Conductor Gustavo Dudamel: A Phenomenon to Celebrate and Watch
I have now experienced the conducting of Gustavo Dudamel "live" on three occasions. On top of that I've watched two video recordings and listened to at least three or four CDs as well, in some cases multiple times. I have to say that he is a phenomenon quite unlike just about anything or anyone I have experienced in almost fifty years of concert going. If you want a definition of the phrase "podium presence," the best way I can define it is to suggest watching Dudamel conduct.
Why do I write about him? After all, I rarely use this blog to
"promote" an artist. One reason is that I already see signs of the
all-too-predictable critical backlash that always follows any big
success. I'm old enough to remember when Britten's War Requiem was
introduced to the world and the initial reviews labeled it as one of
the greatest choral works since Verdi's Requiem. While that may have
been an overstatement, certainly the Britten work is one of the sublime
masterpieces of the twentieth century. But as rave after rave followed
its premiere, I remember saying to my wife something like "You watch.
Within a few months the backlash will come." And sure enough, it did.
Suddenly the War Requiem couldn't buy a good review: It went from being
a timeless masterpiece to being an overrated hodgepodge of styles, most
of them stolen from other composers (Verdi included). Eventually
history made its determination, and the War Requiem seems to have
earned a permanent place in the canon.
But so it is, and will be, with Dudamel. Some critics, though by no means all, are using words and phrases like "overrated," "hype," "a product of PR," "all glitz." Well, they are just wrong. At the age of 27, Gustavo Dudamel--who, one must remember, has been conducting at some level since he was 12!--has shown me a musical depth, and talent, quite beyond what I have ever seen from a 27-year-old. And I've been around for quite a while now. He conducts as if he was born on the podium, with a fluid style, an extraordinarily expressive left hand (and body), a precise right hand when needed, and a way of indicating exactly what kind of sound he wants that is completely natural to him. One very experienced professional musician who recently saw him came away calling him "a conducting animal." Dudamel has one of the most natural and complete physical gifts for conducting that I have ever seen. Full stop.
I have also had the privilege of speaking with him on a few occasions--briefly, to be sure. What stands out about those encounters is that the talk was always about music, not about a conducting career. This young man is a deeply serious, deeply feeling musician who brings a natural infectious energy, passion, and commitment to every performance he gives. The New York Philharmonic doesn't give many guest conductors, certainly not many very young ones, solo bows where the musicians refuse to stand and remain seated tapping their bows in admiration. On the two occasions when I've seen him with that orchestra, I've seen that ultimate demonstration of musician respect.
So let us celebrate that Gustavo Dudamel is among us, and that we will all share the experience of hearing him make music for, I hope, another half century. Let us congratulate the Los Angeles Philharmonic on appointing him music director, and let us hope that he finds a way to remain fresh and unspoiled, as he is now. He is one of the best things to happen to symphonic music in some time, and we are very lucky to be a part of it.
But so it is, and will be, with Dudamel. Some critics, though by no means all, are using words and phrases like "overrated," "hype," "a product of PR," "all glitz." Well, they are just wrong. At the age of 27, Gustavo Dudamel--who, one must remember, has been conducting at some level since he was 12!--has shown me a musical depth, and talent, quite beyond what I have ever seen from a 27-year-old. And I've been around for quite a while now. He conducts as if he was born on the podium, with a fluid style, an extraordinarily expressive left hand (and body), a precise right hand when needed, and a way of indicating exactly what kind of sound he wants that is completely natural to him. One very experienced professional musician who recently saw him came away calling him "a conducting animal." Dudamel has one of the most natural and complete physical gifts for conducting that I have ever seen. Full stop.
I have also had the privilege of speaking with him on a few occasions--briefly, to be sure. What stands out about those encounters is that the talk was always about music, not about a conducting career. This young man is a deeply serious, deeply feeling musician who brings a natural infectious energy, passion, and commitment to every performance he gives. The New York Philharmonic doesn't give many guest conductors, certainly not many very young ones, solo bows where the musicians refuse to stand and remain seated tapping their bows in admiration. On the two occasions when I've seen him with that orchestra, I've seen that ultimate demonstration of musician respect.
So let us celebrate that Gustavo Dudamel is among us, and that we will all share the experience of hearing him make music for, I hope, another half century. Let us congratulate the Los Angeles Philharmonic on appointing him music director, and let us hope that he finds a way to remain fresh and unspoiled, as he is now. He is one of the best things to happen to symphonic music in some time, and we are very lucky to be a part of it.
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