The Sound Post » Gustavo Dudamel

Dudamel and LA Phil Come to East Coast

Colin — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:57:45 +0000

Last Thursday and Friday, Gustavo Dudamel gave tri-staters the opportunity to see him conduct for the first time since his inauguration as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At Avery Fisher Hall on Thursday, Dudamel and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performed Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety.” Times critic Anthony Tommasini called the performance “arresting” and said the work “if sometimes wild and brassy, was basically wonderful.” However, he was not as enamored with the LA rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique.”

Tommasini felt that technical faults in the performance hinted at under-preparation despite Dudamel’s emotive and carefully executed direction. While the lush, expressive lyricism lent itself to a poignant interpretation from the maestro, The NY Times thought the orchestra’s inability to deliver resulted in a performance that was “rough and unfocused.”

But on Friday, The Sound Post was able to see Dudamel continue his east coast performances with a similar program in Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Dudamel and Thibaudet began the performance by repeating the same pristine execution of Bernstein’s 2nd Symphony “The Age of Anxiety” from the night before. Thibaudet’s sensitivity and thoughtfulness at the piano denied any personal anxieties and were matched by the orchestra’s care and attention throughout all six segments. After intermission, Dudamel returned with one of his specialties: Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 “Titan.”

Brimming with expressive and eloquent gesture, Dudamel stimulated the LA Phil into an energized performance of the Mahler after a brief warm up in the first movement. Perhaps an over-familiarity with the work made the opening seem too comfortable, but a playful emphasis of the dance-like elements in the second movement demanded the attention of both orchestra and audience and set the tone for rest of the piece.

As the orchestra drifted between the folk and klezmer duality of the third movement, Dudamel guided the music through each color of the opposing themes. Finally, the gloves came off, and the orchestra shined in the explosive fourth movement—its intimacy with Mahler was evident in the fiery, finger-and-embouchure-crushing passages that riddle the movement. Complete with a standing horn section in the finale, the performance exuded the majesty and prowess of the “Titan” and brought the crowd to its feet moments after Mahler’s powerful full-stop ending.

Newsweek: Classical Music’s Version of Dodgers vs. Yankees: A Youthquake Hits Both Coasts

Colin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:32:44 +0000

Before the Dodgers relinquished their chance at the Series, Newsweek featured an article capitalizing on the potential bi-coastal competition and profiled the two conductors who recently claimed their coasts: Alan Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. Author Seth Colter Walls asserts that the LA and NY Philharmonics are not in competition, but instead share the goal of bringing conductors’ names into American—even international—homes.

Citing that both conductors have already commissioned and premiered works by well known composers, Walls indicates the pair intend to, and are capable of renewing interest in new music and bringing young audiences to concert halls. Click to read the Newsweek article containing the words “buttress” and “contemporaneity.”

El Sistema Founder To Receive Glenn Gould Prize, Dudamel To Receive Mention

Ian — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:46:06 +0000

The Glenn Gould Prize, given every three years in honor of (you guessed it) Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, will be given to El Sistema founder Jose Antonio Abreu. The award, to be given on October 27, 2009 (award date is 2008) is for an individual who has displayed altruistic dedication to the spread of music. Previous Laureates include Yehudi Menuhin, Yo-Yo Ma, Pierre Boulez, and Andre Previn.

Founded in the slums of Venezuela, El Sistema, or it’s full title, Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, is most often described as a modified Suzuki method, and is most famous for it’s highly acclaimed Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. It has produced such professional musicians as Gustavo Dudamel, Edicson Ruiz, Pedro Eustache, Natalia Luis-Bassa, and others.

But perhaps the greatest success of El Sistema is not in the number of professional musicians it has produced, but the 250,000 children who now attend it’s music classes (Wikipedia reporting that 90% come from poor socio-economic backgrounds).

Beginning in 1993, Laureates were given the honor of selecting the recipient of an accompanying award, the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize. Who do you think Abreu chose?

Gustavo Dudamel was named the 2008 Protégé. More proof that Dudamania is still going strong.

Official Site of the Glenn Gould Foundation
Jose Antonio Abreu
El Sistema

YOLA Dudamel! LA Phil Opens Season at Hollywood Bowl

Ian — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:51:23 +0000

In his first public appearance as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, the poster child of El Sistema, walked on stage at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday afternoon to a crowd of 18,000. Greeted by tremendous applause, he raised his baton and gave his first downbeat… to 200 children from southern Los Angeles.

Sporting a “YOLA” t-shirt, the Maestro conducted the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles’s undoubtedly most important concert yet. YOLA was founded two years ago, inspired by El Sistema—the highly successful Venezuelan music education system based on the Suzuki Method. YOLA has been much more than a prototype for the future of music education; it has already changed the lives of both orchestra members and their families.

Following YOLA, the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony—a truly monumental piece which will undoubtedly be remembered by all in attendance.

It was not an attempt to show off the success of the YOLA program, nor simply an act of good will on the part of the LA Philharmonic. As Laurie Niles, editor and author of violinist.com put it,

“The idea of making children’s lives beautiful through music gleams with idealism; the reality is that it’s a tremendous, arduous effort for both teachers and students. Dudamel certainly knows this, having conducted so many youth orchestras himself in his native Venezuela. There was no apologizing for the fact that kids who have played for only a few years sound like kids who have played for only a few years. Their accomplishment was tremendous; and to celebrate it, to celebrate them, is legitimate.”

Being a Suzuki teacher or simply a music educator, one cannot help but feel incredibly moved by this. To think that a professional orchestra would gladly share the stage with YOLA simply echoes of the ideals of Shinichi Suzuki. To the founder of the famous method, the goal of music education was not simply to develop professional musicians, but to nurture loving human beings, and promote every student’s character through their study of an instrument.

You can find links to more articles by Laurie Niles on El Sistema and Saturday’s memorable concert below. I encourage you to read more about this revolutionary system, and spread the word to all music educators. This is the future of music education!

Welcome to Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel – Violinist.com

What real music education can create: The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela – Violinist.com