My friends in these orchestras affirm the same wonder of this young man. 20 years his senior, it is indeed encouraging from the soloist point of view that such fresh, young gifted talents as Dudamel are in the next generation of conductors. Next week, I work with the Milwaukee Symphony with one of my favorite concerti, the 'Prokofiev 3rd', which I know since 1980. It will be interesting to work with the young UK conductor, Edward Gardner, for the first time. The UK is also producing brilliant young conductors, and as I am very close to this concerto for nearly 30 years, Gardner will be the youngest conductor I have worked with. I will be eager to experience what he brings to the score.

Henry.. I have been reading about Gustavo Dudamel and his performances, so I snapped up his recording of the Mahler 5th with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. I must tell you that I had to keep reminding myself of how young everyone involved with the recording is; the phrasing and sense of excitement is extraordinary. I am happy to hear that you believe Dudamel is the genuine article. Can't wait to attend one of his live performances here in New York. With any luck, we will be listening to him conduct for many years to come.

I have listened to that Mahler Fifth, and agree completely with Mr. Orloff's comments. If you want to see Dudamel conduct, there is a DG DVD of the 80th birthday concert for the Pope done in the Vatican with the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra and Dudamel conducting along with Hilary Hahn. His talent is vividly evident there.

I have a suspicion that, were it not for PR hype, Dudamel would not be any hotter than Scott O'Neill or Alastair Willis (both fine young and relatively unknown conductors). I think that critics are some of the biggest suckers in the world. Yawn..., another Esa Pekka Salonen yawn....

I think the comment posted by aloysius was rather unnecessary and rude. I would suggest that he or she withhold any negative comments until actually listening to Dudamel's conducting. As far as the nasty comment about critics is concerned, I think it says quite a bit about the type of person who is making it. Although I don't often agree with some esteemed critics, we must remember that they are human beings like all of us, and they are entitled to share their joy or dismay with us, as long as they provide us with a reason for their feelings. We can choose to agree or disagree, but when you have a critic of the caliber of Henry Fogel who truly knows his stuff and is loath to be openly mean, we have a chance to open our minds and learn something we not have known previously. I would suspect that most people who read this blog are mature enough to appreciate his comments, and not feel the need to add nasty or time wasting accusations.