Strike excerpted the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem. In it, the chorus sings of the day of wrath, which is what Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be ushering in for the spot:
A group of mischievous pooches crash a super market in search of Doritos in the company’s 2016 ad, which samples the overture from The Barber of Seville. This is at least the second time that Doritos has used the music for its Super Bowl spot, having featured it in 2014. Someone at the company must be a Rossini fan.
Did you catch other moments of classical music in last night's broadcast? Let us know in the comments below.